The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-10-20
SPORTING LIFE"

The chief defect in Sporting Life" is
the unfinished feeling the last act leaves
with the audience. Otherwise it is a
fairly entertaining play with conven-
tional plot and stacks of beautiful
scenery.
And the numerous and varied roles
are interpreted with some degree of
skill The first act is a sort of recep-
ton held in the training stables of Lord
Woodstock, the hero of the play, where
all the principal characters are intro
duced and made to say something more
or less pertinent to the plot and dis
close their individual dispositions, so
there will be no mistake by the audi
ence. The other four acts are con-
cerned with the loss and recovery of
| Lord Woodstocks fortune.
! Lord Woodstock Is 'plunger," and
/ during the early part of the play loses
continually, but has hopes to redeem
himself by means of his horse Lady
Love" and the prowess of young Joe
Lee, In the meantime he falls in love
with Nora Cavanagh, the daughter of
MS trainer. Malet De Carteret, a finan-
cier. has backed another horse to win.
and uses all his power, together with
that of his INSCRIPTIONS wife, to pre-
vent Lady Loves winning Mrs De
Carteret has ensnared into the meshes
of her diabolical beauty Philip Cava-
nagh, the brother of Nora. Philip
FORCES a bill with Lord Woodstocks
name for her sake and she refuses to
acknowledge it. Philip is called to time
by Isadore Andread and just as he is
about to be accused of forgery Lord
Woodstock claims the signature to be
genuine, and meets the bill and several
others due by pledging Lady Love" to
the money lender. BY this he forfeits
his ancestral home, over which there is
a mortgage, and IS left penniless. An
dread, however. does not allow the
horse to leave its stables, and backs
him to win at the Derby. Lord Wood
stock calls on Olive De Carteret and
commands her TO give up her hold on
Philip, which she does not wish to do
Philip, who is hid behind the curtain
oYerhears the conversation, and when
| Woodstock leaves, strangles Mrs. De
! Carteret In the last act he makes a
full confession and commits suicide
Lady Love" wins the Derby and Lord
| Woodstocks fortune is redeemed.
| The role of Lord Woodstock is in the
able hands of Joseph Kilgour. who
makes typical English sporting man,
who considers his honor before riches
and takes his misfortune with unusual
philosophy. Frazier Coulter is the man
on whom falls the part of Malet De Car
! teret, and he is a pretty good villain.
who feels a qualm of conscience at con-
nlVing at the murder of Woodstock.
Charles f, Gotthold as Philip Caya-
nagh has the most difficult male role in
the piece and does not overdo his part
more than necessary. Miss Elita Proc
| tor Otis as Olive De Carteret wears
some very handsome gowns and runs to
turquoise as jewels, but sustains her
character well, and it is hard to believe
her agony unreal when she is being
strangled by the man she has BETRAYED
FRANCES Stevens as Nora Cavanagh and
Adelaide Warren as Kitty Cavanagh
are both very good. The "supes" also
did much toward making the play a
success, though the dress suits and ton
hats sat awkwardly upon some of them.
AS for the dumb players, Lady Love"
and her two equine companions, they
blink at the footlights and seem to
wonder what's the use.