| Show o F r rt f j iI iII I I t 1 0 0 Ir Irv CI 1 I J d da v a t i 11 i A J I II l j I It i j jIt I a I I i 1 H PIE two ol of with nil an anNew New York I la talking just at pres present I ent nt are DenBur Ilen nt at the Broad Broadway way rAy and Tho Tha ot of Jane Jano tit at Vt l s theater With reference to both J productions opInIon seems Items to be as far fari i apart ns as the tho plays themselves The They y r Maneuvers ot of Jane Is a light comedy ot of a I farcical stamp whereas Den Ben Bent DenI t I ur Is a remarkably accurate trans I i t f rence ot of the novel ot of that name to 10 the stage The consensus ot of opInion t ie deems ms to be that Ben Is n a great popular and that tha t Tho Mn Ma Maneuvers t II ot of Jane by reason of Us Ito very f Indeterminateness will also do fairly i well though It is 19 not nt at all likely that I i it JIl go down In stage annals as one I j of the best beat plays pla b by the forn for tor n 1 mer Lyceum theater stock Mock company compan iJ i Ben was dramatized by Wit Y Jl tn Y Young ung the author of E one ot of the plays plas In which Lawrence i Is Barrett achieved distinction Mr lIr Youngs Younge work ork has hns been done dono In a 11 mas maea masterly terly manner and It la Is to he be regretted i that the gentleman has not ma made e more 1 tr frequent quent contributions to the stage lit 11 ot of the tho day Nevertheless Den Ben DenI BenI I liar Itu Is s a melodrama n a raw pr g melodrama There Is never neer a am 1 I m moment mont when It rises s to the dignity of oft 11 t either or romantic drama dramn but It that Is not Mr Youngs fault tault It Is a ai ai i simple thing In n a novel for on an author 4 to so minimIze the melodramatic tea fea teat feat t t lures of a story atory by pages or of descrIption 4 that the reader will be deluded Into the Impression that he Is h getting n a remarkably remark ably accurate picture ot of the times but Inn n a play all that Is h different It Is then necessary to Use only the salient allent points of r a novel and when this Is done It ot of necessity stands forth In all Its melo melodramatic t dramatic nakedness It would scarcely be worth the tho space E It would occupy to consider Ben as aa a pIa play and U it Is practical certainty t I that It if the novel noel had never been written r the stag work would not have one chance In n a thousand ot of success But Dut f the novel has been written and ond has be read probably In this country by millions ot of people These will nit all wish to itO ke the flesh and ond blood embodiments t the characters ot of a novel noel which they have bava been taught to regard as one ot of the tho greatest stories ever eer wrItten In English and for tor that reason renson coupled I with the tact fact that we nil all like mechanical mechanIcal Ical melodrama the piece is likely to succeed The costumes are aro excellent 1 1 rl t and In good taste laste the scenery Is Isas isas as good as any that has hos been seen on onan onan an AmerIcan stage and the production Uon I bandied Is In a wonderfully prompt and ond I accurate manner The stage stase manage management ment nt too on the whole Is quite good although the manipulation of the 1 In some Instances falls for far below the tho high standard whIch prevails elsewhere throughout the play pIny Notably Is this true In the first scene of the second act i t on the galley where the tho pirates pirate rush r down Into the tho cabin and overpower the crew cren I r 1 The greatest disappointment ot of Den Ben nur la is the feature which has been ad most chariot charlot i race rac The same thing was done at least as well In Nell Neil Burgess Durgess tj lion ot of The Year One at the tho Star theater nearly halt half a decade ago and andIn andIn In the same The County Fair Fah the horse race roce scene was to m my mind much more effective We were told that we were to look for tor n a number ot of new new features In connection with the chariot charlot race raco In Ben that the wheels were made uneven for instance In order to give the Impression ot of tray trav k j cling rapidly over n a somewhat rough arena We were told l that wo we should see fee Den Ben drive his chariot charlot Into the thene theone 1 one ne containing and ond that the tatter Jatter would be thrown from Crom hIs ye c Mete almost under the