THE COURIER.
:&tt&?sSii$-s$
3
THEATRICAL NOTES
The Clay Clement Company played to
a large home at tho Funkoon Monday
the 18th. It was an appreciative and
vociferous audience made up of univer
sity professors and thcrehoiceand num
bers of less distinguished citizens who
joined in calling Mr. delimit before the
curtain several times. This young man
is the heir apparent to the .Toe Jefferson
throno an elective monarchy and with
held capriciously from claimants who
have made money and fame. But such
a position as Joe Jefferson occupies is
the free gift of a loving people. No one
can claim it. Richard Mansfield least of
all because, he does not 'love tho lanb
you know" but dispises it and Sol Smith
Russell has not the ability. Clay
Clement's intellect and taste are as
jowcrful and exact as Richard Mans
field's and he is a modest, gracious gen
tleman besides. The lamb loves him
and bleats with rapture wherever it sees
him. Whin his glossy hair has turned
from brown to white Clny Clement will
mean what Joe Jefferson means now.
His company the other night was
about the same in quality and persouelle
that we have seen with him before. It
might be bet.er. Miss Rolinda Bain
bridge who was Flora May Randolph
was artiticial though pretty and graceful.
Miss Kara Kenwy.i, wh j has made tho
part of the widow celebrated, wore
fetching gowns and was very bewi'eh
ing. Her part is toj axiomatic and
didactic. Some of her speeches aro
editorials. She speaks of matrimony
with too much authority and decision
for a wife of two days. Some of the old
Nigger Poly's lines could be cut with
much relief to tho audience. 1 he black
butlers of the south are not allowed so
large an onjiortunity to exercise their
natural loquacity. Next to Mr. Cloiu
ent I thought tho villain Mr. Ch.is.
Crag, did the cleverest work. His vil
lainy was repulsive, beefy, mercenary
vulgarity. For its consistent brutality
and attention to detail Mr. Craig is en
titled to an appreciation from a review
which the villian's work never receives
from an audience. Miss Amalia
Gardner, as the poor relation, had tho
accent and atmosphere of the Tennesson
mountain girls in Chas. Egbert
Craddock's looks. Sho was not
etagicyd at the stagiest of
parts the deserted female. Miss
Gardner is young and unknown, but I
should like to sec her in a leading part.
She lus imagination and originality.
Members of the audience who were cot
familiar with the south were overcome
with admiration for the comjmniy's
southern accent but the southerners
said it was very joor.
'I he play is not remarkable except for
the part of the Baron Franz Vic.or Von
Hohenstauffen. The plot is not new.
the other characters are conventional
but the German botinist is something
new and delightful to theatre goers.
"Maj he lif long und brosper."' The
action drags when the old butler has the
stage to himse'f. His lines and the
widow's dicta could bo cut with benclit
to the play. The scenery of the first act
is new and very effective.
The Woodward at The Lansing has
been playing a good business.
Emily Bancker at tho Funke on
Thursday night played to a fairly well
filled house. Thursday followed too
hard upon Monday for any company,
however excellent, to do a very good
business.
Emily Bancker is a pretty woman
with a good deal of temperament which
awakens interest and hoi. Is it.
Miss Bancker's ability to express the
capriciousnees and volatile essenco of
puie femininity recalls Rosina Vokes,
tho nppealicg irrelevance of whoso
answers to maFculine argument were
irresistible, especially when clinched
and bolted by a song and dance. Mis
Bancksr neither sung nor danced,
more's tho pity, but her quick replies
and bird liko movements are certainly
like tho famous Vokes.
Tho company was of indifferent
merit, neither very good nor very bad.
"A Divorce Curo" wus preceded by a
one act drama by W. S. Gilbert called
"Comedy and I ragedy" which presented
an incident of the time when aetots and
actresses had no legal standing and
were classed :s vagabonds. In this
drama Mies Bancker had tho stage to
herself throughout. Such lines as eIio
used are dear to tie heart of the elocu
tionist. They rango from comedy to
tragedy and end with a startling climax
and curtain.
"A Divorce Curo" is on the "Similia
Similibus Curantur' principle. Tho
husband destioys tho wish for a divorco
by making it very easy to obtain and by
apparently giving his wife up with pleas
ure. Immediately ho appreciates in
value and the object of her previous ad
miration becomes "a dirty little
monkey.'' The play stabs divorco and
attempts to resuscitate tho old fashion
ed idea of "once married, forever
united" etc., and tho gallery applauds
vigorously.
The construction of the pliy is very
lxse. Perhaps when Harry St. Maur
translated it from the French of Sardou
he left out the articulations. For cer
tainly the body and tho limbs do not
hold together. It must be St. Maur for
tho articulation in Sardou's creations
is perftct. For instance a man named
Grover Pursely appears in tho first act,
he takes up more than his share of the
time and stage, considering that he ap
pears only casually again, in discoursing
upon the relations between him and his
wife. Thereafter no ore knows any
thing about him. He wanders about
tho stage casually like tho famous rest-Ie-sJew.
I suppose he is a warning to
the two about to be devorced. Like tho
Due D'Orleans in the Curtain Riiscr
his fate is unrertain. By the way the
parts of the Doc and of Grover Pursely
were taken by the same man -Mr. J. P.
Cope. His destiny and fate slighted in
both plays have still not deprived him
of an apparent interest in life. Perhaps
tho ribbons and tho magnificent ap
pearance he makes as the Due do much
to smooth the manner of his passin"
But a play with the moral so obvious
and insistant as A Divorco Curo would
be tirtsomo without Emily Bancker.
$100 dollaks kewakdSICO
Tho readers of this paper will bo
pleased to loarn that thero is at least
one dreaded disease that science has
been able to curo in all its stages and
that is catarrh. Hall's Catarrh Curo is
tho only positive euro now known to
.he medical fraternity. Catarrh being
a constitutional disease, requires a
constitutional treatement. Hall's
Catarrh Curo is taken internally,
acting directly upon the blood and
mucous surfaces of the system, thereby
destroying the foundation of the disea
se, and giving tho patient strengtn
by building up tho constitution and
assisting nature in doing its work
Tho proprietors have so much faith in
its curative powers, that they offer
One Hundred Dollars for any case that
it fails to cure. Send for list of Testi
monals. Address, F.J. Cheney & Co., Toledo
Oiiio. Sold by druggists, 73 cents.
(S)
Miller & Paine
gel l good Qoocls
at tl?e Lowest gricesJ
Tfte Id Reliable ripm.i
o
1.- -
MILLER & PAINE.
:SSS3iM
NEW COURIER HALL
HARRIS BbOGK
THE BEST FLOOR IN THE CITY.
SEE IT BEFORE YOU GIVE A PARTY.
Leave word for Miss Willoughby at Gourier office.
1154 R
11?4 N
r
3'. A. Ik
Ella Vhat do you coasider man's greatest fault?
Stella Being eo scarce.
St
(I)
(ft
(!)
(5)
A
(I)
;
6)
(i)
!
0
()
(i)
(I
(S)
()
XAXS)
