St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-10-20
IN THE THEATERS.
ADMITTED TO THE BARI


play entitled Admitted to the Bar"
The piece is a stranger 70 st. Paul
theater-goers, but ''as stranger they
cannot ''give it welcome" The play
bill styles the work IAN American
Dramatic Comedy" 1t would be more
accurate to term it a dramatic farce
comedy" for it runs the gamut from
broad farce to emotional drama, with
occasional pauses for the Introduction
of mild comedy. The plot or kernel
from which the serious interest grows
is sufficiently sensational, even if it is
not new, to be acceptable. There is
a large estate claimed by
man who represents himself to
be the brother and sole surviving
relative Of the late owner of the prop
erty, who died interstate. Of course the
claimant is an impostor, but even if lie
were the brother. the estate would not
belong to him, for the interstate left an
illegitimate son, and also a letter, in
which he acknowledges the boy to be
his child. The mother of the boy, who
was thus betrayed in her youth, is in
troduced at the opening of the play as
the respectable wife of a prosperous
lawyer. who knows nothing of her past.
1t so happens that this lawyer. Mr..
Yarnelle, is acting as attorney for the
claimant of the property. Mr.. and Mrs.
Yarnelle have beautiful young
daughter. In the law Office of Mr.
Yarnelle is an ambitious young clerk,
Jefferson Ward, (Mr. Dickson who has
just been admitted to the bar Mrs.
Yarnelle, feeling that her illegitimate
COZ
hunt the lad up. Mr.. Ward finds him
right in Yarnelle's law Office,
where he is employed as an office
boy. 1t is understood, however, that
the mothers identity is not at any cost
to be divulged, not even to the boy.
Jimmy. No one knows the secret but
Mr.. Ward and Mrs. MacreadY, a
widowed friend of Mrs. Yarnelle. Mr..
Ward produces the boy, and claims the
estate on his behalf. The impostor and
his lawyer demand him to also produce
the mother. This sets him back, but
Mrs. Macready comes nObly to the rescue
and avows that she is the mother. But
that does not work, for the impostor,
Chester Bailey, knows that Mrs. Var
nellie is the mother, and tells Ward so.
This complexities matters again, but
everything is unraveled at last through
the Lecocq-lIke sagacity of young Ward,
who by the aid of certain papers,
those inevitable paperS-proyes to
Bailey's own face that he is fraud. and
so thWarts him, and ''marries the GIRL"
Miss Jessie YarnelIe.
The story, while it reminds
one of certain incidents In Ca
boriau's novel File No. 49," is
said to be founded on the Blythe case
which came up in the California courts.
r 70 I'M fNnp II
structlon, which is at fault in "Ad-
mitted to the Bar" The male charac-
tiers are poorly drawn. They are not
types of humanity. Young Mr.. Ward
is not unrecogniZable, though he does
display some phenomenal perSpicacity
and ShrewdneSs for tyro in the legal
profession. Aside from those qualities,
he is manly, good-hearted young fell
low. But the other men are fictitious
beings. For instance, Donald Clinton,
the fat member of the big law firm, is
an exaggerated. If not an absurd, char
acter. 1t is in the treatment of this
character that the authors. Henry Dob
lin and Charles Klein, have erred
grievously. They have tried to mix the
gross improbability of farce with the
elements of straight and natural COM
edy. They make him run around the
lawn, in public view, to reduce his
fiseh. SO as to win the widow. This is
only one of the many outlandish. undig-
nified, and absolutely improbable
actions forced upon the memA
Der of successful law firm.
The character of Mr.. Yarnelle is not
natural, either, while the missing heir
is in no wise interesting. The female
characters fare better. The dialogue,
too. is weak. There are a few bright
speeches and bon-mOts. but most of the
talk is conventional and vapid, and the
wit cheap. The scene between the
young lovers, in which the girl poses as
judge and her sutton as an attorney,
was better written in blue Jeans"
The proposal scene in the first act is
poor, and the episode In the parlor
where the young lady slaps the face of
the claimant" is in questionable taste.
The proposal of the fat lawyer to the
widow was funny, because Thomas A.
Wise is good actor, and is given all
opportunity to make some witty re-
marks. The last act is the best, though
itreQuires some alterations, i'll the cause
of reason.
Mr.. Dickson IS unquestionably clev
er comedian. He is spontaneous. easy,
colloquial, natural, hearty, ana not self
conscious. He did we'll last night. His
company is good. Besides Mr.. Wise,
Miss Margaret Fitzpatrick, who played
the mother, and Miss Elizabeth Hunt,
who impersonated the widow, both
merit praise. Miss Lillian Burkhart as
Jessie Yarnelle, Miss Ruth Rock and
Frederick Backus all merit praise. This
evening MIR. Dickson will present that
excellent farce "IncOg."