The evening world., 1894-02-07
"A woMAN's REVENGE"

There Ia thick. tenacious and coagu-
lated In the late Henry Pettitt's
play, "A Woman's Revenge. now run
ming at the American Theatre. There
are huge clots OF II, and like snowballs,
they get larger with the increased action
Of the play. II Is not the sort of agony
that move you to tears, but the oppres-
sive discomfort that makes you long to
Sit In the gallery. eat peanuts and yell.
You envy the gallery boy. Seated down
stairs you are obliged to behave your
self respectfully. to be silent while the
heroine gurgles In her lachrymose an
suish and to repress a chuckie when
you near the hero say ME chee-ild! Me
chee-ild! She has taken me chee-ild
away" You are not allowed to hoo
when the comedy couple do their funny
turn, or to applaud the villain with
whom you really In your heart OF hearts
sympathixe. There you have to sit mum.
| while the fun is fast and furious In the
gallery above you.
Mary Lonsdale Is the heroine OF "A
Woman's Revenge" She 10 lovely and
lovable. and above all she II an heiress.
The villain. Robert Overtone. loves her
most pa%ssionately. with all the ardent,
untrammelled affection OF one Of Pet.
Tits villains. Rugged out n a cute little
us reach-me-down, he stands there and
tells her Of his volcanic affection. She
tells him that II can never be. for she
loves Frank Drummond. a young bar.
rister. who has been nourished or hero.
les, and who Ii not half as nice as the
villain, II she could but know 1t. In the
first act the hero foils the villain with a
little bit Of breezy repartee. and as the
curtain falls Frank and Mary are going
to be m~arried-to live u%nhappily untfi the
end Of the play.
At this point I made a bet. 1t wa.
that Mary would wear a black dress be
fore the play came to an end. I knew
nothing about II. but was willing to be-
IS that Mary would array her person
and her feelings In black.
Everything goes wrong after the frs
act. Mary and Frank have a little ange
OF a child, who calls itself a true lovers
knot. But Frank has to dread the re
venge of an adventures to whom h,
once made love. Mabel wentworth 4
bold and bad, n means business. 8,
the woman he wouldn't marry conspire
with the man she couldn't love. and rull
stares Frank In the face. Old love let
tiers were brought forth. The hero keep
them In his desk and tells the villain
where they are so as to make villain,
easy and comfortable. The villain goeI
then to poor Mary. who Immediately de
cides to leave her husband. Husband re
turns and promises to explain every
thing. but Mary goes out OF the room
and exactly thirty seconds later It 4
announced that she has left the hous
with her chee-iid. Although she can
possibly have got further than the cor
ner OF the street. he does not attemp
to follow her. but wrings his hands an,
means pitifully.
She goes to live in a nasty little hous,
with horrid pictures on the wall, and tn
child grows up. The villain visits he
regularly and tells her how much h
loves her. He positively dotes on her
A man to whom the villain owes none.
appears and demands the cash. which l
refused. Thereupon he shoots the vii
lain dead as a doornaH., and Mary Is, o
course. accused OF the crime. The
comes the scene OF the play-the trla
at the Old Bailey. Frank defends hi
" wife. as her lawyer Is III. and tn
child gives evidence against poo
mamma, but after a truly thrilling tria!
, that lasts at least six minutes. Mary II
acquitted and falls into her husband
arms. The villain who was shot cor
, tinues dead.
Minnie Seligman Is the heroine, an
, she Is very nice. The part Is not exactl
: calculated to show her at her best. bu
, she does as much with II as poksibl,
William Morris Is the hero. Mr.. Morris
idea OF intensity is to stand bolt upright,
so upright that he almost leans bach
4 ward, and to FIRE OF his speeches in,
acancy. Miss Eunice Vance is II
comedy lady, and exceedingly good sh
Il, too, and Ada Dwyer Is the adver
turess. The villain is Clarence Hand.
, sides-a very pleasing ~villain-and Arthi
= Lawrence Ii a rascally lawyer.
: BY the bye, I omitted to say that
v won my bet. Mary wore a black drei
. In act v. ALAN DALE.