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

Mrs. John Drew Is at 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 diamond is a diamond. nc
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 Tangerine-charged atmosphere,
which. as rule. careth nothing for
standard comedy.
Mrs. Drew appeared as the giddy Wild
ow Warren In Holbrook's Road to
Ruin" and her performance was simply
marvel of discretion, refinement and
genuine humor. from the time she made
her first appearance until the final cur
tain fell And nobody needs 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, who has been before
the people for half century. and whom
nobody would dare to condemn" Not
a bit of II. II you saw Mrs. Drew yes
terday 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
Is 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
year-old beauties of pretty Sophia Free
love. and when young Harry Dornton
seeks her hand In order to obtain her
money, which 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 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 II Is Sophia Freelove
who appears as the ingenue.
THE Road to Ruin" IL, Of course,
dusty. but II is not as widowed as many
OF the Old comedies that arc sometimes
dragged into the l~ht OF the stage, wher
they should be lett in the library. Hol-
brooks work is ciear and concise. and his
humor has not lost its power. This
humor pierced a way through the pea
HutS anu anu thc "holt
house laughed at Holbrook. so significant
ly interpreted bv Mrs, Drew. What a
lesson she could give to many Of the
smaller fry In the art Of 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 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 tnsel. Mrs. Sidney Drew was good
as Sophia Freelove. and Clarence l.. Holt
vigorous as Harry Dornton. but Sidney
Drew was an uninteresting and half
hearted Goldfinch, w. r. Bernard
co!oress Silky. and George Osbourne
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 Rosenquest porteres are always
pleasant to look upon. ALAN DALE.