Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-09-19
AMUSEMENTS.
ssSaints and Sinners'' as Played BY
the A. M. Palmer Company.

AMUSEMENIS.
ssSaints and Sinners,, ms Played by
the A. M. Palmer Company.
Even larger and quite as critical 8
house assembled to enjoy Saints amc
Sinners last night than that which vel.
coined the Madison Square Company on
Monday, when the very popular Jim, the
Penman was the attraction. The Grand
was was packed in all corners. Even
all the boxes were filled.
1t is hard for many play-goers to choose
between the two plays. A lady said las
night that preference depends on the
mood one may be in; and that it is like
selecting rose or lily, or deciding
whether to take strawberry or lemon in
your ice cream. Perhaps, while there is a
disposition on the part of the habitues Of
our theaters to select The Penn,an, there
is strong popular verdict on the part ol
the people generally for Saints and
| Sinners.
The theme is the oldest out of which
genius has in all ages and tongues con.
structed epics, lyrics, ballads, novels,
| romances and dramas. 1t is simply a
girl who has loved not wisely. We're re-
ligion the same power in the hearts of
men and women that is indicated by the
words which fall from their lips, the
poor wanderer would be received back
with infinite compassion, with a pity
that would wiring the heart. But as re-
ligion is one thing on the lips and an
other in the hearts of too many she is not
receivable at all even in the society of
Christians, who all profess to say that
they are miserable sinners. The Puri.
tanical pride of so many gathers its
skirts together and says stand aside,
am holier than thou. that the erring are
forced to the outcasts.
Simple and threadbare as is the story,
the author has grouped the scenes into
quite new forms. The story is worked
into several very sensational episodes,
and the play calls for decidedly strong
work at the hands of nearly every mem
Der of the cast. J. H. Stoddart as
Jacob Fletcher" the faithful, sympa-
thetic and de voted old preacher, and
Marie Burroughs as LEFTY Fletcher, ,"his
daughter, are the persons on whom the
| success OF the play most hinges. 1t is
placed in hands where it cannot but
prove satisfactory to all spectators of cul-
tivated taste. From the bald crown
and grey locks to the tie of his
shoes Stoddart is made to look his
part to the very life. In all the tones of
his voice and in every gesture of his
hands he acts the part to absolute per-
lection. He is the one real "Saint" in
the cast. To maintain the reputation of
the good he is avfully handicapped by
the villainy of his deacons, but the faith
full old preacher of righteousness does
everything to lift religion onto plane of
humanity in spite of the work done by
his colleagues to drag it down to the very
pit of hell.
Miss Burroughs is charming in the days
of her simple innocence. In form and
face fascinating, in manner bewitching,
one does not wonder at the devotion OF
her honest farmer lover, or at the tender
love of her old father. In the later
scenes where she appears, ensnared,
duped. betrayed, cast.down, poor, sick
and penitent, how marvelously she per-
forms the heavy work cut out for
her. How her sweet face melts
IN pity for her heart-broken father,
and for her maddened but still faithful
lover! What pathos shines from her
lovely womanly eyes, and trembles on
her sweet, tremulous and sensitive lips
Even when voiceless with her great sor-
row she speaks most eloquently from her
great sad eyes, from her trembling lips,
and from every other feature Of her
sweet face.
Clarence Handysides does not appear
so we'll as the genteel villain as he
did as the lover of Virginia when
here last winter; still he does ex-
cellent work. Louis Massen, as
the farmer was not a whit less manly
than as ''Percival" in The Penman. Mr..
Robinson appeared to even better aIvan-
tage as the rascally "Deacon" than in
the title role of the other play. As for
Mrs. Phillips, whatever she is cast to,
tits her like glove. In "Lady Duns-
combe" to the minister's housekeeper
was great transition, but she
was as perfectly at home in the
one sphere as in the other.
One should like to speak of all
the cast in detail. 1t is shame to pass
in silence such art as Millward devel-
opes in the character of "Peter Green
acre., or as Flockton manifests in
"Prabble," or Holland in slot Burden" !"
1t is at all points consummate art.
Tonight The Penman will be given
again.