The San Francisco call., 1896-12-13

Managers say that good new plays are
not to be had for fame or money. and
after seeing Captain Bob' l can quite be-
lieve it. Nothing but an absolute dearth
of novelty could have induced Wilton
Lackaye to take hold of such an amateur
ish product as Robert Drouet's comely
drama.
Comedy drama is O very am biguous
term; it may mean anything, from scream
ing farce TO meIodrama "built round"
bombshells and ponderous machines,
threatening to crush out human life.
When you patronize new comedy drama
you ray your money and take your
chances, very much as you do on buying
lottery ticket. Those of US who took
chances in Captain Bob found it 10 be
a compromise between melodrama and
comedy. The hallowed old characters of
melodrama were there-;he betrayer and
the betrayed, the lach-ymose father, the
ingenious heroine, the faithful reiainers
and the hawless hero-but Robert Drouet
had made these characters more gay and
festive than authors generally do who use
them for melodramatic purposes.
A large slice OF the comedy in captain
Bob' centers round the stealing OF a
chicken by a gentleman who, like "Ma
Angeline," was mot colored" but was
'born that way" After staying his prey
he withdraws to an old forge to devour it
in secret, but no sooner is the cooking of
his feast under way than Miss Donna, ac-
companied by Captain Bob, appears on
the scene, and, scenting the succulent
odor Of fried chicken, the fair girl declares
that she is ravenously hungry and must
have food. To oblige her Captain Bob
impersonates the chickens ghost and,
after lengthy dialogue succeeds in scar
ing off the gentleman of color, who leaves
The lovers to devour the remnants of the
least.
This episode is only one of several
which impress on the audience that the
bill of iare is meager in the household OF
Miss Donna (the young lady does not
seem to have surramel. After Captain
Bob has rescued from watery grave the
melodram atic lady whom the villain had
betrayed, he is discovered in Donna's
house, sitting by the fire, with a cup OF
coffee at his elbow. The possession of this
coffee seems TO weigh heavily on his soul.
and one gathers that the reason is because
the melodramatic lady in the next room
Is coffeeless After stirring the precious
dainty. and ii l mistake not, slipping it.
Captain Bob makes q sudden heroic effort
at self-renun ciaion and hands the Gun to
the comic ''msmmy," remarking: "Take
1t TO her, poor girl; she needs it more
than l do" This touching episode re-
calls the conduct OF Sir Philip Sidney at
the battle OF Zutphen, when he snatched
the only glass of water in the army from
his own parcned lips and handed it to
dying soldier. observing: THY need is
greater than mine" But was that the
only cup of coffee procurabIe in the Donna
household?
In spite of the clever Interpretation
given il by the Lackaye company Can
tain Bob" drags its leagth along YEARLY
through two acts, and Just as every one is
beginning to yawn and wonder whether
the last car has gone the play suddenly
pulls itself together for good finish.
cannot imagine how Robert Drouet who
wrote the dreary monologues of the first
two acts, managed to conceive SO much
action as he has put into the last act. Not
tha. the act is great, By any means, but it
has stirring scenes and sends the audience
on its way rejoicing. The real merit of
Captain Bob" however, is in affoTding a
thoroughly sympathetic role 10 Wilton
Lackaye.
There is nothing but good to record OF
the eurtain-raiser, "Moliere," except that
ii the father of French comedy could come
forth from his tomb and assist at a repre-
sentation he would not recognize his own
language ''as she is spoke" by some mem
bers of the Lackaye Company; that cele-
brated Moliere play, for instance, in which
old Argan dallies with ell the remedies in
the pharmacoreia. When Miss Vain
wright discussed it she pronounced the
noun as if it were the name of the ceIe-
brated and lamented American composer
who wrote Waiting and other popular
ballads, and in the adjective she dwelt
lovingly and tenderiy on the word gin.
The effect Of the whole was LIE Millard