Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-12
THE KENDALS AGAIN
Show Rare Art in the Performance
of Katharine Kavanagh.
THE QUEENS MATE is A BIG TREAT
Adonis Dixey Slips Into New Line of'Work
in The Solicitor.
OLD FAvoRIrEs IN NEW AND OLD PLAYS

The Kendals entered upon their farewell
engagement here at the Duquesne Theate
last night and received hearty welcome o
course. They repaid the audience by Civ
ing a very artistic rendering to strong, in
tensely interesting play. The play
katherine Kavanagh" is new here, ant
the authors, Mrs. Oscar Beringer and Clt
Graves, are new names to us, but theil
work is worthy of veterans. In
construction it is the best seen here this
season; the story is dramatic one and it i:
told well; the prologue and three acts hang
together, and the suspense is sustained till
the last possible moment. There is moth.
ing very sparkling about the dialogue, and
the humor such as there is is deeply and
dolefully English, but the people talk nat
| urally and seldom retard the action of the
| play with their talk, which is an important
advantage.
A Rather Lurid Prologue.
| In the prologue we are introduced to two
depraved women of Brussels who have lured
a man to their rooms, where they rob him
at cards, then drug him and rob him some
more. In the final fleeing Mrs. Dwdteigh,
| Mrs Kendall, takes part, and with her
share of the e6, 900, which she finds in her
victims pocketbook, naively announces
her intention of rehabilitating her virtue
After she has fled to respectability, the vic
tim, Reginald Harley, Mr.. Kendal, awakes from
his drugged dreams, and before his friends
swears he'll hunt his despoiler down. The
stolen money is all his fortune made in
brance of the syrens who lured him and q
Aocket miniature of Mrs. Dudleigh, which
that virtuous creature had dropped in her
fight
The play proper begins with revelation
OF Mrs. Dudleigh, grown a dozen years
older, and now the. possessor of Colonel
kayanagh's name, exalted station in So
ciety, family Jewels, a stepdaughter and
spotless reputation. A very slim account
is given of how this transformation
has been effected, and the evolution
Of such heavenly being as Mrs. Kavanagh
from an improper female who drugs men
and picks their pockets, is rather a large
mouthful of improbability. Still it is swal-
lowed, with gulp, because the authors pile
dramatic situation upon situation so swiftly
that the audience has not time to think of
the probabilities Mrs. Kavanagh has an
admirer besides her husband, a crippled
artist whom she has befriended greatly.
Her regard for him is sisterly or
maternal, but his is ferier
passion. She rebukes him when he seizes
her hand and spouts molten love, but ac-
cepts his apology and offers to be her friend
in need. The need is close at hand. Reginald
Haacley reappears; recognizes the woman he
has been hunting for years. as she does him,
and bids her prepare for his vengeance.
The Cripple to the Rescue.
The crippled artist Brisnaoso also recog-
r,r l1,,11, h.
school caused by a cruel deed
his defcrmity. Briusilow offers Haoley
his hand in token of forgiveness and
friendship, but Haauley refuses to believe
in such Christian behavior, and declines to
be forgiven. Ha,rley adds he will accept
Brin,ailow's hand and forgiveness, when he,
Rdrley, can make some corresponding sacri-
fee Bri,u,ilog withdraws, but remains near
enough to overhear Mrs.. Karanaugh confess
her theft of the money, offer restitution and
plead for pity, while Racly ieers
and threatens her. 1t is New
Years eve and Mrs. Karanagh's guests
the last moments of the year with games.
HaaOley proposes the game of storytelling;
one of the guests to start a story and the
thread to be carried along to completion by
the others in turn. Colonel Kdyd,,dgh begins
the pastime with his favorite recital of his |
encounter with Bengal tiger, Ha,cley takes |
up the tale and converting the heroine into !
human tigress proceeds to tell the story
of Mrs. Kaca,lagh, who is present. She
is forced by the rules of the game to
contribute a chapter when called upon,
drove her to crime. Then as Ha,Oley is evil
IDENTIFY on the verge of denouncing the
wretched woman, the cripple BrinniIow !
interposes with a reminder to Hdwley of The
promise to make atonement for his boy
hoods crime by an act of self-sacrifce.
Ha,cley relents; the chimes ring in the new
year, with Mrs. Ka0d,dgh free from the
hadow of her guilty past at last
Some Brilliant Acting.
This brief sketch may serve to show that
the play has an absorbing story of novel
character. Mrs Kendall played the virtu-
Gus Mrs Karanagh of the play great deal
better than the unpleasant female of the
prologue. Both were artistic creations of |
course, but virtue sets more naturally upon |
the actress. The scenes with Harley in act |
II and Ill revealed Mrs. Kendall at her |
best, and very potent and polished her !
art is. 1t seems to us that !
her agony of fear would be !
be more touching if subdued little. But !
it is great piece of acting, and worthy as a |
SOheAoSe "o9 ehS PSiioilnailSS VI WI. htllGal
as the cold, revengeful Hd,rleH The !
character of Hawley is not altogether in |
balance, for surely such hard-hearted |
brute would not be touched by the purely /
moral and philosophical appeal to which
he succumbs.
The whole performance was smooth
and nicely accentuated, and the !,
company though not brilliant /
body contains several capable actors.
Mr.. J. E. Dodson, however, should be
credited with very clever rendering of the
cripple-a part which has some serious de-
fects and is encumbered with crutches, but
which Mr.. Dodson made very pathetic at
times. Miss Nellie Campbell as a young
English girl, step-daughter of Mrs. Kaya-
nagh, made pretty picture, and the soli-
sary humorous line of the piece that raised
! laugh, an allusion to Ewes escape from
;he ordeal of bothering about her trousseau,
,ame quantity from her mouth. The play was
nicely staged, a handsome new set by Mr..
Bender being among the scenes Tonight
Still Waters Run Deep" is on the bills.
DIXEY IN THE SOLICITOR