Evening star., 1901-10-22
AMUsEMENTs.

acter in one of Moliere's plays was greatly
astonished when his special course of cul-
ture, late in life, revealed to him the as
tonishing fact that there are only two kinds
of writing-poetry and prose. The theater-
goer of the current season awakens with
similar surprise to the fact that there are
but two kinds of dramatic Harry B.
Smith and the Clyde Fitch. Having Sc
lected prose for his domain Mr.. Fitch has
been wonderfully prolific He counts among
his achievements successes in the PASTORAL
comical historical-pastoral and all the rest
of it. But THE Climbers" in which an
excellent stock company opened week S
engagement at the New National Theater
last night, is in his especial fieId-the So
acknowledgement. In this play Mr..
Fitch depends, is his CUSTOM on his
revelations to the eager masses of the
important truth that many people who
wear good clothes and attend pink teas are
not happy in their domestic relations nor
secure in their finances. The title of the
play indicates its purpose picture of the
scramble for money and social position. 1t
contains several of the auda cious contrasts
of social gaiety and domestic calamity
which distinguish Mr.. Fitch's work The
author is not wholly pessimistic. The
heartlessness of some characters are fully
counterbalanced by the nobility and self
sacrifice of others. The interest depends
largely on the variety of complications in
the domestic relation which the play
wright's ingenuity can devise. 1t is an ad-
mirable piece for stock company, eSpe-
cjally so good stock company as that
with which Amelia Bingham has surround
ed herself. Robert Edeson plays the part
of the gentlemanly hero. who contrives to
be hero and gentleman still, although
in love with the wife of a boyhood friend,
with excellent judgment and convincing
fervor. Frank Workings individualisms
were not out of place in the character of
the husband. 1t is one of the most con-
spicuous parts in the piece. His confession
in absolute darkness after the gaiety of
Christmas party is a fine example Of the
manner In which a physical impression
may be made to reinforce the appeal to
the intelligence and emotions of an au-
dience Miss Bingham was we'll cast as
the wife who suffers and cings to the
moral coward who is her husband and
Madge Carr Cook, Minnie Dupree, Bijou
FERNANDEZ and Felix Gottschalk maintained
strong comedy element, which, without
being very brilliant in an epigrammatic
smartest of the smart. 1t is a finely pro-
duced and evenly acted play.
COLUMBIA THEATER.-"Lovers' Lane"
by clyde Fitch. made it's debue to a Wash
lngton audience at the Columbia last night.
The play is curiously reminiscent 1t
strikes s,Ir the auditor as combination of
minister is substituted for the school
teacher in Bret Hartes original. Most of
the interest and the action, too are made
to turn around Simplicity Johnson, the vii
lage hoyden. and lne Rev. Thomas Single
ton, city man who carries some very
broad religious ideas to his narrew-minded.
country charge His struggles with his
parishioners over these religious views and
over his favoritism for Simplicity johnson
and one or two other women in the PLAY
furnish the dramatic scaffolding to hang
on great deal of dialogue which is
sometimes prosy and sometimes almost
to produce an alleged picture of life in
a New England village, somewhat over
done topic
There is not much of what might be
termed plot to the play. 1t is more an
aggregation of incidents all working out
quite easily and naturally to a common fin
1sh rather than combination of incidents
all converging to a final climax. Two old
people, whom the dominic had taken under
his roof in charity, very naturally fall in
love and furnish an amusing picture of
ripe. mellow courtship. And this, according
to the playwright's view, does not differ
SO greatly from the usual portrayal of the
ardent wooing of youth Then there is a
half-inclined villain who drinks and whose
wife divorces him. He tries to marry a
sweet, unsuspecting young. girl, but the VII
lage preacher, to whom he applies to tie
the knot, refuses to perform the ceremony
for divorce. The. minister afterward
however, succeeds in concliating the hus-
band and wife and marries the sweet un-
suspecting girl himself. OF course all the
eligible spinsters of the village had all the
time had their beribboned caps set to catch
him, and when he finally eluded their Ge-
signs they quite naturally turned against
him, and one village belle even told him to
give back the slippers she gave him.
The company producing the play de-
serves nothing but praise. Mr.. Ernest
Hastings in the character of the preacher
always dangerous stage production-is
above the average. Millie James as Sim
pl1city. johnson, as remarked before is
strongly unmindful Of some of the best in
tati nf
who does Herbert Woodbridge, the halfway
villain, is quite impressive in the part.
Norah Samson, his wife in the pay, also
does very acceptable part. Charles K
&. Sanders as the manager of the village
opera house, Julien Barton as the deacon,
All do some very clever character sketch
ing. Miss Agnes Findlay as the minister's
and Blanche Hall as Mary
Larkin, who marries the minister, were es-
pecially good.
LAFAYETTE SQUARE ETHEATER.-"rhe
Little Minister needs no introduction to a
Washington audience. The wholesome and
refined entertainment which it affords is
always accorded hearty welcome and SUD-
port, and the large audience which greeted
the initial production of the week at the
Lafayette Square Opera House last night
was no exception to this rule The Bellows
STOCK Company, with John T. Sullivan in
the title role and Lillian Lawrence as .I,adv
Babbie,' gave rendition of the play which
left nothing to be desired. The graceful
acquisition of the Scotch dialect by eyerv
member of the company is Indicative of
the painstaking work which has been be-
slowed on the play in preparation, Both
Miss Lawrence and Mr. Sullivan have had
previous experience in their respective
roles. The former in Boston, with the Cas-
tie Square Company, and the latter in Den
yer. In quantity, Mr.. Sullivan seems to
have shrunk to fit this part and the excep-
tional quality of his work brought him I'm
to the full realization of Mr.. Barrie's crea-
tion. While perhaps Maud Adams was in
mind In connection with the versatile Bah
bic, Miss Lawrence entered into the part
with an intelligence and fitness which won
for her the just admiration of her auditors.
The opportunities which the play presents
for character acting were all improved.
The Dow family, with Charles Wyngate
as Rob Dow and Catherine Clinton as
Micah Dow" were successful in creating
for themselves a strong chord of sympathy,
Miss Clinton is one of the recent acuuisi-
tions to the company who is likely to
prove valuable. White Whittlesey, the
leading man, has to fit his large stature
into a small part. He will have an easy
week and lose none of his many admirers.
Both Harry Corson Clarke and Francis
Powers. the former as Lord Rntoul and
the latter as the stern chief elder of Gavin
Dishart's church. were most realistic in
their work. When the Little Minister