The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-02-22
in THE PLAY HOUSES.
DigbY Bells New Play.

Digby Bell would always be greeted
with n great house if he simply an
nounced himself as the sole performer
in a pantomime, and although now
Laura Joyce Bells big contralto voice
is seldom heard In song, and both seem
to have abjured opera, i'm which they
were such favorites, their popularity in
less musical roles does not wane.
Mrs. Frances Hodgson Burnett has
been phenomenally successful i'm her
dramatic work and this latest effort
will add new laurels to her crown. 1t
is utterly unlike the impossible Lady
of Quality" and partakes of the grace
and fresh natural undercurrent of SEN
timent that pervades "Esmeralda." 1t
is a play that contains many of the
elements and hold the hearts of the
people as have THE Old Homestead"
and "The Little Minister" There are
certain portions which would bear cut
ting, but as a whole the production Is
most satisfactory.
The plot is one that William Black
touched upon in one of his latest nov
els, when he made the daughter of
horse jockey and a trainer the central
figure in story where the fathers
past from the girl formed many dra-
matte scenes.
In Mrs Burnett's play Joe Hurst is
an uneducated proprietor Of a wax
works show whose fair daughter has
been all her life in a fashionable Paris
ian school, never having seen her
father and believing him to be gentle
man. When she comes home she takes
him for an upper servant, and the
heart-sore old man. to save her feel
ings and her happiness. determines to
carry out the Illusion and by the aid
of his old friend, Mrs Bonney. to allow
her to know him only i'm his menial
capacity She has become engaged to
younger son of a nObleman and the
situation is complicated by the disap-
p"arance of his mother, Lady Mon
tanbyn, who believes the cirl's origin
to be common and endeavors to dis
cover the secret. 4 visiting hairdrCsser
tells her the truth. that the serving
man is Linda Hursts father, and the
naughty woman proceeds to make it
unpleasant for all parties. accusing the
girl of being in the plot to deceive her
son. In the meantime. Joe determines
to go away and thus save his child
from the misery of the shame which
must be hers. The curtain falls on the
second when the girl, weeping, declares
to her lover and his scornful mother
that neither she nor one of the others
is worthy to touch her fathers shoes
that he is the tenderest nOblcst, truest
soul in the world
AS a result, She runs away, too. and
iinds her father in the ante-room Of
the wax works show. after he has had
an unpleasant scene with Lady Mon
tanbyn. The abstraction of papers
from that ladvs desk enter into the
plot, as they are i'm Joe Hursts pos
session. Everything. however disen-
tanglcs itself, as the girl tells him she
| does not want to be a lady but her
dear fathers daughter, and the play
closes with a reconciliation all round
y wax works figure OF Richard Coeur
de Lion in armor is prominent fea-
ture in te play and affords delicate
bit of sentiment in it's course.
Digby Bell in the role of the ignorant
old man, with his hopeless cockney ac-
cent, his utter ignorance of other life
than that of his vulgar calling and his
pathetic devotion to his daughter. gives
mingled with the comedian opportun-
ites afford him a scope hitherto un-
appropriated in his stage career.
Laura Joyce Bell has an interesting
part which she takes well in the char
acter of Mrs. BOnncy. The honors of
the play are strongly contested with
Miss Louise Riel as Lady Montanbyn,
who assumes a difficult role with rare
talent.
Miss Carrie Keller is a pretty and
graceful Linda Hurst, whose best work
comes out in the last act. The best
comedy i'm the production is done by
| Edward de Wade as Jakes. Mr.. Ions
dale is a handsome, if rather STACEY,
lover and Mr.. Charles Dibden Pitt is
clever as the somewhat remarkable
hairdresser. Others who make up the
clever cast are Miss Margaret Cowen,
Messrs. Deltwyn. Favor, Robinson and
| White.