Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-03-18
1.-THE PRISONER
OF zENDA. "
WAS PRESENTED FOR THE FIRST
TIME IN BUTTE LAST
EVLNING

The dictum Of Rev. Brother Jasper
that the sun do move" is now COM
monty accepted by astronomers as one OF
the great facts of nature, though 1t Is
barely possible that the sun do not
move" exactly in the way Brother Jas
per thought it did. AS regards the earth
as a base, the people on it's surface have
j lively way of skipping about that
leaves no doubt about their ability to
keep off the grass" and in this connec-
ton it might be appropriately mentioned
that the tastes of the great mass OF the
thinking people change as we'll. Espe-
cially is this true Of the novel-readlng |
and the theatersoing part of the public. |
I Where not many years ago the didactlc
novel was all the rage, to-day it is the
novel of pure romance that carries the
reader along blithely through the field
of imagination with the keenest pleasure.
Thus the law of evolution is again evil
/ denced and those who wish to be fash
! ionabe will please fall in line. If one
wishes to be very up-to-date. one must
| express a decided preference for the
books of romance dealing with medieval
| period or a later period, the events of
| which are closely allied with those of
the medieval or postmedieval period.
| OF the authors whose pens have pro-
duced the best Of this late literature
of romance may be mentioned Hope,
Barr, Doyle and Weyman. Hope is I'M
| questionably deemed the best of these
authors, for. writer. he possesses not
only q peculiar grace and ease in writ
ing. the power of imparting a charm to
his pen product which holds the rapt
attention of the reader. but his novels
are generally a series of climaxes which
a. ia machining tn q
| close.
His greatest work is admitted to be
"The Prisoner of Zenda." and, be it said
to the credit of the dramatist, the tale
has lost little Of it's strength or beauty
by dramatiZatio For the first time in
Butte The Prisoner of Zenda" was seen
last evening at the Grand, being played
to large, fashionable and appreciative
audience. q
| The company is strong and we'll bal
anced OF course, there are exceptions
there generally are in companies of ev-
cry description, .ut none of the east in
this instance is so weak as to deserve
to figure in the handwriting on the wall
unless it is the gentleman who figures
H as Rupert of Hentzau. To do justice to
the original character, as invented by
Hope, Rupert should be portrayed as a
3
rosuery possessing an air of bonhommie
in a crisis, exciting admiration even in
his law breaking-in fact, at once an Iago
and Falstaff.
Vaughan Glaser who appears in the
dual role of Rudolf of Elphberg and the
; king of Ruritania, holds the mirror close
to Hopes conception. giving to the part
dignity expected in a king and the
pardnnable cOnceit of a talented and re-
spectacle adventurer. Mr.. Chaser would
, also do himself proud on the vaudeville
stage as lightning change artist" and
is evidently young man of ability be-
fore whom there lies bright future in
the world of actor folk.
AS Flavia Miss Ruth Aldrdce is
worthy of all the praise which has beer
bestowed on her. even by that versatile
genius. the advance agent. A failure
to hold up her end of the histronic bean
would render the whole performance
mediocre, but there is no failure record
: ed. Miss Aldridse makes a few minol
: slips that jars slightly on the ear o
the ortheopist such sounding the ct
), in often and giving the go peculia
: burning sound in Rudolf but after a,
e experience of a year or two with tn
quillsmen of the daily press she will sur
d mount these difficulties. When she say
what kind of a. she probably follow
copy. as a Mergenthaler operator woul
put it. but the use of the indefinite articl
II in this connection should be ascribed t
: me dramatist and not to Hope.
g Charles Brandt, as Colonel Sapt prove
: a most interesting character. He com
?" hines gruffness with homeIy wit in
Z | style indicative of true genius and hi
;. : acting was frequently applauded.
II ! Cecil Owen took the roll of Blac
l. Michael in very creditable fashion Mis-
, | Helen Strickland, Antoinette, did
~ I clever piece of acting. Her soliloau
;. on the emotions with which loving We
"a man struggles when she knows that tn
:. man of her heart is false to her, wa
p" masterful bit of work.
Performances of The Prisoner of Ter
. da" will occur this evening and to-mol
. row evening.
= Uncle Toms Cabin" was played to
~ fairsized audience last evening at Su
"a tons theater by the Edward F.. Dav
"a company. The emery was In coed sha,
9 and the horses and dogs were all pre-
'. ent, though the accident west OF Mi: