The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-12-09
|HFaTRIeal-0

| In the little space of one year Miss Ger
trude Coghlan's art has advanced a num-
Der Of steps. Those who saw her play the
part of Becky Sharp a year ago and
who saw her again in the same role last
night at the Metropolitan must have been
Impressed with this advance. And Miss
Coghlan deserves to be congratulated.
She has youth and she has beauty, I'M
usual beauty. So many actresses would
have been content with such generous
natural endowments. 1t is to Miss Cogfi-
lan's credit that she has not been so
content. A year ago she was an exceed
ingly pretty woman who uttered with
charming emphasis the worldly lines
Thackeray has put into the mouth of his
intensely Interesting feminine creation.
Seldom, however, were those lines con-
vincingly uttered. Not once, perhaps,
did she approach ones conception of the
character of Vanity Fairs brainy hero
inc. Last night, however, she was Becky
after fashion and a very interesting
fashion it was, even if one was always
perfectly sure that it was Thackerays
fashion. At least she presented to her
audience one conception of the character,
a clear cut, generous sized conception that
was, always impressive. AS played by
Miss Coghlan, Becky Sharp is gambler,
a daring but always level headed gamb er,
who permits herself no regret simply be-
cause she is uncapable of regret; who
plays always for high stakes and who,
in the end, proves herself a game loser.
1t is when the greatest display of heart
leSSneSS is called for that Miss Coghlan
is at her best. Her facial language is as
expressive as her voice and this is not
faint praise. In the scene with Lord
Steyne, the only really dramatic scene
in the play, Miss CoghIan is not entirely
convincing, but even in this scene her
acting is a great Improvement over that
of last year The gowns of the period
in which Becky Sharp lived serve admir-
ably to show off the lines of the actress,
svelte figure and their colors are won
drously becoming to her blonde loneliness.
Miss Coghlan is using the same version
of Vanity Fair that she used last year.
The play has some glazing faults, but 1t
is a playable play for all that. The play
wright has caught most successfully that
atmosphere of worldliness and sardonic
humor which both attracts and repels in
the book.
The support last night was fairly good.
One is glad to welcome back the same
Mrs. Major O'Dowd," who was with the
company last year. Miss May8Donohue
is the stage name of the actress who
plays the part and so excellent is her
Irish brogue and so convincing her
hearty Irish manner enc is compelled to
regret that she appears so brief time
on the stage. Charles Bertam was excel
lent as Rawden Crawley. James Cooper
presented with unusual skill the char:
actor of the cynical roue, Lord Styne.
Edward Locke's make up as Joseph Sed-
ley was excellent and his conception of the
role entirely satisfactory. Joseph F'itz-
patrick as Sir Pitt Crawley; Hammond
Daley as his son, Pitt; and Malcolm
Duncan as George Osborne are deserving
of special mention. The play is well stag
ed and the costumes are historically cor
rect.
Tonight and Wednesday night Miss
CoghIan will play "Colinette.'' Tuesday
night and Wednesday matinee Becky
Sharp" will be repeated.
j. M. Barrie's charming dramatization
of 1.-THE Little Minister finds adequate
treatment at the Grand this week. 1t is
a relief from the hodge podge of inflic-
tons of the past, a setting around which
the glamour of melodrama and the alb
surdity of tiresome rag time are over
Swallowed by wholesome merit.
sThe Little Minister" a charming story
of simple folk and village gossip, brings
back memories of Maud Adams and those
who shaped its destiny. The company at
the Grand this week, however, does not
suffer in comparison. 1t is entirely ade-
quate, it has balance and what is more,
merit.
In this mimic panorama of Scotch life,
ones first search is for the minister. He
and the Lady Babbie are the ones around
whom this quaintest and sweetest of
CT w or In, In vol M
both little is found to criticise. AS Gavin
Dishart, Horace Mitchell is more than
satisfying, while in Miss Frances Stevens,
the Lady Babbie, of Barrie's own crea-
ton, is most acceptable. AS minister and
man, Mr.. Mitchell Incorporates in both
the charm of book lore and naturalness,
while in Miss Stevens work there is a
depth of personality and healthful humor
that is charming. She is strong in the
dramatic, womanly in her weakness and
natural in her love for the little minister.
The picturesque characteristics of the
Thrums elders and the kirk of rural
Scotland is meritoriously and hunlor-
ously delineated by George Conway, j.
G. Carlyle, Howard Morgan and r. B.
Graham. The latter's work, particularly
the scene in which duty debates with love
and admiration for the village minister,
is most satisfactory. Physique and voice
acter.
Cecil livingstone, as Rob DOVE, is excel
lent, while in the work of Miss Mary
B. Henderson there is much to admire.
Her dialect is perfect and her portrayal
of the village gossip above criticism. The
remainder of the cast is all that could
be desired.
The scenic effects and stage settings
are thoroughly in sympathy with the
4, Il So \, -+n
Phil Sheridan's City Sports company
which opened at the Star yesterday, has
several strong features, and three Ct
them won about as vociferous encoreS
as have been heard at this amusement
resort this season. The opening is an
old-time farce which is very much Nc
Fadden's Flats, only it is not quite SO
yellow. 1t has warm finish, however,
which effaces the memory of its tedious
ness. The Speck brothers, two sawed-oH
comedians, have a boxing match that IS
lively and ludicrous. In the clio, John B.
Leonard and Susie Fulton have a do
nestle sketch in which some good char
acter work is done Jennie CROWN and
Edith Murray have a turn in which they
mix up acrobatic stunts with songs and
dances. None of their feats are wonder
full but the girls are lively and pretty
so it goes Walter Ardell, the musical
director of the company, with Itchy
Craig as an assistant, presents musical
turn with some real music, and Craig is
quite a capable comedian A skit depict
ing what occurred in a thirty minutes
stop of a vaudeville troupe at a country
hotel had some genuine fun in it, chiefly
furnished by Crissie Sheridan, who is
getting to be a little too stout for the
Amazon march. but is a success as an
impersonator of the popular idea of Mrs.
Carrie Nation. The basket ball feature
is retained this season and the girls play
for ten minutes as if really in earnest.