Show Q 1H THEATRICAL WORLD James ONeill Opens His Engagement En-gagement Tomorrow Night TWO STANDARD PLAYS 21OXTJ3 CRISTO AKD SHERIDAJ KXOWIiES VIRGIXIUS Tolls T Kelly the IrIsh Comeilian t Coming Some Stale halJSThe Home Stock Companys Prodnc tion of The Black Tins Gossii of Plays and Players Mr James ONeill after an absence of several years will visit us once again and unless the signs fail his handsome impressive face may be seen at the theatre tomorrow night in the play that has brought him fame and fortune Monte Cristo Tuesday evening Sheridan Knowles famous tragedy trag-edy Virgmius will be given Mr ONeill has done little in the legitimate line for some years but it must not be overlooked it was in this field that lie first attracted the attention of the theatregoing public During his en sagement as leading man at Hoey Chicago he appeared in many Shakespearian Shake-spearian roles and grew high in the public favor for this kind of work He has confined himself so long to the romantic drama that his return to the legitimate will occasion much interest Mr ONeills engagement lasts for three nights and the last nights performance per-formance Will find Monte Cristo as the bill Dramatic readers never tire of the story of tWe original production of Monte Cristo It was something like ten years ago Mr John Stetson was producing a series of romantic plays at Booths then in its dying days The Corsican Brothers was being played with Charles Thorne in the lead Mr Thorne Is remembered as one of the finest leading men America has ever produced Shortly prior to tha production of Monte Cristo Mr Thorne was taken seriously Jill and died Mr Charles Pang taking his role during the remaining nights of The C rsican Brothers When Monte Cristo was put on James ONeill was given the leading role Stetson the manager Is responsible for casting Mr ONeill in a part which he assumed with such success that all America has applauded for ten years Mr ONeill was just starting on a starring tour when Mr Stetson searching tnr some ore to take the part intended for Charles Thorne was struck with the Idea that ONeill was just the man After a year or two of triumphant success suc-cess under Mr Stetsons management Mr ONeill purchased the play and has produced it ever since under his own management Friday and Saturday evenings of this week will be devoted at the theatre to Mr John T Kelly the Irish comedian comed-ian who will present his play McFee of Dublin Mr Kelly has visited us many times and the time is yet to come when he will be received by anything any-thing save gleeful laughter In MeFee of Dublin Mr Kelly assumes as-sumes the role of valet to Lord Mc Fee rand in his lordships absence the valet impersonates his master The situation becomes funny when the maid of an American heiress appears upon the scene and passes herself off for her mistress The two frauds make love to each other each thinking he or she the only imposter until the de nuement when valet and maid in their true light continue xb2ir matrimonial matri-monial plans S Apropos to the production of Monte Cristo at the theatre I am reminded of anecdote of our John S Lindsay which I believe as the advance agents say has never before been in print Monte Cristo was the play and Mr Lindsay was the Count During the I prison scene the light ds supposed to be low But as the green baize cut tain was wrung up or push d aside Mr Lindsay in the cell discovered to his horror that the six kerosine lamps which fionmed the footlights were burning full height Hastily he muttered to the orchestra turndown turn-down the lamps But the orchestra was running little trills upon the piano and heard him not Turndown Turn-down those lights the immortal John again growled forth But the orchestra orches-tra was deaf to all save the sweet music mu-sic of its own piano At last the au dierrce grew interested in the light question and lost interest in the lonely prisoner wearing his life away in that lonely cell Various inquiries were made to the orchestra asking him Soy why didnt he turn the lamps down for the gentlemen Bets were openly made as to whether he would or not Finally the orchestra returning tto earth realized what was wanted of it and arising slowly took its hat and deftly slapped at it and putting out each lamp The stage was left in darkness groping his way to the ifron Edmund Dantes supplied the ouchestra with a match instructed him how to light and arrange each amp and then resumed his scene chlle the audience thundered its delight de-light and the orchestra sullenly resumed re-sumed its seat at the piano But Lindsay is not the only great actor ac-tor who has suffered mishaps while practicing his noble profession Tom maso Salvinl in the February Century relates a ijumber sudh one of which I > Ul briefly quote He was playing the part of Ores tmane in Voltaires tragedy Zaire at Bologna The opening night was a trying one for Lombard who had just died was a favorite in the part and had left a public ideal which could not be effaced Mr Salvini appeared dad in a rich Oriental costume The enthusiasm grew and by the time the fourth act was reached Sal vini was carrying everything with folm Reaching the scene where supposing t sup-posing himself to be betrayed he bids his friend to slay the faithless Zaire tout before he departs shouts for him to stop The balance I will quote In Salvinis own words 4 This stop pronounced with excitement e ex-citement and with all the strength i of my voice occasioned the bursting I of the belt which held my flowing g trousers to my body and slowly