The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-28
Rt The 5heaters.

capitol Comedy has been cut to fit Tim
Murphy-or is it Mr.. Timothy Murphi?-
without a. wrinkle And it is just this
| perfect fit of the principal character to
the principal actor that makes the COM
edy an interesting one. For in Cap
ltel Comedy Paul Wilstach has not writ
ten great play. But he has written
an emlnently playable play and one that
Kept the audience Ct the Metropolitan
theater last night in a quiet chuckle
from the moment the curtain went up
until it fell on one of those ''everyb body
happy cGmaxes that please audiences
and defy fate
Joel Gray. the hero, halls from the
West-from Minneapolis, if you please
but the character is evidently not in
tended to portray a Western type es-
pecially. In fact, Gay could not be class
ed as type at all unless an accent can
represent type. He is lovably eccentric
and eccentricity belongs as much to Bos-
ton as to Minneapolis. A. man with a
mllnon-doIars-and-a -girl interest in
d Dill before congress-a loyal man
who puts the girl always before the mil
Hon-ls MT Cay, Mr.. Wilstach has sur
rounded his character with distinctly
Wash1ngtoniap atmosphere that in itself
atoneS for the weak spots in the play.
But those weak spots are not so numer-
Gus. One only wishes that a stronger,
a more convincing climax had been work
ed up in the third act Mr.. Murphy as
Mr.. Gay is most delightful character.
Somehow Mr.. Murphy's characteriza-
lions have always a distinctly Dicken-
sonian flavor. They are quaint and low
able with little oddities here and there
that make them remembered and all the
pettef loved. The actor seldom allows his
audience to become serious but it always
laughs with him, not at him. Last night
IL insisted upon his coming before the
curtain to make a speech. and the neat
little story that Mr.. Murphy told in re-
Spouse compelled one to forgive this
crude breaking in upon the play Only
one fault could be found with the play
er last night-that was his tendency to
humble. 1t must have been extremely
difficult for those in the rear of the house
to hear everything that he said
Mr.. Murphy's support is very good 1t
comprises nearly all the people who were
with him last season. Dorothy Sherrod,
as Louise Dinsmere, was charmingIy
natural. George Oliver Morris was sat
isfactory as Senator Dinsmore. Mrs Au-
hrey Powell was excellent as the sympa-
thetic landlady, Mrs. Mason. A. j. Crit
fin, as John Paslowe, did some good char
acter work. Lillian Avann and J. H.
Montgomery played. very well the part
of the juvenile lovers. The remainder
of the cast was adequate.
"a Capitol Comedy will be repeated
the first half of the week with Wednes-
day matinee.
Posey county, Ind, the home of hoop
poles and mammoth pumpkins, in the
language of the humorist, yet withaI
the most progressive of the subdivisions
that go to make up the great Hoosier
q a firm jC11h hon
than one of the great army of pastoral
productions and rural comedies that en-
cumber the stage today, but it has only
produced one isis Hopkins -
1t was Rose Melville that furnished
the characterization, and, though nearly
half decade has passed into history
since she gave the absurdity creation,
it still continues to attract and the
quaint humorous lines interest and
amuse. Miss3zMeIvi1le is a star now,
though still linked to the uncouth and
clumsy character to which she first gave
life, and in this capacity she was greet
ed by one of, the largest houses of the
season at the Grand last night.
Sis Hopkins" first an interesting and
amusing character in the makeup of
a very ordinary drama, is now role
around whichiH has been woven a. play
of human interest interspersed with the
comicalities of country life. Sis Hopkins
here monopolizes The stage, where she
is the. center eof interest, and probably
it is for the best, for the company that
aids her in its delineation has much that
is hopelessly mediocre.
Commencement day at the Peekover
seminary, Terre Haute, one of the scenes
in the second act, furnished vehicle
for number! of ispecialties. prominent
among which is a vocal solo by Catherine
Camp, and a trio by Miss Mabe1Ie Baker,
Belle Miller and Catherine Camp. Re-
peated encores greeted them.
Steward William Murray, an Indiana
product, in the role of aspirant for the
position of village undertaken, and Mrs.
Mabelle Baker, as Ma Hopkins, furnished
much of the humori of the play.
''The Jolly Grass Widows began the
week at the Star with two good houses
yesterday afternoon and evening. The
widows attempt to divorce dull care
from the patrons of this theater are sue
cessful, as the piece averages very well.
The opening and closing skits, zone
Night and Gone" and Are You an
Eagle are entirely devoid of anything
which will produce a wrinkle above the
eyes. The olio is strong and there are ore
or two features entirely new.
Paulo and Dika have been seen here
before, but they are as good as new
Mile. Dfka, petite and artistic. as ever,
the essence of grace, sings a few French
''piquant ditties,' which to quote the pro-
gramme, "are delghting the volatile
Partisan Boulevardieries Mile. Dika can
sing an American song with a spirit that
could be emulated profitably by some of
her confreres
The sketch, ''On Duty" is refreshingly
new and is produced by Mackie and
Walker. 1t consists of three songs il
Illustrated with the aid of the chorus and
special scenery. The first is the night
patrol, which pictures the policemans
lot which is not a happy" The second,
"Our Noble Engineers depicting the
life of the railroad man with clever
electrical scenic background, and the
third, "Our Gallant -Men-of-War." In the
last the portraits of a number of heroes
from Lincoln to- Mckinley were display
ed. It there are many men in the city
who think that ySampson is one of them,
they were not at the Star yesterday,
for the admiralss picture was roundly
Kissed, while that of Admiral Schley was
just as roundly sapplauded. The Wang
Doodle Comedy Four made decided
hit. Harvey and Moore as the Sport
and the Hebrew, " anu Montague and
West, in MUSICAL sketch. shared the
applause. Chris lane helped some
sized lin