feet teet of the mad maddened rr horses whereupon we were werl In Int Informed formed Ben Ilura chariot charlot would forgo t to the tho front and the race raco would endl endI end l I So tar far as I could discover the wheels ot of the chariots revolved with painful there was no collision did not tall from his chariot charlot and Ben ho horses s dl did not forge to the before the lights were rere snap ped It Is true the tho spectacle of the eight horses galloping modI madly on the stage makes an inspiring sight for tor a k few rew seconds but as soon as one has the 4 opportunity to used to the I and takes lakes occasion to observe that with all the he clatter the ground does not even eon I I appear to be moving under the feet teet ot of the tho fier fiery steeds the striking effect j I which Is at first created Is almost en ensi 3 si f lost Another scene Icene which Is a dl die appointment is III the one Immediately role fol towing the fight In tile the cabin of th the gal J 1 l Ie ley and are seen lIen upon n raft which recite to and andI 1 j I fro tro while the supers energetically agi tate tale the canvas water Some profile galleys galles ot of the Romans are seen well up I toward the back of f the stage and when one points Its pro prow In the direction or of 1 the men on an flounces that they at ar Natural Is If that ends the scene This same lime thing has been done donl In dozens dozen of plays i J and while Claw d Erlanger It have hae the advantage ot of the large Jargo stage ot Of the Broadway theater and are not r c compelled to 11 in the tion It may It at least leut be said that the tho I effect was not strong enouGh to be so 60 f featured In advance of the G Production j j J 0 on paper the cut cast looks like Uko a strong 1 anet os as may bs be seen Hon b by a nt at 4 V Cz tU tUI tUf fIEN NUR AT INSTIGATION OF ARREST OF OE 4 UR i rl e i se f I i 1 e ee e f 1 r II 0 I i I s I i I It I I W II t x p i I A Ar r I II c I Ii I i r rII II i is S I II i if iI iII I f 4 i I Z I t q it z ze e DIY w e eI II IIII II i I I tK 1 y Ii Iii gt i 1 MARY MANNERING dry a t t IL n nr nf r p f the following allotment or of the principal roles Inen Edward it S S Uart Batt 1111 lee h Collier 1 P S ll cb J Wilson Wilton Fred Frederic Paul ul lotion h Ilea enry pets DeTKo noWr CharI Craig at f the Iho Ford rord t Lies Ira Corona of blur lint Inert Adler Amrah It Shaw Mr Edward Morgan I am afraid has become a confirmed This would not be a deplorable circumstance It if take tako the tho pains to 10 use judg judgment Judgment ment In the tho employment ot of his method but when a 0 man goes loes through an entire six elx act play with a manner which seems to worn warn the nU au audience that he could coul let out It If ho chose cholle the tho role rolo which Is to hIm must suffer In short there Is not enough color In Mr Morgans Ben lie He Is entirely too loo reposeful he does doe not net act as n a young oung Jew JelV smarting under undra undera a sense or of the grievous wrong done him would act lie Ho does not act as two the adopted Roman who has had hi his enormous enor enormous fortune restored JC to him and who selS secs the opportunity nt at hand to gratify revenge act lie Jle does not lIot not act itS as the ardent lover loer who hM has his eyes ees opened after having hind had them nearly closed b by a siren would oct act In short he does not nol ns any ony young man of the period net act nett t f Gretchen Lyons was Vas n a sweet Esther Esthor though her performance oho also mIght be Improved by the employment ot of a little more force In several scones which seemed to demand It Corona CorollA Riccardo made n contrast as asIra Iras Ira but she he erred on the other side Ido In overacting It as also did W iS S hart as and Emm Emmett U CorrIgan os as although the In latter tier was not so 80 great on an offender ns as u usual In that respect The worst performance In the pIa play was U given hon by henry Lee Le who the man manto manto to whom was O assigned the important role ot of It Il Is possible that there are actors In this count country who ho are able to play the part worse orse but It re requires quires even ewO n a sort ot of to give so fO and unset unea t a performAnce n as Mr Lee Loo gave At times who Is supposed ed to M be a 1 and thoro thoroughly worthy worth old gentlemen