Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-11-12

the vicissitudes of Josephine's career,
an entirely new meaning is given to the
prophecy. This is puerile, to say the
least.
But to pleasanter things. The play,
or, rather, the spectacle, is staged in
sumptuous manner In fact, so elab-
orately is it presented in regard to cos
tunes and scenery that Miss Arthur's
friends were given the shivers during
the first act by the dread that she
would be unable to rise superior to the
production. A less competent actress
would have been swamped by the mas
siveness of her surroundings, but Miss
Arthur demonstrated her ability by
transcending the stage carpenter and
the costumer. In fact, after the first
act she dominated every scene in which
she appeared, and there were precious
few in which she did not participate.
More Than Queen" has been critics.
ed ON the ground that it is but series
of six episodes in the career of The
Little Corporal" Technically, the stric-
ture is we'll founded, but inasmuch as
it would be manifestly impossible to Go
anything else in play in which the
rise and fall of Josephine are shown
we must in advance eliminate that OBJ
lection and judge of the merits of the
"pieee solely by the skill displayed by
the author in reducing the objection
able features of a necessarily episode
drama to a minimum. That M. Ber-
gerat has succeeded to a surprising de-
gree and that the American adapters,
Messrs. Meier and Nirdlinger, have adj
mirably preserved the atmosphere of
the period no fair minded man can de-
ny. On the whole, More Than Queen
leaves a pleasant impression upon the
auditor, and it ought to enjoy long
career of prosperity, especially since 1t
is morally certain to appeal with the
greatest force to women.
1t has been generally supposed that
Miss Arthur was at her best as the
tigress in human form, and there were
many who thought she was lying ID
the face of fate in attempting a role
like that of Josephine. She has, how
ever, conquered in the most decisive
manner, fer her work in the tile role
OF her new play could not have been
better She indicated with positive
YET delicate touch the varying moods
of the Beauharnais. whom most per-
sons regards as thoroughly good
woman, while by not insignificant
minority she is looked upon through
the spectacles Of De Barras, who pic
tured her as everything that woman,
and especially an empress, should not
have been. It must be admitted that,
excellent as Miss Arthur was through
out, she was best in those scenes in
which the impericusness of Josephine's
nature momentarily asserted itself. On
these occasions, when she practically
defies the emperor, and again when she
finds that she is shut out from his
apartments BY board partition, and
her impending degradation is no long
err problematical, she was nothing less
than superb.
1t is to be regretted that not even a
small measure of the praise so honestly
earned by Miss Arthur can be extended
TO the other members of the cast.
Scarcely one performer rose above re
diocrity. while many of them fell Ear
below it. The Napoleon was really
amusing in appearance. Mr.. William
Humphrey, who enacted the role, has
done fairly good work in other plays,
but he does not Tor moment even