The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1899-02-25
THINGS THEATRICAL.

The house thought well of the play
and this is about the best that can be said
of E. H. Sothern's newest offering. ~
Colonial Girl" which was presented for
the first time in this city last night at tie
Lafayette. Inasmuch as the audience was
wonderfully large and truly hysterical in
its admiration of everything the star saw
fit to do such tribute need not be given
the weight that it might have deserved
otherwise. The least charitable OF the as
sembly would probably have applauded
just as vociferously had Mr. Southern
taken it into his head to read the Decla-
ration of Independence.
"A Colonial Girl is by Grace Living
ston Furniss and Abby Sage Richardson.
who were also responsible for .'Ameri-
cans Abroad 1t was originally done in
Philadelphia under the title OF "a Shill-
ing's Worth, but. the name meeting with
no appreciation and the piece having pro-
voked so little that its reputation was u
small value. change was effected before
Mr.. Sothern entered New York. The work
was staged there at the Lyceum Theatre
and excited no more enthusiasm than it
had elsewhere.
This little bit of history is mainly useful
in that it may serve to unqualify a state
ment to the effect that "A Colonial Girl"
Is about as poor piece Of dramatic piop
erty as was ever constructed about a GER
tam star In common with most costume
plays. it is artificial in the highest degree
ana so completely incredible that the spec
tator finds it difficult to make even the
widest ideas of license cover its plot and
characters. This general improbability is
not caused merely by a gross exaggeration
Oh people and incidents. but by DISPOSE
tion on the part of the authors to as
sumo anything that may help them in less
ehihs the time between the end OF their
legitimate story and the end of their very
iiiegitimate effort. Having crowded their
episodes and situations together in the
most unseemly haste they proceed to pad
out long periods preceding the renewal of
action in every scene with matter that is
utterly foreign to their central subject
ana as poorly connected as the family of
a Spanish pretender.
Miss Furniss and Mr.. Richardson plain
~ know how to write drama and have
SHOWN some very good motives and m tn
ods In A Colonial Girl" but always with
out exhibiting much behind them They
nave constructed framework, and then
tailed to put anything upon it excepting a
series OF incidents that are in no way orig
inai. dialogue that is stilted and iabored
and tale that is told without delicacy or
suggestion in the broadcast and most con-
ventional manner. Some of the affairs in
'icuuSSu arc dHiusiuS. anu at least of
the climaxes is well built and Thoroughly
effective, but the play as a whole is an
undoubted failure and cannot be described
in any other way
Mr.. Sothern has n role not unlike that
Which he essayed in THE Adventure of
Lady Ursula" and no more prominent. In
1t he appears to little advantage for while
he is less noisy than usual he reads his
lines utterly without regard for their finer
points and speaks his speeches blatantly
and boisterously. The star doss some emo
tional work of high grade in the inter-
view with his wife at the end of the sec
ond act. but this is about the ONLY credi-
table effort he makes
The cast takes its general tone from Mr.
Sothern. Arthur K. Lawrence is smooth
and finished in a heavy role but lacking
in emphasis, c. F. Flockton appears to ad-
vantage in small part, and Morton Sell
ten plays an idiot as one to the manner
born. Then Owen Fawcett is adequate as
an important servant, and Rowland Buck
stone is capital in a character delineation
while Marshall Stedman proves simply
ridiculous as the usual fop. Katherine F or
ence is simpering, but still partially ma
ural and effective in her labors opposite
the star Eleanor Carr makes rather
good villainess. and Rebecca Warren does
little with modified version of Shakes
peare's Catherine. "A Colonial Girl" will
be offered this afternoon and tonight.