New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-10-05
THE DRAMA.
f. S. WILLARD IN THE PHYSICIAN

f. S. WILLARD IN THE PHYSICIAN"
The Physician" Is play in which much Is said
and little IL done The saying Of all that was to
be said and the doing Of what little was to be
done fell to the lot OF r. s. Willard and his COM
pany at WaIlack's Thestrc. last night and Mr.
Willard thus made his temperance in America
and began season 1.-THE Physician Is by
Henry Arthur Jones. and It shows traces OF the
thoughts Contained In several OF his other plays
1t suggests The Masqueraders." 1t carries the
mind further. to 1.-THE Dancing Girl" and Jul
dab" and 1t reaches still back to Saints and SIM
ners." And then. n there be change of names
between the seal OF the confessional and the Hip
pocratc oath. there Is a paralicllsm with Sydney
Grundy's play. The Broken Seal"
But Mr.. Jones has far reformed and gone back
to his days OF innocency that IL would not be
fair to call THE Physician" problem play. and
that Is something to be grateful tor. For the ques-
ton OF the right or wrong Of love between I'M
married man and a woman who is married. but
whose husband Is a degraded wretch ard practical.
ly non-existent." Is not entered into with the
seriousness OF problem such as the British drama
list with mission takes II upon him to solve
Moreover, this question was the one discussed In
THE Masquersders." In that play the writer
fumbed with tho knot for a space and then
cut Il: In this one he cuts 1t at once
ana does not ask the audience 10 let itself be
troubled about It. Neither IL It possible to sup
pose that Mr.. Jones regards the dangers OF aco-
T. such things these were to constitute prob.
lem play then '"Ihe Two Orphans would be one.
But II at this point the work escapes conviction
play for the solution or the propoundng Of Q
problem. 1t treads near the equally dangerous
ground Of moral play. The person of second inn
portance in the play is certainly an awful exam
pie and Of course II IL impossible to say that he
may not any night appeal to degraded
wretch In the audience and turn him In his
Where the moral dramatst sows a thousand seeds.
he often brings but one to bear. But there
noticeable diminution OF the exodus Of the male
part Of the audience between the acts at Wallacks
last night.
Whether he 10 put into the play for the purpose
of extracting moral from him or for purely
dramatic uses. a human animal without a spinal
column is not altogether pleasant sight on the
stage or anywhere else. Yet the lesson that is to
be learned from Walter Amphiel is presented
through his acts and his sufferings and those OF
others. by the audience. and not purely By
verbal exposition. Mr.. Jones {. an old and skful
enough dramatst for that. There Is certainly
talk enough In the play. and when. after some
such revolutionary sentiment rs that 1t IS queer
world. Lady Valerie added, don't moraze about
IT, the audience more pleased by the sug-
ion than by almost anything else that had gone
before
Yo. Mr. Jones knows how 70 lead up to a dra-
matte moment. and he knows how to deal with
the dramatic moment when 1t comes. and the end
OF the ;h,d act brought something OF a reward
for the long preparation. This when the
trusty physician, having kept from the
whom ne loved the secret that the lover whom she
loved vas sot and worse. confronted that lover
with the knowledge OF hts latest debauch and
made rim confess 1t all. while the girl listened
her presence being unknown to both OF them.
This acted with deicacy. force. true
feeling and fine effect, not only by Mr. Willard.
but by Miss Maud Hoffman Edana Hinde and
Oswald Yorke Walter Amphiei
AS far as Mr. Willard was personally concerned
in the performance. there was. indeed doubt OF
It's success Mr. Willard who has eminent quail
tcat!ons as character actor Is yet able TO do
what many character actors cannot. to act part
requiring self-control and force In Wig
orous manner. yet with complete dignity and with
out exaggeraton. His impersonatjon OF DIR. Levin
Carey was an exhibition OF man OF power and
resource. man able 10 command situation. 10
rule himself and to carry out his ends with re-
gard to himself and others. yet with all his vehe-
mence under perfect direction and with no VIC
ience where only calm strength wanted. 80
Credit has already been given TO Mr. Yorke and
10 Miss Hoffman for their performance OF one
scene. but they were no less excellent In ALL The
part which Mr.. Yorke had was an unpleasant one
TO see. AS has also been said but he had the duty
before him OF presenting a man tottering to early
ruin through drink, and he did 1t ably. Miss Keith
Wakeman. who has gained much poise ana ABILITY
actress. hal the rather curious part OF Lady
Valerie Camville. woman VINO looks rke the con-
ventonal adventures Of the stage. but who is not.
She is woman who does nothing wrong. one
whom tho spectator likes and feels sorry for but
who seems scarcely TO expect to be taken seri-
ously. \ woman woid scarcely ask a man to be
her lover for Ave or ten years. as he may himself
prefer and then murder her, II she really thought
that there any danger Of his doing It, Yet no
doubt Lady Valerie thinks that she means II when
she says It. Miss Wakenan was a radiant figure
Ia the part and she played 1t convinSlngly.
The burden OF the play hung on these four parts
and these four actors. The other parts all
played with ability. and the whole performance
was a most and commendable one. The full
cast this:
~ Levin Sarey Mr "niard
Na.tel S"sia ioiNs
The Rev. Peregrine Hinde. Werner Charges
Ut ZANE
stephen Guruon - u layoI
John stewart Aieh
Ecana Hinde MISS MAUD norman
MS t,oNden. IL tne
Ms DiDey silss May h9oe,ts
Marsh cSrdcn. child Miss RUBY johnson
Saunders Lady Valerie's maid Mrs, X A. johnson
Lizzie M!ss NARY van Baten