slowly slow-ly I felt these outer garments slipping I slip-ping down down until they rested on my test What is left to say I j was lest Because of the encumbrance I could not move and yet I must in I some way finish the fourth act If I the theatre hadat that moment fallen I down about my ears it would have 0 been less of a grief to me What could I I do I shuffled over with little steps f and as best I might to the divan in the middle of the stage sat down I and catching up a tdger skin which was spread on the floor as a rug I drew it over my body The audience I 1 saId not a word uttered not the faintest faint-est murmur did not give the slightest r sign of hilarity I could have kissed i them all for gratitude Constrained to remain seated all the time I finally got through with the fourth act I 1 ihave repeated this tragedy but there are some who maintain that I could never again give that same scene with so great intensity of rage and fury t i < a rj The Home Stock company gave a I creditable performance of the melodrama t melo-drama The Black Flag at the theatre f last Wednesday evening With one i exception the company was letter per I feet in its lines and the prompters f4 melodious voice was not heard The r piece was admirably staged the credit = = 1 0 < > < c 0 a z for which is due to Mr Harry Sedley the very clever young comedian who played the role of the Jew The members mem-bers of the company indignantly deny the report contained in one of the Salt Lake papers that under the cover of charity the Home Stock compariy worked a private snap and pocketed the proceeds A denial of this statement state-ment by one of the members of the company appears elsewhere in these columns The Home Stock company will produce pro-duce The Black Flag at the Murray Opera house Thursday night of this week L C M Stngre GosHip Clara Morris is to have a new play written by Clinton Stuart i Stuart Robson reviewed Buckstones Leap Year at theGrand Opera House St Louis January 27 i Tom Dick and Harry is the English 1 Eng-lish title of Mrs Pachecos comedy i i I now in this country as Incog j 1 I E E Rice is preparing for the open I i ing of the Camille DArvllle Opera I company at the New York casino j Caroline Hamilton the soprano left I the Pauline Hall Opera company at New Orleans and has returned to New I York Willie Collier will produce a new play in the spring It was written for him by Edward E Kidder and is entitled I A Back Number Carmencita has returned to New York I She has begun a two weeks engagement I engage-ment with a company of her own at i < the Vaudeville club Alexander Salvinis new play will be written by George Parsons Lathrop and founded on a story of ancient Rome There is a rumor to the effect that Sarah Bernhardt will produce a new play by Oscar Wilde on her next American Ameri-can tour Frank Lander recently joined the GrismerDavies company to play the light comedy partT ol Dr Lincoln in I Tfte Jew south I Mark Sullivan is playing successfully j I success-fully the part of Charlie Hoss in Hoss and Hoss the role which was originated origin-ated by Charlie Reed Richard Mansfield drew out an audience au-dience of two thousand people in Baltimore Bal-timore a short tinje ago to witness his production of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde A far ical comedy entitled A Man of No Importance has been written by Alexander Rule He has just completed com-pleted also a oneact comedy called The Button Hallen and Hart are enjoying great prosperity in TheIdea The singing of James Aldrich Libbey of After the Ball fame is everywhere given the highest praise The women who played in As You Like It for the benefit of the professional profes-sional Womans League will produce the play at the Garden Theatre New York this week SheWhen you are singing to the moon upon the stage doesnt it annoy you to have people go out HeIt annoys me more when the moon goes outTruth J E Dodson the well known character char-acter actor with Mr and Mrs Kendal has been engaged by Charles Frohman for the Empire Theatre stock company The engagement will begin next season sea-son Polly Holmes has made a decided hit in the leading Irish character part in Hugh Fays new play Old Chums While the company rested a week in Philadelphia Miss Holmes appeared at Tony Pastors in New York HeavywelghtWhat is the stage manager swearing for MotleyHe told a supe to tear up a lot of paper to make snow and he has just discovered that the fellow used brown paperTown Topics Lucille Saunders appeared last week as Masconoma the Indian maiden in The Maid of Plymouth She alternates alter-nates with JessieBartlett Davis Miss Sauners has a strong and sympathetic voice and her acting is intelligent Utopia Limited Gilbert and Sulli vans new opera will be produced in New York on Easter Monday by a company to be sent over by DOyley Carte under the management of John Stetson who owns the American rights While acting in Poor Girls at the I American theatre Odette Tyler sprained sprain-ed her arm severely while doing a stage fall For the rest of the week she carried her arm in a plaster cast and wrote back handNew York Mirror Mir-ror Manager S H Friedlander of Port land Ore who has for three years been fighting the high theatrical license charged in that city has at last succeeded suc-ceeded in getting it reduced to one half the former rate It is now 150 per year John Drew begins his New York engagement en-gagement at Palmers Theatre tomorrow to-morrow He will open with The But erfles The engagement is to continue con-tinue throughout the season and