Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-10-26
The Lafayette square.

The Bellows Stock Company will have an
opportunity of presenting decided novelty
Monday night, when Captain r. Marshall's
fantastic comedy. His Excellency the
Governor Will be presented for the first
time in Washington. Captain Marshall
was comparatively unknown as dramatic
writer four years ago, yet today his place
is among the foremost contributors to mod
ern stage literature. In addition to Hts
Excellency the Governor he has to his
credit 1.-THE Royal Family Second in
Command" and Prince Charlie" all of
which have achieved pronounced success.
His ExceIlency the Governor was first
produced in New York some three years
ago, and enjoyed run. extending over
more than a season, at one OF the most
prominent Broadway play houses. 1t was
afterward taken on tour of the principal
cities, where it duplicated it's metropolitan
success, but for soma reason Washington
was not included in the bookings. There
lore local players will have the Opportu-
nifty of seeing the home company In a pro-
duction entirely. new to Washington.
The author of His Excellency the Gov
ernor" himself describes the play as a
farcical romance. That description would
suggest something unique in comedy, and
to judge from what has already been writ
ten OF 1t the play is quite out of the or
binary.
Captain Marshall before becoming a pro-
fessional writer of plays was an English
army officer, and his writings all smack
OF certain military dash and sprightli-
ness. This element is not lacking IL His
EXcellency the Governor as mos IF the
male characters have the opportunity of
appearing in gay uniforms and gold lace.
The leading male character is an English
army officer acting as military governor of
an imaginary island, where, with his stall,
he is living a life of oriental luxury. The
monotony of the island life is only in .er-
rupted by the visit, on tour of,inspection,
of member of the British parliament ac-
companied by his daughter, and the ap-
| pearance on the island of a famous operate
singer on a tour of the world. A legend of
the island has 1t that the aloe trees, which
are numerous in the vicinity of the gov
ernors palace, bloom but once in a iun-
dred years, and when in blossom shed a
peculiar dust-like substance which has the
erect to make every human being with
which 1t comes in, contact fall desperately
| In love with some one. Around this rather
amusing idea the author is said to have
constructed series Of pretty love stories,
| in which delicate farce and romance is
rather cleverly intermingled. The scenes
selected for the action suggest good oppor-
tunltles for stage settings, a detail by the
by, which has much to do with the general
| excellence of the Lafayette performances.
The following is the 9mplete cast: His
Excellency Sir Montasd Martin G.CSI
White Whittleset; the Right Hon. Henry
| Carlton, MP, Frederic Sullivan Captain
Charles Carew, Ado, John T. Sullivan;
John BayerStock, private secretary, Harry
| Corson Clarke; Captain Rivers, Francis
Powers; Major Kildare, P. ]. Durgan; a
sentry, Harry c. Bradley; Groves, Herbert
w. Parker; clerk, jeremiah O'Connor; a
footman. George Kaufman; Mrs. Went
worth Bolingbroke, Grace Griswold; E.a i
Carlton, Antoinette Walker; Stella De Gex
Lillian Lawrence.