Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-23
THE LAUGHING MASK.

Comedy In All Its Forms-Ths Editor-An
Irish Arab Guilty Without Crime
Tony Pastors Srars-Other Amusements.
ssThe Editor" new comedy in four acts by
Louis Aldrich and Charles Vincent, was pro-
duced at the Grand Opera House last evening
with the first named author in the title role.
"The Editor" has but semblance of novelty,
and what is new is not very entertaining and
certainly untrue to nature. The plot is COM
pound of various venerable tissues that have
served American and other dramatists often
and often. The situations. ana some Of them
are strong, we have seen many time, and to
tell the truth we are trifle weary Of them.
The presence Of Mr.. Aldrich in the cast in con-
nection with the climax of the second act re-
minds us very vividly Of precisely the same
heroic self-srcrifice -, on the part of
and Character with which it is natural to asso-
ciate Mr. Aldrich. The generosity OF the
gambler however. in taking the responsibility
for the misdeed Of another was not unnatural,
for he does 1t for love of the girl who has his
heart. In 1.-THE Editor" a shrewd Western
journalist confesses to forgery to shield pros
pective son-in-law with whom he is but slightly
acquainted. Thisis not probable, surely,
The story of 1.-THE Editor has precious little
to do with its title. There may be concealed in
the unspeakable journalism of the West such
American Eagle, but he is not like the
samples we have seen. Nor does the
broad-shouldered, jolly editor of the Amer
lean Eagle talk like newspaper man:
His language savors more of the editor of
fiction. the impossible person noveists have
imagined sometimes, than of the editor of fact.
But he is benevolent being sort of good
fairy whose function it is to defeat the villain
a mellow light of good humor and
big heartedness over everybody. The plot
Is OF the slightest. The son Of Of, banker
raise money on some forged mining stock. The
bankers son needs the money to make good
losses at the races and Stock Exchange. The
forgery is discovered, and the young man, in a
very mysterious way, is obliged to take the
blame. The bad, bold clerk is cornered in the
third act and compelled to sign confession.
That is the only motive of the play. There are
rional order wrapped about the single intrigue
of the play.
There are two scenes in the play which have
distinct merit. One is where the widow, who is
mourning extravagantly for her husband, dis
covers that her 'sainted Simon" bought a
quantity of jewelry for another woman; the
cally Stephen Morton into contessing his crime
with a banana. The first is admittedly pur-
loined from a comedy of Meilhac Halevy's
writing and the second is not particularly new,
but 1t is very effective.
Mr.. Aldrlch would be far more at home in
his old role of the Western gambler with big
heart, who talks of ''pards" and punctuates his
sentences with pistol or bowie knife. Still
he is bluff and honest and wholesome, If he
doesn't smell of printers ink, as the editor of
the american Eagle" There is not the least
occasion to regard the character as an often
sive caricature. 1t would doubtless be better
for the world if many Western editors were
cast in Colonel Hawkins mold. He is a thor
oughly decent person, with good many love-
able traits What he lacks most is color-the
color of real character.
Alexis Markham. as Sir Montague Moon an
English lord of the hackneyed sort that exists
nowhere but behind the footl!ghts, was funny
as far as the character would permit. A pleas
ant little incident was his singing of "Where
Are You Going My Pretty Maid?' with mock
roulade on the refrain. As far as acting went,
nobody else had very much opportunity, and
what he had as the very washy bankers son.
Mr.. Edgar Weir did not appear to be able to
do very forcibly. Miss Dora Goldthwaite
looked very charming in widows weeds. and
still more fair in gayer attire. Miss Hungting-
ton and Miss Haines did what little they had to
do well enough. and Mr.. Lee made a cool and
thoroughly unnatural villain. Stolidity and
stiffness were the only characteristics of a
banker that Mr.. Willard could compass
The audience received the play with mild ap-
proval In the third act, however, when Mr..
Aldrich as Col. HaiDktns threatened to kill the
villain, an inebriated enthusiast in the parquet
shouted out, "Give it to him." The house
roared and the actors had hard work to keep
their faces straight.