The evening world., 1893-12-26
THE RosD TO RUIN.

Mrs. John Drew Ia ct the Fourteenth
Street Theatre. After that one need
not be surprised II "A Flag OF Truce
gets into the Lyceum and "A Country
Sport goes to the Metropolitan Opera
House. Yet a diamond Is a diamond. no
matter what be its setting, and this IA
nous old actress scintillated Yesterday.
and compelled success, In spite OF the
gentle cracking OF the succulent peanut
and the TaDgerine-charged atmosphere,
which as rule. careth nothing for
standard comedy.
Mrs. Drew appeared az the giddy Wild
ow Warren In Holbrooks Road to
Ruin" and her performance was simply
Il magyc! OF discretion. refinement and
genuine humor, from the time she made
her first appearance until the final cur
tain fell. And nobody needs a bump OF
veneration In order to enjoy Mrs. Drew's
work In THE Road to Ruin" 1t Is not
necessary TO say to yourself This Is a
famous old actress. vino has been before
the people for half century. and whom
nobody would dare to condemn" Not
a bit OF It, II you saw Mrs. Drew yes
terdny for the first time in your life.
and had never heard OF her before,
you would chuckle joyously and purr
with pleasure at her art The Widow
Warren is a frivolous old creature, who
Ii In love with every young man she
meets. and who imagines herself to be
absolutely Irresistible She places a
higher value upon the maturity OF her
own charms than upon the eighteen
ycar-old beauties OF pretty Sophia Free
wben Harry IDurut m
seeks her hani in order to obtain her
money, when he needs to retrieve hia
fathers fortunes. she la perfectly will
ing. 1t Is young Dornton who runs upon
the road to ruin. and who bets and spec
ulates until the widows pounds. shill-
ings and pence are necessary. 1t Is old
Dornton who supplies the role OF the
stern parent, and 1t is Sophia Freelove
who appears az the ingenue.
THE Road to Ruin" Is, of course,
dusty. but 1t Ia not as mildewed as many
OF the Old comedies that are some times
dragged into the .lpht 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 a way through the pea :
nuts and Tangerines, and the whole
house laughed at Holbrook. so signifcant-
ly interpreted bv Mrs. Drew. What a
lesson she could give to many OF the
smaller fry In the art o! repose. 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 1t, 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 tinsel. Mrs. Sidney Drew was good
as Sophia Freeove. and Clarence l.. Holt
vigorous as Harry Dornton. but Sidney
Drew was an embarrassing and half
hearted Goldfnch. w. r. Bernard
color!ess Silky, and George Osbourne a
conventional Mr.. Dornton.
The front scenes used In The Road
to Ruin" were rather peculiar. Methinks
have seen them In s'teen melodramas
when Hyde Park was a spot at least
three thousand miles out OF London. The
interiors, however. were not bad. Those
shaded Roeenauest portieres are always
pleasant to look upon. ALAN DALE.