A
THE COURIER
COMING ATTRACTIONS.
GREAT NIAGARA SCENE.
At the Lansing.
Miss Mabel Strickland, one of the cutest, cunningest and clever
est little igenues on the stage portrays the part of Bess Van Buren
in "The Charity Ball" company. She made her debut in 1892 ap
pearing for practice and experience, in those bright dreams of Irish
incident and character "The Ivy Leaf" and "Fairies Well," and
later, in 1893, in the more important and impressive production
"Glendabough." Notwithstanding the young lady's limited exper
ience, she has displayed so remarkable an aptitude, so distinct and
charming a versatility, so keen an appreciation of the true elements
acting, as to have won her way into the hearts of all who have seen
her performances. She is winsome, sprightly and captivating girl.
Her handsome face, lit up by a pair of lovely intelligent eyes and
most fascinating smile, together with a decidedly prepossessing
figure, conspires to iminently fit her for the prominent role to which
sho has been assigned in "The Charity BalP company, which appears
at the Lansing this evening.
-
Mr. Gus Heege, the author of the successful play, "Yon Yonson-,"..,
and the chief actor in the drama is still a young man but ho has
had a world of experience and hard knocks in tho ten years ho has
been on the stage. He talks entertainingly about the Swedish
American dialect and how ho became interested in it. In conversa
tion recently he said: "I have beeu on the stage ten years, appear
ing with Frederick Warde one season, and afterward playing
independently for several years, playing leading business. About
four years ago I was in Minnesota, where there are many Scandinav
ians, and the thought occurred to me to write a Scandinavian char
acter play. The first result of it was, of course, to some degree
experimental. It was at first tried in the Scandinavian districts
where the character was familiar and was put on in a small and un
ostentatious way. It turned out so much more successful than had
been anticipated, tha. it was thought advisable to try it as a general
attraction. Last winter I decided to have a more complete and pol
ished production on the same lines, and more elaborately set. Man
ager Litt had confidence in the production and was sure it would do
well as a general attraction; he undertook the management, put in
on in first class shape, and it has been a success from the very start.
It has given great satisfaction in the west where the Scandinavian
character is familiar and it has met with favor in places where
there are no Scandinavians. The special scenic feature of the pro
duction is the log jam. I spent "sveral months last winter in the
lumber regions of the Menominee river and came down the river
with a Imber drive with the lumbermen. A log jam is difficult of
production on the stage, owing to its massive features, and the only
way to do it successfully was by means of cleverly realistic perpec
tive. The moving of thousands of logs, the crashing of timbers and
the war of waters are almost impossible of reproduction except in
the manner I have stated. When this feature was first shown I was
somewhat anxious as to how the lumber men who saw the play
would regard it. but as it met with their strong approval, it was very
gratifying. Of course, this log jam scene possesses another point of
of interest as it is a new mechanical effect. I think that the repro
duction of such an effect upon a theatre stage has been successfully
done. I studied the dialect among the SweJes themselves, and I
studied the language in Minneapolis. While not able to master it
fully, I can make myself understood."' "Yon YonEon'" will be at the
Lansing next Friday evening.
The young man who is continually looking for a soft thing will
find it under his hat,
' The young man who is looking for the best place in the city ' to
have his clothes made will find it at
L H. MEYER
i 1144 O STREET.
Don't revenge yourself on your pocket book by paying more else
tr '
Farmer Looker: "Thet mus" be a
gran' play, I wonder if it's real
water?"'
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