Related article: ft
231
in recent summers been so promi-
nently associated with the Opera
season at Covent Garden. The
management- is this winter ham-
pered to some extent for room, as
alterations to the stage have
limited to the front of the house
the space available for the balls,
whereas in former years the entire
area of the building was open, and
the space ordinarily devoted to
the stage and ''behind the scenes''
during the opera season became
for the occasion an extensive
lounge for " sitting out " within
reach of refreshments.
The present accommodation,
stopping short as it does at the
proscenium, leaves the same
amount of space as formerly for
dancing, but upon crowded occa-
sions, such as the ball upon last
New Year's Eve, there is not too
much elbow room. However,
that is no hindrance to merriment,
in fact, we doubt if there has ever
been a more cheery gathering
than the one which welcomed
with enthusiasm the advent of the
New Year.
After a lapse during the sad-
ness of the early weeks of the
year, the series of dances was re-
sumed again on February 8th,
when blacks and whites pre-
dominated amongst the dresses,
and the two chief prizes were
carried off by ladies whose inge-
nious costumes referred to the
accession of the King.
Miss Roche, who has so often
won the first prize at these
meetings, had to be content upon
this occasion with third Mesterolone Tablets prize for
a suggested costume for the African
Pohce.
Madame Vernon appears to be
the most successful designer of
fancy dresses, whilst Mr. Clark-
son is always well to the fore.
The music provided by Dan
Godfrey's celebrated band is one
of the best features of an excel-
lent entertainment, and we would
recommend those critics who have
asserted that the Bal Masqu6
could never be popular in England
to go and see for themselves how
cheery a crowd assembles at
Covent Garden.
'* The Awakening " at St«
James' Theatre. — It would ap-
pear that Mr. George Alexan-
der has scored another distinct
success at his fortunate little
theatre in King Street. He cer-
tainly approaches any fresh ven-
ture with much in his favour.
His own personal popularity with
the play-going public counts for,
much, and he has had the sound
judgment to enlist the support and
assistance of artistes of marked
ability, so that if he can but select
a play of interest, and if possible
merit, he has little to fear in an
ordinary way from a first night.
Probably, from a managerial point
of view, the best test of the success
of a production is to be found in
the box-office figures, and we are
told that in the present case the
booking for the early nights of
** The Awakening *' has surpassed
all records in the history of St.
James* Theatre since its re-build-
ing.
For ourselves we feel a certain
diffidence in expressing our opinion
that " The Awakening *' falls far
short of being a good play, because
we think it is probably a better
play than we ourselves could
write ; but Dr. Johnson has
spoken words of encouragement
to the conscientious critic when
he explained that although he
did not profess to be a car-
penter he nevertheless felt himself
fully qualified to express an opinion
as to whether a table or chair were
made well or ill. We cannot help
feeling that in this production the
author owes a larger debt of grati-
tude to the Company than do the
Company to the author. We were
232
BAILY S MAGAZINE.
[March
grateful to Mr. Haddon Chambers
for "The Idler," and encouraged
by the charm of " The Tyranny
of Tears." We looked forward
eagerly to " The Awakening," and
we are disappointed.
From time to Mesterolone Online time successful
plays have been made the subject
of successful burlesque, and should
the success of " The Awakening "
earn this compliment, there is
ample material for burlesque in
the story of Jim Trower, although
none but the most ill-natured
would suggest that little alteration
in the book would be necessary.
The character of Jim Trower,
•* the Juggernaut in trousers so
far as women are concerned," is a
quaint conception. His occu-
pation, we are given to under-
stand, is the Foreign Office, but
our relations with Foreign Powers
apparently continue to be so
friendly that this remarkable man
is able to devote all his time and
energies to his more than friendly
relations with any lady who is un-
fortunate enough to cross his path.
A man of courage is this, for he
seeks to shroud his intrigues be-
neath no flimsy veil of attempted
secrecy, and when a woman more
decent than the rest " una de nmltis
face niiptialidigna " rebukes him for
his treatment of other women, his
responsive philanderings with her
palm give her "quite a creepy
feeling," as she expresses it.
The time-honoured sentence on
such an offender is duly passed by
Mr. Haddon Chambers upon Tames
Trower. The punishment fits the
crime, and the deceiver, bored with
his successes with married women,
and somewhat scared by the sud- Generic Mesterolone
den death of a wronged husband,
and the immediate demands of the
widow for the tardy blessing of
the Church upon their amours, is
doomed to lose his heart to a
charming "young lady, all senti-
ment, innocence, and jealousy.
From the moment that Trower
comes into the life of poor Miss
Olive Laurence, she can know
no further peace, and the dis-
appointed widow makes a call
upon her unsophisticated rival,
when in a few minutes she makes
her unfortunate hostess years
older in every way. Although
Miss Olive is terribly shocked at
the character of her lover, she
relents at the end of Act IV.
and agrees to marry Juggernaut.
We hope that the author will
one day gratify us with a sequel
to " The Awakening " ; such a
work should be full of possibilities
and interest. For the ladies who
support Mr. Alexander we have
nothing but praise. It is difficult
to say who is most deserving of
notice: Miss Buy Mesterolone Fay Davis, the
ingenue ; Miss Gertrude Kingston,
the discarded; or Miss Granville