another new play will be produced besides be-sides a revival of The Masked Bali Jean Coquelin has left his fathers company and returned to Paris The climate here did not agree with him and he has suffered so severely from the grip and kindred troubles that the elder Coquelin thought it best that his son should have a vacation Bunkins used to think the theatre was demoralizing remarked the manager man-ager Has he changed his views Yes I converted him How Sent him a pass Washington Star Ibsens Ghosts was given by I Charles J Bells company at the Gar den Theatre the afternoon of January 25 and a per centage of the proceeds given to the Actors Fund and the Professional Womans League It is probable that a series of Ibsen plays will be given at subsequent matinees including The Lady From the Sea Hedda Gabler and The Master builder Dorothy Denning the serpentine dancer dan-cer has just completed a series of successful engagements She appeared at the Trocadero in Chicago four weeks followed by runs at Baltimore Buffalo Rochester and Boston Miss Denning took much risk in investing in the expensive wardrobe necessary for the elaborate version of her dance and is justly pround of her success at a time when so many ventures are failing Lillian Russell is at last safely mar rie The ceremony which made her the wire ot John cnatterton professionally mown as Signor Perugini took place I at the residence of Justice of the Peace Moller in Hoboken and was I performed by that official The date I was Sunday January 21 The bride was attended by her mother Mrs Leonard and her sister Hattie and the groom Thomas M Daly and Edward Ed-ward Hoff An informal reception and dinner followed at the home of the bride 318 West SeventySeventh street New York > An amusing incident enlivened the performance at Koster and Bials on a recent Saturday night A full dressed party of young mensaid to have been Philadelphians in search of metropolitan excitement occupied boxes near the stage While Bessie Bellwood was singing they showered her with coins Miss Bellwood received a silver dollar on her eye and was so startled that she lost her usual self control She left the stage but at once reurned and apologized to the audience audi-ence Then she turned to the boxes of the offenders and dared them to come around to the stage door If I cant whip you Sandow can she cried The performance then went on peace fully A young player who has always received re-ceived a cordial welcome in Baltimore t is William Stuart of Robert Mantells company Mr Stuart is young and handsome with a good physique and fine resonant voice He has had the I I I best of dramatic schooling having begun j I I be-gun his career under the tutelage of i i Lawrence L Barrett and associating 1 later on with Edwin Booth Richard Mansfield Frederic Warde and Julia j J 1 Marlowe A story Is told of William Stuart which the great fight of Thursday Thurs-day in Jacksonville gives immediate interest A few years ago when Mr Stuart was with Mr Warde the company com-pany were playing an extended engagement en-gagement in San Francisco As a diversion di-version the players assisted by a number num-ber from the other theatres ormed a baseball team and played match games with teams of the city and suburbs I They called themselves the Thespians Thes-pians and William Stuart was the J coacher One day when a game was I called with a local club a dispute arose as to the efficiency of the opposing oppos-ing umpire and as he was finally requested re-quested to resign a handsome and athletic young fellow stepped fqrward from among the spectators and volun I teered his services The game proceeded pro-ceeded William Stuart rushed around i the diamond shouting with all his might in his endeavor to confuse the opposite players Finally there was a dispute at third base and a hot argument argu-ment followed over a point which the new umpire decided against the Thespians Thes-pians Then there was great and furious excitement among the actor boys Mr Stuart followed by his i friends rushed over to the home plate and threatened to annihilate the umpire um-pire Whereupon the umpire made a pass towards the excited young catcher and a bloody fight was only prevented by the friends of the Thespian hurrying hur-rying him away After the game closed a young man dashed wildly up crying Great heavens Stuart do you know who that umpire was Why no less a person per-son thanJames J Corbett He had a fight a short time ago with Peter Jackson Jack-son He lives at Oakland and he came over to see our game My I wouldnt be in your shoes for something pretty and the messenger paused for breath Stuart gasped and turned pale but Anally recovering his equanimity said Take me to him Then the two men were introduced Stuart was apolo getic Corbett gentle and benign A few moments later a quiet corner in the Baldwin Cafe was occupied by the wouldbe belligerent and a cold bottlo was between themat Stuarts ex penseStraggler in Every Saturday The patronage at Wonderland con tinues up to the high water mark and it is not surprising when you consider the excellence of the per formance and the very low price of admission asked The management are always on the look out for the comfort of its visitors and to present new and novel attractions Maxey the Needle king continues to surprise the public with his marvelous performances in the Curio hall An extra strong show is announced for the week com mencing Thursday next including the popular stock company in another good comedy and some of the best specialty talent obtainable on the Bijou stage |