The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-12-02
HIS WIFES FATHER
Another Acceptable Per
Torrance.
Miss Bates and Mr., Clarke Score
Hits-Other Characters Well
Sustained.

His Wife's Father" was written by
Miss Martha Morton with an idea,
evidently. of touching the funny bone
of an audience and Immediately after
ward cause the male portion of it to
plunge their fists into their sympathet-
ic coat tails in search of their hand
kerchiefs, while the ladies hide their
faces behind their fans. If this was
Miss Morton's aim she met with un-
qualified success, for at the New Ha-
waiian Opera House last night the
Frawley Company had very large and
fashionable audience convulsed with
laughter and deIuged with tears alter
nately.
AS the over-fond and indulgent faith
er, Harry Corson Clarke was at once a
favOrite, and in the character of Blu
chanan Billings showed his versatility.
In the second act, when his daughter
leaves him to go with her husband,
he acted the part of the broken-hearted
father much more realistic than is
looked for in a comedian. There are
several places in the play where the
author calls for much besides fun max
ing at the hands of Billings, and Mr.
Clarke was equal to the task at all
times.
But the gem of the cast was Blanche
l.. Bates as Nell Billings, and it is a
question if the part could have been
placed in better hands, for aside from
some mannerisms which are apparent
in Miss Bates acting, no matter the
character, she was seen to better ad-
vantage last night than at any time
during the engagement. In the third
act, where her husband leaves her on
account of the assiduous attentions
and unconscious over-devotion of her
father, she displayed ability as an emo
tional actress far above the average
player on the American stage. Her rem
dition of the character of a woman
placed between two such burning fires
in this scene was absolutely faultless,
and before an audience less cold than
those which fill the Opera House, would
Bates was encored and there was a cur
tain call, thanks to the promptness of
the stage hands, but there should have
been a dozen.
Miss Phosa McAllister, as the eccen-
trio old Aunt Eliza, had a part that
was not burdened with interest, but
she made much of it, and created much
amusement.
Miss Madge Carr Cook, member of
the company who has been seen too
little in the plays given during the en-
gagement, gave an excellent rendition
of the character of Mrs. Canary, the
fruit woman. Miss Cook is exception
ally easy and graceful, but when the
part required it she put force into her
acting, which placed her in position of
dividing the honors of the evening
with Miss Bates
Wilson Enos, as Matt, Mr.. Billings
faithful servant, won hOnors which
have not been bestowed upon him dur
ing the Honolulu season. One of the
most difficult parts for an actor to
play is that where he is called upon to
be drunk. The majority of them in
their efforts not to overdo do too much,
but this is not the case with Mr. Enos.
His part as Matt was good, and it would
be difficult to improve upon it in either
voice or gesture.
Mr.. Worthing, as Frank Hamilton,
had an unpleasant and certainly I'M
satisfactory character to essay. He
has been seen here when the audience
has been better pleased with his per-
Torrance. At times he expressed feel
ings rather more intense than is eX-
pected, and again where he should
show vigorous warmth of nature his
playing was lacking his usual strong
style.
Other characters by Miss Ross, Miss
Pixley, Mr. Arbuckle and other mem
bers of the company were insignif1c
ant, but acted up to the standard of the
several players. Mr.. Leslie, however,
showed himself to be too close a stu
dent and much too rapid talker; if the
character of Ferdinand Langdon was
in any way prominent in the play its
significance was lost in the rumbling
head-over-heels manner in which he
spoke his lines.