The Portland daily press., 1897-09-29
MUSIC AND DRAMA.
Puddin'hesd Wilson.

comfortable more warmth was applied
TO put them in good humor with them
selves and thesplay.
This was the cast:
Characters in Prologue.
David Wilson, Edwin Mayo
York Driscoll, Edwin Nalod
Howard Pembroke, Augustus Balfour
Blake, w. X. Mickey
Swan, David Smedt
Campbell. William Arthur
Jasper, Randolph Wood
Roxy sixteenth negress slave , -
Patsy, Wilson'S sister, Belle Stoddard
Twenty-three Years Later.
David Wilson, "Pudd' nhead,"
Edwin Mayo
Chambers, Menifee tombstone
York Driscoll, Edwin Nalod
Tom Driscoll, Frank Campeau
Howard Pembroke, lawyer,
Augustus Balfour
Twins-Luigi Cappelo, Marcy Harlem
Angelo Cappelo, Willard Curtis
Blake, county sheriff, W. II. Mickey
Judge Robinson, D. Rivers
Slaves-Swan, Donald Smedt
Campbell William Arthur
Deacon Jasper, Charles schaeffer
Ephraim, w. Helaby
Roxy, Miss Ada Dwyer
Patsy Mason, Pudd nhead's widowed
sister, Miss Belle Stoddard
Rowy, Miss Frances Grahme Mayo
Hannah, slave, MICS Sadie Delmore
The story of the play in brief is as fol-
lows: Pudd 'nhead Wilson is an eccentric,
wise, witty old village lawyer, who.
patiently waits nearly a quarter of GEN.
fury for his first client. In the meantime
he interests himself and amuses his pass
ing leisure in taking prints of the balls
of the thumbs of his neighbors on bits of
glass, fling them away that he may study
the curious lines, curves, whirls, loops
and fourishes that adorn the thumb of
every human being, and the wonder of it
all is that there are no two among the
teeming millions Of this earth that are
alike. This fad of his with his many
other ecoentrioities leads to ''Dave Will
son" being called by his neighbors, q
''pudd 'nhead.'' At first, confident in
himself and feeling his own superiority,
Wilson does not mind the ridicule of the
people. After twenty three years-the
gap between prologue and play-though
he still believes in himself and knows
that he is mentally above those about
neutrality-suspicious. how much he feels the
long years of their persistent misunder-
standing. Only once does he waver in
his belief in his 'thumb mark" theory
when the marks carefully labelled made
by the babies do not agree with those
made by the same ESQ be thinks) children
when they are older. These same marks,
however, triumphantly win him his first
case. after his long waiting, and prove
which is the master and which is the
slave; also who tried to commit the MUIR
der and that the twins were entirely in
nocent. The scenes of the play are laid
in Missouri, and the characters Missouri
Ans of the ante-bellum days, who thought
that next to going to Heaven they would
enjoy trip to ST. Louis. The quaint
costumes date back to the time when
quaint hoopskirts, stovepipe hats, cuta-
way coats, tight trousers and ruff1ed shirts
prevailed.
1t Is rarely that a novel dramatized
makes a good acting play. The reason
for this is readily seen in the fact that
q popular novel has so much of which
the public is informed that the drama
tization must necessarily be more or less
sketchy. But for all that, i'll Puddin'
head Wilson there is much to please.
Mr.. Mayo is q worthy son of the favorite
actor Frank Mayo. He has presence
and voice that fit him for the charac-
terization of the old lawyer, q slowness
and quaintness of speech that put him
in touch with his audience at once
There are many telling situations in
which his imperturbability and his dry
humor are used with telling effect. This
was especially the case in the scene that
closed the second act, and at the close of
the play where he succeeds in proving
NIT the murder.
A very strong characterization was
that of the slave Roxy. Miss Dwyer was
fascinating in the first act, where with
all the Southern negro movements and
expressions, she showed the purpose in
her mind which she carries out, of chang
ing the babies, and thus substituting the
slave for the master; and again, in the
scspe with Tom Driscoll, when he tells
her he won't clear her from the charge
OF theft, Miss Dwyer gave really power
full scene.
The other characters were all well as
sumed. What was needed more than any
thing else was a better delivery of their
lines; SO that the voices could reach the
ears of the audience better. Actors can
USE dialect and yet make it as easily un-
derstood as the vernacular.
Puddin head Wilson was we'll staged,
but not elaborate. 1t will be repeated to
night. Last night the play was called at
Il close Of each act.