became almost n a comedian through the misdirected ot of forts flirt and absurdly sonorous of Mr Ir hoary Honry Lee It seems eem In comprehensible that the management will permIt hIm to continue this bur burlesquing burlesquing ot of the tho role rolo They should compel him to correct his methods Im Immediately mediately and this It seems probable t they ey will have 1100 the good sense to lodo do doAt At Das Dalys theater what was formerly the Lyceum theater stock company Is Isnow isnow now appearing In Henry Arthur Jones tour four act comedy entitled The vets vers ot of Jane Mr Ir Jones usually writes entertaining plays plas and this his latest effort Is no exception to the tho general rule But Dut there are degrees of at and In that quality The Maneuvers of Jane Jan does docs not from the Jones Jonos standpoint abnor mall hIgh All As usual too In n a Jones pIa play The Tho of Jane abounds In hr bright dialogue and delicate satire but oven In those respects It Is scarcely up to the Jones standard The Tho story Is not thrillingly novel nn yet ret It seems to me to read much better than It acts Mr a wealthy Id we ar are shun given to by the vaguest sort ot of inference is III probably a rather sly old dog hu has a daughter Jane who vho Is a headstrong Impetuous creature No o one Is able to compel obedience from her she Iho does precisely as she be pleases and seems tl to gor glory In her hor willfulness lIer father Inducts Induces Mrs of Chaney Lodge to take the tho young oung lady In hand for tor n a period of at six months To this arrange arrangement arrangement ment Jane violently objects until she learns learna that George Langton her hel sweet sweetheart heart is II to bec become mo steward of oC the tho e es estate tate Naturally enough she hI is III then per pery willing to remain at Chancy and her maneuvers are principally devoted to the ot dust In the ey eyes ot of the old folks folls FInally things come to too toa o a and George Gcorge Langton suggests to Jane that they elope This they do agreeing to meet nt at n a small Inn Janes Janc female friend who was wall also to lave bave met her there Is detAined b by n a boating accident while George failed to o keep his apPointment on time 01 owing to this tho necessity of at getting rid of the prying young daughter ot of Mrs Mra who I Ihas has sworn to tell all that she kno knows of at atthe the maneuvers ot of Jane anti George Ceorge II when G George re finally Ope ap appears pears at the Inn he and Jane have a violent Quarrel and everything Is called arr This 15 nt at the end ot o t the rife first scene ot of the third act and ot of course roure nil all are cleared up In the non final quarter ot of the play pIny One OM ot of the tho characters In This The Ma Maneuvers ot of Jane which Is In n a measure episodic but which Is nee necessary e essary ary to U the proper dr qt t UJ ale Incidents ii I L Lord It This Is played by Mr I ott schalk character comedian ho a similar role rolo In The Amazons ot at the the yia r i 1 d Ills HIs performance was wal one of the I best beat seen In New York In some years William p F Courtenay QS as the young youn hero George Langton gave gao n a mag virile and natural impersonation tion Hero Is an actor who Is head and shoulders above any ony leading man that the Lyceum theater has ever had for juvenile roles whore where good looks sin sincere rere cere methods and an earnestness Is never for a 11 moment forgotten are Important factors actors Miss Mary was n a great grent disappointment In the early scenes but with the complications In the second net act and continuing to the end she rhe was as thoroughly satisfactory and In Inthe inthe the quarrel scene nt at the end she us ue n taste tute ot of her real quality It Ther are many persons In this city sincere well wishers ot of Miss lIes Mannering who contend that tills sterling young yeung actress Is growing careless and ond while thIs Is doubtless not strictly correct It t does scorn to be n a fact that thal she does dOt not devote deoto as much attention to as she formerly die did and when wo we reflect that It as thIs quality na as much muchas as anything elf elre that made malle her s a 0 favorite with New York theAt theater r It would teem to be the part ot of Isiom for tor her to heed this well meant crit clam New York |
