The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1893-12-26
THE ROAD TO RUIN. -

Mrs. John Drew L. at tho Fourteenth
Street Theatre After that one need
not be- surprised " "A Flag OF Truce
gets into the Lyceum and "A Country
Sport" goes 10 the Metropolitan Opera
House Vet n diamond IL diamond, no
matter what bc its setting. and this IA
NOUS old actress scintillated yesterday,
and com5,lled success, In spite of the
gentle cracking ri the succulent peanut
and the TanEerinc- charged atmosphere,
which. as, rule. Careth nothing Tor
standard comedy.
M"a. Drew appeared as the Riddy wa
ow Warren In lIolbrook's Road 70
Ruin" and her performance was simply
Il marvel OF discretion. refinement ana
genuine humaT from tho time she made
her first appearance until the final cur
tain fell And nobody needs bump OF
generation in order to enjoy Mrs. Drcw'S
work in "Thc Road to Ruin" 1t is not
necessary to say to yourself. This Is
famous old actress who has been hefor"
the people for half century, ana whom
nobody would dare to condemn Not
"A hit OF It. If you saw Mrs. Drew yes
t"rday for the first time in your life,
and had never heard Of her bbefore,
YOU would chuckle joyously and purr
with pleasure at her art, The Wido"
Warren n n frivolous old creature. who
~ IN love with every young man she
meets, and who imagines herself to hc
absolutely irresistible. She places n
HIGHER value upon the maturity OF her
own charms than upon the eighteen
yenr-old beauties of pretty Sophia Free
ton,
seeks her hand in order to obtain her
money, when he needs to retrieve his
fathers fortunes, she Is perfectly Will
ing. II is young Dornton who runs upon
the road to ruin. and who beta and spec
ulates until the widows pounds. shill-
inrs and pence are necessary. 1t Is old
Durnton who supplies the role of the
stern parent, and 1t is Sophia Freelove
who appears as the ingenue.
The Road to Ruin" is, Of course,
dusty, but II Is not as mildewed as many
Of the Oh comedies that are sometimes
dragged into the Arht OF the stage. when
they should be left In the library. Hol-
| brooks work is GEAR and concise. and his
humor has not lost its power. This
humor pierced n way through the pea
nuts and Tangerines, and the who'll
house laughed at Holbrook, so significant
| " interpreted bv Mrs. Drew. What a
! lesson she could give to many OF the
smaller fry In the art Ct rcpose, OF non
exaggerated humor of legitimate quaint
ness, and also In the proper use of the
| English language. Every time she said
to the weeping Sophia Go to your
! room the audience howled with laugh
ter Her way of saying It, the quiet
! humor OF her manner made an appeal
that all the horse pay in the world
could not secure. Mrs. Drew was the
star: the others were very ordinary bits
of tlnsel Mrs. Sidney Drew was good
as Sophia Freelove, and Clarence L. Holt
! vigorous as Harry Dornton. but Sidney
Drew was an uninterest!ng and half
hearted Goldfnch. w. r. Bernard a
! colorless silky, and George Osbourne a
conventional MIR. Dornton.
| The front scenes used in "The Road
| to Ruin" were rather peculiar. Mcthlnks
| I have seen them In s'teen melodramas
when Hyde Park was spot Mt least
three thousand miles out of London. The
| Interiors however, were not bad. Those
shaded Rosenquest portieres are Away
pleasant to look upon. ALAN DALE.