Life — December 7, 1899 — page 12: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

496 Ye Maiden and Ye Birdie. «YH, pretty bird,” the maiden said, “It makes mo weep and ery To see theo thus imprison-cd When thon hast wings to fly!” Tho birdie wept and shook his bead To find such sympathy, “Thy brilliancy will soon be gone, Or eaten by the cat. Ob, crucl men,” the maid went on, “To pon theo up like that! * . . When thou wouldst look so well upon My bran-new winter hat!” Paul West, 7Z71|'\ Ve The Adroit Proceedings of Jane. INCE tho dispersion of Mr. Daly's company tho Lyceum organization fs the only one in this country that can in the slightest degree lay claim to distinction as a body of actors long cnough associated to work harmoniously asa unit. Even the Lycoum Company isa liraited one in its Oxed mem- bers, and by its variation in make-up serves: toemphasize the fact that this great nation of theatro-goers has no stock company in tho real senso of tho word, Woe havo stars galoro and companies that for ono season and in ono play produce effective results, but wo have no organization with dise pline, traditions and the common under- standing among its mombers which brings about the absolutely complete and polished representation of a series of plays. Mr. Daniel Frohman and the Lyceum Company havo succeeded to Mr, Augustin Daly's theatre, Whether they have succeeded to his ambitions or to anything like tho ability to equal the accomplishments of the former mauagor and his company remains a secrot still deeply conceated in the bosom of the futuro. * . ° $a vehicle for the abilities of any company “Tho Maneuvers of Jane,” by Mr. Henry Arthur Jones, is not all that could be desired, It is original in many of its episodes and situations, but the action drags, and its general brightness is interspersed by much that is common- place and dull, Wo are obliged to concedo to two lovers, who, for any reason that the audience can see, might have gone off and married at any timo of the six months covered by tho play's action, an ineffable stupidity which makes thom not elope until tho last moment, and thea return without having married to securo in the ecuvon- tional way tho relenting and consent of tho stern parent, Their main and apparently only real obstaclo is a prying child, whom they might casily have eluded at any time.- Hero is tho very slender matorial out of which Mr, Jones has constructed a four-act comed Considering the absolute pavorty of tho story tho picco is ainusing, In the first placo it is polite and inoffensive, Its peoplo are well-bred—except whoro they aro intentionally adv to appear otherwise —and aro placod in tho genteel surround- ings of uppor-cluss English life. The sido tneidents are funny and tho eccentric types. are for tho most part humorous. It is a tribute to Mr. Jenes's ability, or to tho casiness of satisfying the dramatic do- mands of to-day, that with so little he has boen able to accomplish so much. Two picevs of character work save tho play from dismal failure, Tho most promi- nent ix the Lord Bapehild of Mr, Ferdinand Gottschalk. It is reminiscent of the titled ass played by Mr. Gottschalk in “Tho Amazons,” by the same author, but isa sum- clently differentiated typo of the British hereditary Idiot to bo equally amusing with- out being a repetition, ‘Tho two might very well be cousins in the same generation of a noble family gone to seed, The other re- dooming character of the pleco is Pamela Beechinor, an extromely disagreeable little girl at tho most disagrecablo ago of little g tls. Amongthosoof herownagosho would be called a tell-talo and tag-tail, and in tho play her spying, tagging and attempted telling are at the expense of tho lovers, Sho is what might be termed a holy terror, and in Pamela Mr. Jones given usa character new to the stago but closely studied from real life, With the exception of occasionally using tones entirely too contralto for a girl of Pamela's apparent ago, Miss Jessie Busley gives an admirablo and most laughable rendering of tho part, Miss Maunering, very unbecomingly gowned, is Jane, tho sprightly and charm- ing author of tho maneuvers which givo the picco its title. These aro not many nor intricato and wind up in her marrying her lover Georgie, acted naturally and in a manly way by Mr. Courtenay, To that excellent actress, Miss Bessie Tyree, is assigned the part of Jane's companion, a lovel-headed young person whose aim, from which shonovor doviates for an instant, is to annex tho title and possessions of Bapchild along with his unpleasant person, The odds seem to be against her as Bapchild bas really not brains onough to make up his mind to marry, but the clover Connie has determination enough for two and com- passes her ambition, Miss Tyree keeps well within her powers and makes attrac- tive a part which in Jess skillful bands might have been most repellent. Theroare tho other necessary charactors well dono by the well-known stand-bys of tho Lycoum Company and ono character absolutely unnecessary to the purposes of tho play is introduced simply to burst into exaggorated roars of laughter, Some people can laugh artificially so that it provokes laughter in others, Mr. Findlay, who has the unneces- sary part, cannot do this and should bo promptly climinated for there can be no other excuse for his remaining. Mr, Frohman’s company does not in this play show that it has any rightful claim to the succession of Mr, Daly's. As a con- tributing factorin New York's hope for per- manenco as adramatic metropolis it isto be desired that Mr, Frohman shall strengthen. tho personnel of bis organization, and givo it better material to work with, Metcalfe. Doeslynch- ing prevent crim Covoset Corkriont: Yes, suh; Ihave nevuh known a man to commit a crime aftuh he had been thorouguly lynched. comicbooks.com