The age-herald., 1900-02-10
~THE PLAYN

One of the most artistic performances ever witnessed by Birmingham audience was the presentatio last night at O Brien' s opera house of Thomas charming comedy, "Oliver Goldsmith" by Stuart Robson and his splendid company.
 The play itself is ingenious and original, savoring strongly of the literary life from which it is drawn, and with which the reading public is so familiar. To see Gold smith, Dr. Johnson, David Garrick and Ed mund Burke living and breathing, is to re- call most fascinating period of modern English history. The author has displayed great ingenuity tn developing a romance sparkling with wit and hunor amid this ar ray of stafd historic characters. In doing this he has drawn upon dramatic license, carefully preserving, however, sufficiency of history to blend the whole into a most fascinating and interesting story.
 : The plot deals with Goldsmith's love for Mary Horneck, "The Jessamy Bride," and the story is told in three acts.
 The first occurs In MT. Fea therstone's house at Blackiheath, where the characters are introduced. All the personages of the play except MT. Goldsmith are members of this jovial house party, and he presently knocks at the door under the supposition that the place is an inn. He is humored in this error for some fime, and when the mistake is cleared up the situation strikes him as one suited to comedy. This, as all readers of the drama will remember, is the motive of "She Stoops to Conquer" the inspiration of which is thus cleverly intro duced.
 The next act occurs on the stage of the Covent Garden uheater, when this comedy is in re'hearsa and the well ll-known fact is .e1,,.. alenily opposed Manager Coleman and iothers believing that the play possessed no .Value, and was doomed to absolute failure This scene permits some of those amusing edneidents of rehearsal always relished by ran-audience, however objectionable they smay be. on the ground that they are likely to create a sense of disallusionment which is not advan ta geous to the theater. In this instance :he eXigencies of the rehearsal carry Dr. Goldsmith and David Garrick in- to the audience. both of them walking down the aisle at one time, a rather daring innovation for which strict dramatic pro- Vpriety offers no justification.
 The third act dscloses Goldsmth's gar i.ret in Pinch Lane, where the novelist is produced to absolute want. Incidents are introduced of such a nature as to exhibit E his kindess and generosity even while dis D tressed by the presence of bailiffs but the reaction occurs with the arrival of his ladylove, Mary Horneck.
 The other characters, of which there are many, are cleverly interwoven in the story each filling a part admirably suited to its complete telling and impressing the sem timent and excentrcities of the times from which it is taken
 In the title role MT. Robson displayed that sincerity and earnestness which has made him one of the great interpreters of dramatic art. He plays the part with all the earnestness of student and seeks ito portray the real character as developed by the author rather than a "strikingly original" Interpretation of his own. In presenting this spledid comedy Mr Rob-