The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-12-26
CHRISTMAS AT THEATRES.
Good Attractions Given at Both
Houses.


Charles B. Hanford, and his wife, who
by spelling her husbands name back
wards, has originated the stage name of
Marie Drofnah, are giving some re-
markedly creditable productions OF
Shakespearean plays this season. At the
Crawford they played to a good house at
both afternoon and evening of Christ
mas day, the matinee bill being The
Tanning of the Shrew." with a curtain
raiser called THE Old Guard" and the
evening being Much Ado About Moth
ing"
Hanford is not a stranger to Topeks
audiences In Shakespearean work. With
Kathryn Kidder and Louis James he
once played THE Winters Tale" The
next season he was "Iago'' in the
Tyler Mclean Hanford production Of
"Othello," and Antonio in the 'Mer-
chant of Venice" Next he came to To-
peka in Private John Allen Last sea-
son, with Helen Grantley for his leading
woman, he played THE Tanning of the
Shrew" and THE Old Guard
Marie Drofnah is a much better lead
ing woman than Helen Grantley- The
change has strengthened the company
Last year Hanford did not own the
production, and the man who did select.
ed his wife for the leading woman in
stead of Hanford's.
The Old Guard'' is an episode of the
battle of Waterloo. There are five peO-
pie in the cast. and it gave Hanford "a
chance to show to one audience his re-
the feeble old veteran "Haversack" to
the youthful and impulsive '-Petruchio"
in the Shakespearean comedy. Miss
Drofnah played katherine" the shrCw-
ish heroine of the latter. to the entire
satisfaction of the audience. Her style
of acting is admirably suited to the
role
In the evening, Hanford was "Bene-
dict" to Miss Drofnah's "Bea trice." In
the first part of the play especially is
Mr.. Hanford's acting to be commended.
Miss Drofnah's strongest acting. on the
other hand was in the latter part of the
play The scene in which beatrice
raves in anger over the undoing of her
cousin Hero" by the suspicious
Claudio" was an opportunity for a tri-
umph which Miss Drofnah did not let
slip.
Sharing the honors with Miss Drofnah
was Rose Curry in the role of Hero"
Miss Curry is very pretty, and she can
also act. In the marriage scene she was
very strong, and won the sympathy and
favor of the audience. Ferd Hight as
"Dogberry" was excellent, and Robert
Lee Allen made the most of the minor
role of ''Verges." The rest of the cast
was sufficiently strong to sustain the
work of the stars, but did not in the
least endanger them from eclipse.
The plays were fairly well staged, and
the coStuming was all that could be
asked, Miss Drofnah's gowns sent the
women of the audience into ecstacies.
1.-THE Power Behind the Throne the
romantic drama given before two fair
sized audiences at the Grand yesterday,
is we'll worth the money-to any one who
likes the romantic drama Also to the
person who had fur overcoat and wore
1t during the performance. Right here
is good place to wonder why the Grand
was not used as a cold storage plant in
stead of theater. At the night perform
ance of THE Power Behind the Throne"
the audience either put on its overcoat
walked ont into the a lively
balmy air on the street.
Katherine Willard who plays Aria"
the leading part of the drama, got as
much out of the part, which is an emo
tional one, as any one could without
OVERRIDING 1t. She succeeded Mildred
Holland in the star part The play itself
is not to be compared with Prisoner of
Zenda" or Rupert of Hentzau," but it is
well staged, elegantly costumed and cor
rectly played by a competent company.
There is no doubling of characters. In
the third act a ball room scene, half
dozen extra ladies, who haven't a line
to say, and appear In no other act, are
introduced. Richard Nesmith, who plays
the part of the villain, is one of the best
Interpreters of the smooth" villain part
ever seen in Topeka. His facial express
sion is perfect The sanctimonious look
which he put on is like a thin veil which
shows the crafty rascal beneath. Wright
Lorrimer. the Baron Ronald and hero
of the cast, is a good actor, but he paints
an otherwise good looking face into a
semblance of an old time chrome Last
night he wore paint enough to have eff
fectually disguised the entire company
Many of the spectators objected to the
way the play closed. At the end of the
last act the hero and heroine each take
a drink of alleged poison and die to slow
music. This would be a good place to
drop the curtain and let the ladies OF the
audience weep a few lines over the In
justice of fate. but a servant rushes in
and explains that they were not dead,
but sleeping, as he had secured a sleeping
draught instead of the poison his mas
ter had ordered him to bring