THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND; OCTOBER 14, 1906.
Miss Lawrence will be the Lady Hum
worth. Mr. Thornton the Captain Dom
vaston and Mr. Sainpolls will play tht'
worthless husband.-
JANE CORCORAN' TONIGHT.
Brilliant Young Actress In Delight
ful Comedy at the Helllg.
Tonight, at the Helllg Theater, Four
teenth and Washington streets, the
charming young actress. Jane Corcoran,
will present the delightful comedy, "The
Freedom of Suianne." supported by
James M. Brophy and a most capable
company of players.
The play Is from the pen of Cosmo
Gordon Lennox, and was written for
Charles Frohman. It was produced at
the Empire Theater, In Broadway. New
York City, where It received a long and
extended run.
I i " '"" ' " ' '' " 3 '
SIT ttF-JJSEJSZsJY
IN TAKING an inventory of the play
house attractions week after week the
. . one whose business it is to see every
, show which is presented for public fa-
Vor might Just as well be honest and con
' fess that the task Is not always the most
. pleasant one. I am given to understand
, that those who go to the theater only oc-
caslonally have the erroneous Idea that
the lot of dramatic critic Is a very
nappy one. "It must be great to see
all the shows, and without paying too,"
but it isn't always. I imagine the man
who sells chocolate creams sometimes
grows tired and envies those who are In
the coffee and bacon line. Bven the pub-
, lie executioner must sometimes find hang
r ings monotonous.
j Going to the theater every time there
' are doings is not as fine as it s cracked
'up to be. There are times when I'd
much rather chuck the show and go to a
fire or a dog-tight.
But to proceed with a resume of last
week's theatrical events
There were two offerings which rose
! above the ordinary to such an extent
that even a fagged-out professional show
goer might be forgiven a little enthusi-.
sm. These were the appearance at the
Helllg of Jane Corcoran and the produc
tion of "The Gay lxrd yuex." by the
Baker players. "Checkers" was general
ly a disappointment, I believe, at least it
did not come up to the extensive herald
( Ing which preceded it, while "The Maid
,. and the Mummy ' fell far short of being
a good show.
On the other hand. Miss Corcoran s
modest coming gave little promise of her
exceptional talents. She was a genuine
surprise party for the inveterate theater
goers. The cheaper houses gave their patrons
a. full measure of satisfaction. The Em
pire crowds enjoyed a week of chaste de
light with "Uncle Josh Perkins," a "rube"
conception somewhat above the average.
At the Lyric there was unfurling of flags,
demonstrative patriotism, coincident with
the stock company's performance of "The
. Deserter," which was saved from medioc
: vity by the conscientious acting of 'the
Lyric actors. The Star stock again jus
tlrted the regard of its friends by giving
a creditable production 01' "That Girl
From Texas," while the Grand and Pan
; tages maintained their standards as pur
veyors of vaudeville entertainment.
It occurs to me that the people of
Portland are more than " fortunate in
. having the advantage of high-class
Block, performances, such as are being
given by the Baker company. While
Georse L. Bi.kcr doesn't pretend to be
In tne theatrical business for his health
and so far as 1 know has never Dosed
as a public benefactor, he nevertheless
deserves our gratitude for providius
Portland witn a permanent organiza
tion which takes rank with the very
, best in the country. There is no other
town tn the country the size of Port
. land which has a stock company the
, equal of the Baker. It Is an Institution
of which we nvty well be proud. "The
Gay Lord Quex" was the bast perform
ance it has yet given, and all who had
part in -it may well congratulate
themselves.
We are to see "Parsifal" in dramatic
; form at the Helllg this week. People of
all shades of taste in theatricals are
interested In seeing what the much
discussed piece is like and a crush may
. be looked for at the theater doors dur
ing itj engagement. Owing to the ex-
treme length of the performance, .it is
) announced that the curtain will rise
; at 7:45. Instead of half an hour later,
! as is tue custom. "Parsifal" will finish
; the w-ek at the Helllg. To begin with,
Miss Corcoran will repeat. "The Free
,jIom of Suxanne" tonight, and Hi Hen
ry's. Minstrels will make merry on the
three following nights.
',- The Buker will ofrer "Lady Hunts--Vorth's
Exptriment," commencing this
'Afternoon. It promises well. At the
Empire, "Pete Peterson." a. new Swed-
SWEDISII DIALECT COMEDY
"rete Peterson" Will Be the Empire
Attraction This Week.
"Pete Peterson," Elmer Walters' clever
Swedish dialect comedy-drama, will open
for a week's engagement at the Empire
with today's matinee. It has maiy fea
tures to recommend it to the most critical
audience, and there will doubtless be a
large house on hand to see the pretty
girls, hear the catchy music and admire
the elegant scenery and light effects. No
expense has been spared this season to
make this the best dialect production on
the road, and as in the past, it Is the fun
nlest, brightest and most up-to-date char
acter drama of the season.
