The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-11-26
A WESTERN PLAY
One of Bret Harte's Sto.
rieS Presented.
Excellent Work BY Leading Mem
bers of the Company-Piay Bill
for Rest of the Week.

People who like that sort of show
liked Sue" very much. 1t was given
in a capable manner by the Frawley
company to a good house last night.
The audience was not at all demonStra-
tive. even if it did include the victor
ious Town football team. Only one
box was occupied. No people were
turned away from the theater from lack
of available seats either down stairs
or in the balcony and gallery. APP
plause was infreqent. 1t was earned
when it was given.
Sue is a clever dramatization of
Bret Harte's novel of the same title.
Mr.. Harte at one time lived in the
Sierras and San Francisco. For eight
cen years or more he has had his home
in London 1t was in London that he
wrote Sue The tale has the local
flavor or color of his earlier stories
produced while in the mountains, but
lacks the strength of any one Of them.
1t is wonder that when presented a
circus performer as character he re-
Trained from introducing a few chap
tiers in a drawing room or green room
or some other place outside mountain
town. The novel "Sue'' might be sum-
med up by the affront a kamaaina
says he once heard one native offer an
other in English" 1t was: "You think
you are some, but you cannot" The
novel, compared to what novel should
be is nothing 1t is not found on the
bookshelves of literary people.
The paly is good as could be made
from a book like Sue In fact the
story is better on the stage as given
by the Frawleys than it is in print.
Not many people who were willing to
have more when the curtain descended
on the final act last night would spend
ten minutes on the book. The special
scenery was very good. The costuming
was correct. "Sue" is perhaps too near
ly border play for such company
of players as the Frawley combination,
but it has the reputation of drawing
well everywhere. 1t doesn't get very
far into the melodramatic sea. Under
that head it may honestly be said that
some people will take it very seriously
and that others will consider it little
less than rubbish. 1t all depends.
Miss Bates is versatile This has
U60u Sdlu U0lOIO. IL was 0StdUllSu0U
beyond any reasonable question of a
doubt last night. She was true and
fine all through "Sue." When Mr.
Worthing walked out on the stage last
night as era Beasley" it was the first
time in Honolulu that he was not re-
cogniZed at once by everybody. He
played carefully all evening, was al
all times clear and distinct in his ut
terances and splendidly sustained sew
| eral very strong situations. Mr.. Lew
ers earned lots of praise by his work
as the Parson He gave a natural
sympathetic rendition of the character
| Mr.. Perry was more than satisfactory
| in difficult role AS "Jim Wynd.'
Mr.. Frawley did his usual even anG
conscientious acting and had fine
chance Tin tights to show what an
other character of the play described
as 'hiS beautiful natural shape" Will
son EnOS was excellent as the Sheriff
He did his best with earnestness in
every line and at all times. Mr. Clarke
did not ''come on" till the last act, bu
almost atoned for his hardness. HI
kept all in commissions of laughter by
his playing as Judge Lynch and die
not OverdO the character, either. Their,
was but glimpse of Madge Carr Cooke
and it whetted the appetite for more
of her. To revert again to Miss Bates
she was delicious in the interview Will
the circus acrobat. She caught tn,
full spirit of the Pygmafion and Gala
tea motif which seemed to underli
the lines.
"The Great Unknown" will be give1
of 10
Card" in the evening