Life — March 22, 1900 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

- LIFE « A Play With Lots of Fighting. HOROUGHLY to enjoy “Tho Pride of Jennico,” you must leave your common sense at home, or check it at the door as you exter the theatre. Otherwise you will mentally uso strong language over the persistent foolishness of a heroine who never does the obvious thing that will save a lot of trouble for herself and other people, which trouble includes a largo amount of unhappiness and sword play, and an amount of slaughter oqual to that commonly suffered by tho British in one of General Buller’s “glorious victories.” But, of course, if tiie heroine bad the usual number of brains, and spoke the right word at tho right time, as any ordinarily sensiblo person would do, the play would stop early in tho first act, Mr. Hackett would not have an opportunity to display his white- cambric-shirted bust in duels and other fights, and tho death rato in. he neighborhood of the Criterion Theatre would be greatly reduced. If, however, you leavo your ideas of probability behind you, and sternly resolve that you will accept as real aay Incredible things that the dramatists may folst upon you, you will flnd “Tho Pride of Jennico” amusing in tho samo way that “Tho Prisoner of Zonda” and “ Rupert of Hentzau" were, In fact, there is moro than a passing resemblance, and the present authors have taken more than a leat out of the suggestion in the success of tho other plays. ‘“Jonnico” Is in lighter vein, though, and tho tragic plights of tho stately Flavia aro replaced by tho less dignified entanglements of Marie Ottilie, Princess of Dornkeim, Tho romaneo is 80 exaggerated and the characters seem to take them- selves so little seriously, that the piece reminds one more of opera bouffe than of serious drama, Whethor it is the quality of tho play or through a modification of his methods, Mr, Hackett, as Basil Jenico, cortainly carries himselt with less stiffness and his manver is less stagey than in the past. Of course ho bas a tromendous amount of business with his sword, and his utter disroyard for tho value of human life is appalling, but ho goes through his uopleasant duties with fur moro ease and finish than ho has shown in his provious efforts, This is due largely to increased experience, and before long wo may expect Mr, Hackett to become so unconscious of his superfluous inches of height that ho will dispenso with the ever-present long cloak which embarrasses his movements. The play introduces to notice an actress who scems to possess somo qualities that should in time make her successful, This is Bertha Gulland, who plays the Princess, Hor acting, though characterized by too little sincerity and composure, and by an excess of facial gymnastics, scoms at firat to possess strength and originality. ‘Then thero creeps over one a puzzling sense of familiarity with her mothods, until all at once it occurs to one that she is simply reproducing her own {dea of somo of Mrs. Fiske's mannerisins, Rar her tendency to over- act, which is perbaps excusable in this play, she gives a perform- ance of tho part which is at least interesting, although it hardly justitles placing on her brow the garland of greatness. Granted, as said before, that you do not use your reason, and that you abandon your mind to a receptive condition which will not gag at improbabilities, you will flnd “The Pride of Jennico” an amusing play, which will keep you wide awake through its four ucts of stirring events. <€CAPOLIO,” at Wober 4. Fields’s Music Hall, is not likely to last very long, regardless of any intrivsic merits it may possess, To enjoy a burlesque of a piece usually implies that the spectator shall havo seen the original, and this is particularly true in this case, as the caricature derives most of its fun from a provious knowledgo of its subject. Our yellow censors drove “Sapho” from tho stage before the great mass of theatre-goers had an opportunity to become acquainted with its merits or demerits, Therefore, “Supolio” is likely soon to exbaust tho public which could possibly enjoy it, Those who saw the original will be highly amused by Miss May Robson's clover burlesque of Miss Nothersole’s unpleasant mannerisms, Those who never saw “Sapho” will flad “Sapolio” stupid indeed, XACTLY whore Miss Cissic Loftus, the mimic, left off, and whero Miss Cissie Loftus, the actress, began was diMcult to detormino in her rendering of Shakespeare's Viola, -It may bo that we aro so accustomed to regard Miss Loftus as a mimic that we unconsciously find her mimicking when sho is doing nothing of tho sort, and, on tho other hand, it is possible that her practice of mimicry has mado her so receptive that sho is uncon- scfously mimicking when sho thinks sho is acting. At all events, her success in Viola, even under the ablo ccaching of #0 great an artiste as Mme. Modjeska, was not very pro- nounced, Miss Loftus’s lack of physique and force made her rendering of this girlish character colorless and uninteresting except as an experiment, It was very good of Mmo. Modjeska to give Miss Cissie tho chance, because now the latter will heve no temptation to waste her efforts on Shakespeare until she gets tore maturity and more lungs in ber chest. Metcalfe, THe principat plays now on the stage in New York may be roughly divided into two classes—those that are clean, and those at which no self-respecting woman should be seen, To sace our readers mur= tification and expense, we append a properly classified list: CLEAN. “Brother OMcers.” “The Pride of Jennico.” “Sherlock Holmes.” “Way Down East." “Tho Ambassador.” “Ben Hur,” “My Daughter-in-Law.” “Oliver Goldsmith.” “Hearts Are Trumps.” : NOT. “Tho Second Mrs, Tanqueray.” “Naughty Anthony.” “Qoratle & Co., Dressmakors.” “Papa's Wife.” Noaitas New Pork. Garfield National Bank ‘Parte the order of AT, Gur. rr? ———_ Stn 1900, $20 000. e “as YOU Like ir. comicbooks.com