Life — January 18, 1906 — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

with the Fire Department passing the blame along to the Building Depart- ment, this in turn putting the respon- sibility on the Police Department, and so on? Doesn't New York really need a Department of Public Safety with absolute power to control these - matters? There doesn’t seem to be any special reasort for asking these questions just now, but any time is a good time to ask the authorities about these things. Incidentally it might be well to suggest to Mayor McClellan, to Fire Commissioner O'Brien, and to Police Commissioner Bingham that it is better to in- vestigate a disaster before it occurs than after it has hap- pened. Some of our enterprising and public-spirited daily contempo- raries whoare looking for ways to be of use might make a spe- cialty of this public service. Lire would be glad to help in its weekly way. . . . R, LOUIS MANN’S last appearance in New York was in a character and play trumped up by the Theatrical Trust to whip out Mr. Belasco’s production of Mr, Warfield in “* The Music u Master." It was in every respect a weak imitation, and failed both from the artistic point of view and in the purpose for which it was intended. In ‘Julie Bonbon,” Mr. Mann achieves a real success in character portrayal, although it must be confessed that he shows | slight discrimination between what is coarse and what is refined. He has left the realms of German dialect and gives us this time an amusing but disreputable old Frenchman who is a slave to drink. This is a new field, and if Mr, Mann will elaborate and refine the character it may be made a valuable artistic asset. In this particular he might well profit by the example set by Mr, David Warfield in the way of delicate treatment, Clara Lipman, who wrote the piece, sustains the title part, which she evidently designed to introduce to the pub- lic emotional powers with which she has not hitherto been credited. In the effort she has not been entirely successful, but she is an at- \ CLARA LIPMAN AS JULIE BONBON, tractive woman and gave an agreeable per formance which was far from being a failure, even in the incongruously serious passages she introduced for herself, The supporting company is a competent one, and the play goes smoothly. ] “ Julie Bonbon” as a play pulls and hauls j ina good many contrary directions, but is a fair vehicle for the talents of its author and Mr. Mann, It will also be found amusing by i audiences that are not too fastidious. HERE'S an indefinite something missing in the new show at the Weber Music Hall, The jokes are much the same, the lights and costumes are as brilliant as ever, the tunes are of the old, catchy kind, and there -LIFE- . 1 Joseph Weber is unchanged in his methods, except for the better, in that he omits completely the sidewalk *conversationings," of which his public had tired. To be sure, several of the old favorites have de- parted from the company, but this alone would not explain the gone” feeling which seems to afflict the performance, Can it be that the old constituency has become 6/as/ to this kind of performance ? When La Petite Marie Dressler is on the st ¢ there is a return of the old enthu- siasm, but even her splendid vitality and versatility are not enough to vivify the entire evening's entertainment, She does more than a hired man’s work, she does it cheerfully and does it with complete success. Perhaps we're all growing old and live too much in the past. Any- one who had never seen the performances of other days at this house, might experience the old enthusiasm over this one, but it looks as though Mr, Weber must get new material in a new setting to revive the former glories. * . . CELLENT authority states that during her Southern tour the orchestra with Mme, Sara Bernhardt will play as an overture a new arrangement of We're tenting to-night, tenting to-night, Tenting on the old camp ground. Metcale, slie Carter in Messrs. Belasco and Long's tragedy, ** Adrea. The Girl of the Golden West,” with Blanche Bates as the heroine. American through and through, well acted and intensely interesting. Bijou. — Mr. Warfield, in his second year in “The Music Master.” Pa thetic, laughable and enjoyable play. Casino. — As the Foy.” English musical p Fietds's.—Louis Mann and Clara Lipman in “Julie Bonbon.” Garrick.—Hent inMary, Mary, Quite Contrary." Ameri- can adaptation of Sardou Not vill acted , Hippodrome. —* & Society Cireu: ¢ Court of the Golden Foun- tains.” Full Value in spectacle, circus and ballet, all good of their kinds. Lyric. —"'The Babes and the Baron." Amusing musical spectacle, well staged and including the artistic pantomime work of Mr. Fred Walton as The Wooden Soldicr. Madison Square. h The Earl and the Girl with Eddie jece with American cast. Diverting. See above * The Braisley Diamond" and Mr. Henri de Vries in “A Case of Arson.” Notice later. Manhattan. —** Before and After." French farce. Well presented Princess.~Mr. Henry Miller in“ Grierson’s Way.” Notice later, Proctor's Fifth Avenue. — Stock compat in weekly change of bill Weber's Theatre.—" Twiddle Twaddle.” See above. are quite as many comely and shapely young women in the chorus as ever there were. Mr. THE MILLINERY RSTABLISHMENT OF JULIE BONBON IN PIPTH AVENUE comicbooks.com