Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-09-17

4Olh LuC0Ll4004 GON0CA ~
struggles fitfully through three acts OF
grave and sedate ~frivolity suggestive
of London fog. The eyaslyeness OF
this same ray makes it quite unneces-
sary for the ushers at Walack's to pass
smoked glasses round among the aud
fence.
"A Little Ray Of sunshine will never
scorch the plush lining OF an orchestra
chair. 1t is a nineteenth century "Con-
edy of Errors with only on Artipho-
lus. The Antipholus in this case IS an
eccentric, wealthy, but kind hearted lit
tie nobleman, Lord Markham, VINO
goes about like one Of Dickens Cherry
Bile brothers, trying always to make
other people happy. He does this with
a liveliness and geniality that is beautl-
full to behold, but the unlordly manner
in which the aged nobleman is treated
by his unappreciative relatives and as
sociates would be pathetic in the ex-
IRENE were it not for the imperturba-
BILE good nature of this big hearted Den-
efactor of destitute lovers.
The Little Ray shone last season
at the Royalty theatre in London
enjoyed, it is said, a very prosperous
run in the English metropolis.
success will scarcely be duplicated In
America. There is too much OF the
calcium carbide OF Anglican humor n
such sunshine to make American aud
fences willing to bask in it. Mr.. WI
liam Elton as Lord Markham is, n
might say, the spirit Of London Punch
incarnate, and what American every
- ~ z.-.11;a+1d {6n tncOr1fah ln hn-
NOR of Punch? The worst that n
man can say about it all is that it Is
English, awfully English, you know,
and its lines of construction follow the
old primitive ideas of comedy making
of 40 good years ago.
The story itself is simple. Sir Philip
Ashton, a young English squire, is
about to marry Connie Markham, the
sister of his old friend and school fell
low, Dick Markham. Now this same
Dick Markham, as young men in t
comedies and actual life sometimes do,
contracted a sporting debt, but one, by
the way, of a few odd thousand pounds.
This debt is summarily and jauntlly
and al the same time secretly settled
I'D by Sir Philip for the sake of old
times and all that sort of thing. To
do this the benevolent young Sir
Philip goes to Mr.. Dobbs, a money
lender of the good old stereotyped, m
possible sort and nonchalantly signs
away the beloved home of his fore
fathers, which was very generous or
Sir Philip. But Dobbs, strange to say,
wants his money and interest and even
threatens to take the roof from over
Sir Philips head on the eve OF his
marriage. With this predicament the
play begins.
1t is just at this point that Lord
Markham, who ten years ago had mys-
teriously scuttled away to the mines OF
Australia to repair his depleted for
tunes, turns up incog at Ashton Hall
with his old fashioned glasses, through
which beam a pair of kindly eyes, his
outlandish clothes and his good, old,
reliable comedy bandanna hanging
from his coat-tail pocket. 'Arris, the
footman, finds the old chap chuckllng
genially about his own long forsaken
dining room, anticipating the joyous
welcome he is about to receive. Where
upon 'Arris, taking his lordsip for me
Of the cottagers, straightway ehucks
him out.
He comes back. Then Polly, an
o~vertalkative h~ousemaid, takes Mark
ham for an unexpected uncle from Aus
tralia and lovingly carries him off in
her arms to the servants hall. He
comes back. Then the impecunious
nephew, Dick Markham, and the young
Sir Philip, busted with their wedding
preparations, mistake their humble
looking uncle for the dreaded Dobbs
and once more chuck him out. He
comes back. Then Lady Denham
takes her turn and mistakes him for a
bakers employee, and once more he is
ordered out.
This naturally is all very funny. The
real Dobbs appears and is in turn mis-
taken for Lord Markham. He regards
his warm reception as an effort to in
suit him and threatens to forecloSe. The
plot thickens, and the little nobleman
gradually grasps the situation, takes
every indignity with which he meets
as a huge joke and acts as the god
from the machine when the skies are
about to fall. Then everything is dis
covered, and every one is happy.
1t is all a very pretty and a very
simple and a very impossible old story,
not calling for the broad treatment, the
leapfrogging owe furniture and the
machine made stage situations which
the imported Smyth & Rice Company
has put into il. The loquacious do
mestic, Polly, and two juvenile lovers
who have been dragged into the COM
edy by the heels, and rather stupid
young heels at that, do nothing but OBJ
scure the brightness of that central
figure of Markham. which illumines
the entire play. For certainly Mr.. Will
liam Elton, as the little philanthropist,
5 the luminary from which radiates all
the interest to be found in these easy
going three acts of English farce. Mr..
Herbert Sparkling as Carlton. a diplo-
mist of so, looked 20 years too young
for his part, and Mr.. Wallace Erskine
as the squire was assured, impasslVe
and ordinary. The women of the COM
pany did nothing TO show their claim
TO anything above ~mediocrity.
But for all this the reception which
the Little Ray" received was cordial
and at times even enthusiastic. This
has a special significance when II is
remembered that no later than last
spring the board Of Wallacks were oc-
cupied by the prurient The Cuckoo"
That unclean importation was q fit
performance with which to put to bed