The herald., 1897-10-09
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LOS ANGELES THEATER-The pop
ular estimate of the relative value of Mr.
Cranes two plays was plainly shown
last night when a packed house greeted
the comedian on his first presentation
here of Martha Morton's play g A Fool of
Fortune" The size of the audience
was in curious contrast to that of the
opening night when "A Virginia Court
ship was the attraction.
That the Judgment of the public was
correct in preferring the play last night
was also easily demonstrated. Mr..
Crane was in his element and played de-
lightfully, being thoroughly in touch
with his audience which was quickly re-
sponsive to every point in the dialogue
and every situation in the piece.
"A Fool of Fortune" is misnamed as
comedy. The first two acts are light
enough and breezy enough to deserve
the appellation, but in the third act
plunge is made into the portrayal of
sterner realities, and these are dealt with
in a masterful fashion that takes the lie
tener entirely out Of the range of light
comedy. The scene terminates with
tragedy, the death of the principal char
acter in the moment of his success and
when the curtain falls upon the group of
the dead body and the solitary mourner,
it is not with the feeling of having wit
messed a comedy, that one rises to go
away.
The story of the piece deals with the
vicisstudes of Wall street stock gamb-
ling, subject which is dealt with after
the somewhat trite fashion of the moral
ist. But the story, such as it is, is of
slight Importance besides the opportuni-
ty given for the delineation of number
of capital types of character. The way
in which these chances are availed of,
prove that the company has been select
ed for its adaptability to this piece with
out much regard for how they would
| fare in the alleged Virginian play.
| Miss Mortons drama is well written,
containing as it does some very bright
| lines and being with a few exceptions
very cleverly put together. The third
act is by far the strongest, showing as
| it does the wreck made of men by their
devotion to the mad passion of stock
gambling. Mr.. Crane has peculiar
magnetic quality when he is playing in
character in which he feels himself at
home; he carries his audience with him
all the time and nos single detail of his
byplay, a glance of his eye, or an infiec-
| ton of his voice ever fails to produce ar
adequate effect
When at the end of the comedy, that
is to say, when the curtain falls on the
| second act and the hitherto prosperous
stock speculator stands, ruined man,
| in the midst of his startled family, Mr.
! Crane has maintained throughout a sort
of warm friendly relation with the audi
er.ce anG everything has gone with
laughter and applause and plenty of ii.
When the cur,aip rises on the third act
after the supposed lapse of year, the
same rapi6, speculator totters upon the
stage so pitifully changed that he is
at first not recognizable. His hair has
fallen away, his hand is pals!ed, his
face is ashen and deeply wrinkled and
the fire of his once trumphari. eye is
now glazed and dim. 1t might be OBJ
jected that the change is too radical for
it to be possible as the result of a year
of collapse spent ir. fitful, feeble and un
successful efforts at specula tion. If the
point is well taken, then Mr.. Crane has
erred. but much may be excused for the
sake of the fine picture he gives of the
physical and mental wreck which was
doubtless in his mlf1d S eye ana prompt
| ed this delireation, portrayal not only
powerful and artistic in detail, but
which reaches the heart as we'll
His old partner, Lloyd, played by
Percy Brooke, was another broken down
specimen and was we'll acted. The other
men in the cast were each and all more
than merely acceptable. Boyd Putnam
as the aristocratic looking banker and
lover of Marjorie, played with great good
taste anc jud dgment. Walter Haze as
an imported French court, spoke with
a very good accent which he maintain ed
throughout, very difficult thing to do
by the bye. He played with gentleman
ly ease, and in short, was an ideal rep
resentative of the character.
William Boag as Cornelius Green, thu