The play is tn four acts and seven clev
erly constructed scenes, with pathos and
comedy Interwoven. It Is a play which
gives opportunity for clever acting, and
the programme bears the names of per
formers of known ability. Four Intelli
gent, clever dogs have been trained ex
clusively for this production, and this
feature adds to the general novel tone
of the attraction. The scenic and light
effects are all carried complete by the
company, and there will be nothing left
undone to make "Pete Peterson" deserv
ing of the great name it has already at
tained. Elmer Walter has rewritten the play
this season, adding the many fine special
ties and new scenery which make it so
attractive. He has succeeded In satisfy
ing the public demand for something
out of the ordinary something that gets
away from the usual melo-dramatlc style,
and even the most fastidious theater
goer will be pleased and refreshed by the
new features and the unique construction
of the entire production. The situations
are excruciating and will make the after
noon one long, glorious laugh. The piece
Is well cast and the character work In
the hands of artists. Matinee today at
2:15.
t4ER TjmaxsR P'j v;-tk. X:V --v, -lilt EMRME M hK'VXl&-
AT BAKER I ll A "H - - Is CSl S ' . , ' - ' Zi- - . . I
W'- - .- ;?V, I'd' V, -X.v -
HI HENRY'S MINSTRELS.
Big Black-Face Organization at Hel
. llg Tuesday Night.
Hi Henry's big new show what he calls
his Greatest Minstrels will appear at
the Helllg Theater next Tuesday and
Wednesday nights. October 16, 17. with a
bargain matinee. Wednesday. Hi Henry's
show is a standard, well-known attrac
tion, and for the present season is said
to compare favorably with anything in
the minstrel line. The tour embraces the
leading cities, and the press enconiums
are among the best ever given.
Brisht comedians, expert dancers, cul
tivated singers, high-grade vaudevilles,
musical soloists, special scenery, elegant
costumes, automatic electric moving
transformations, single, double and full
stage specialties, grand choruses and
heart-reaching ballads: comic ditties and
brand new Jokes, augmented by a grand,
double orchestra, typical stage comedy
all round out a programme of rare merit
which terminates with a full stage en
semble entitled, "The Suanee River."
This speclalety requires seven operators
KATjy, CVX7-Cr&z;
ish dialect show, is the offering. At
the Lyric. "A Mother's Secret," which
sounds Interesting, will be the bill. At
the Star there will be "The Two Or
phans." an old favorite, which may al
ways be relied upon, while the .vaude
ville theaters are advertising some
tempting features. A. A. G.
"LADY HUNT WORTH"
Clever Comedy Offered by
Company This Week.
The Baker Stock Company has attained
a reputation in Portland enjoyed by but
few theatrical organizations, and each
week much is expected of it by its manv
patrons, who have learned to depend upon
it exclusively for amusement and enter
tainment. This week it will even over
reach the high standard already set by
producing the great London and New
York success. "Lady Huntworth's Ex
periment." The plot of this comedy is
one of the "different" kind, and it has
every element to appeal to the humorous
as well as the sociological side of the
audience. The story of the play will en
tertain In advance:
Ladv Huntworth, finding, herself wed
ded to a drunken beast, and being pos
sessed of a desire to be released from
the loathsome bondage, makes no de
fense when her husband enters a suit
for divorce, naming a friend as co
respondent." and a decree is entered In
favor of Lord Huntworth. By this pro
ceeding, though she is entirely innocent,
she has ruined her reputation as a wife
and woman. All this happens before the
curtain rises-. Thus stripped of every
thing and without means of support. Lady
Huntworth flees to her only resource. She
knows how to cook, and when theay
opens she is employed as cook in the
1
family of Rev. Audley Pillinger, a bache
lor, whose household" consists of himself,
his sister and his niece. She has 3
sumed the name of Caroline RaywaI.
Tha vicar. Camaln Dorvaston. who Is en
gaged to the vicar's niece, and Gandy,
the vicar'a man servant, fall seriously
In love with her. The drunken Lord
Huntworth appears and makes a pro
dos&I for a remarriage because he has
secret information that his former wife
has fallen heir to a fortune.
The play shows the author's nimble wit
and full flowing vein of humor. The fun
reaches its height when the heroine s-
cretes her three admirers in three closets
leading from the kitchen. In which they
have visited her. additional mirth being
added from the fact that her former
husband lies in the scullery dead drunk
after his proposal, awaking to visions of
incipient delirium tremens. Lady Hunt
worth, won by the stalwart devotion and
loyalty of the enamored captain, and, de
parting to obtain her legacy after her
identity Is disclosed, implies that if ho
follows her to the continent she may
marry him there. The play abounds with
brilliant dialogue and comedy situations.
Interwoven with a very pretty love story.
and five specially built moving electric
machines, with special mountings, and
concludes with the laughable burletque
on the moving-picture presentation, en
titled the "Lobsterscope." Advance' sale
of seats will open this morning.
"PARSIFAL- AT THE HE1L1G
Grand Spectacular Scenic Produc
tion of Wagner's Drama.
All admirers of the chaste in' art. all
lovers of things beautiful, as well as