The Minneapolis journal., 1902-07-01
ADJUSTMENTS
The Frawleys In "The Sporting
.>-s Duchess" r.

s4-sS Duchess" =. -.
Those old danes of the Parcae family,
Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos, play sorry
tricks upon the characters of melodrama.
More often than not, Clotho holds her spin
die tiptilted. while Lachesis draws out the
thread In Gordian knots for Atropos to~clip
OH. And the clipping is always attended by
confusion worse confounded, as though the
third OF the family had waylaid Ganymede
on his return with the Olympian can from
Herr Bacchus'' place.. around the corner. The
characters lin The Sporting Duchess pre-
sent no exception to this rule, for the play
is conventional melodrama, ,unconventionally
presented; and its dramatis personae meet
with their full share Of rnisadventure :, :.
The Sporting 5 Duchess is an English
racing melodrama written, by Cecil Raleigh,
Henry Hamilton and Sir Augustus Harris.
Mr.. Raleigh. collaborating with another, was
responsible for Sporting Life originally
produced on this side by Jacob Lift, and the
two plays are not unlik ike. However, the
Duchess" makes fewer demands upon Gre
dulity. Its character types are better drawn
and It's dialogue Is immeasurably brighter
and more effective. - = ~-.~- - - .~r-
The duchess comes to US, not from Gros-
venor Square. but from Drury Lane. How
ever, there are duchesses in real life whose
antecedents will not bear a too close scrutiny,
and Nell Gwynne first attracted the atten-
tion OF: royalty while crying her oranges in
the less fashionable district. The duchess
herself is a likable old. lady, with money
enough to throw. a, socialist into frenzy, or
to turn Russell Sage greener than, his name
with envy. She bids. $125, 900 for a prospec-
tive derby winner. without losing: her COM
.posure; she loses the man she: had selected
for her husband with the calm Indifference
with which she might have paid a. guinea
wager, and it ts through her Vaccinations
that the -snarl-, of the fates is finally untan-
gled to the obvious discontinue of the viii
lain and the equally obvious delight Of the
audience.
The hero Of the naelodrama, SO far as it
may be said to have one. is the Earl of Des-
borough. The earl happens to be a gentle
man, although before his marriage, he had
not. scrupled to break the pardonable COM
mandment. This slip, however. is responsible
for all the misfortune that follows, for the
woman turns up and, aided by. the villain,
succeeds IL creating a temporary estrange-
ment between 'Desborough and his beautiful
but suspicious wife. Add to this the fact
that the villains chief end in life, is to pos
cess the countess and that he seeks to attain
his end through foreclosing- a. mortgage on
Desborough's racing stable, and you have the
plot in little All this IS commonplace, but
tts development tz7 not.s The plot Itself Is
old The manner If It's working out, Is noyeI.
Never done In Minneapolis until It's present
production by, the Frawley company, .'The
Sporting Duchess Is an admirable melodra-
ma, elaborately staged, we'll cast in the main,
and certainly worthy of patronage It Is the
most pretentious offering yet attempted here
by "a stock organization. ':%,' 4.
Frank Matthew is cast as Desborough The
role Is a difficult one, but Mr.. r.~Mathieu gives
2 manly, forceful impersonation of straight
forward English gentleman. His picture does
not get out of focus. 1t is not marred by
mawkishness. 1t is satisfactory. -:
Miss Mary Van 'Buren plays the adventu-
ress, a role such as she had never before un-
dertaken in Minneapolis, for the little French
milliner Of last week was innocuous indeed
when compared to Vivian Darville. She in
vests the Darville with ian air Of pseudo
refinement that robs the character Of vulgar
ity; and yet, dn some subtle fashion, she
never lets you forget that the woman is ot
the other half. It Is an excellent interpreta-
tion. and one that reflects great credit upon
Miss Van Burens versatility
Miss Marie Howe is the Sporting Ouch
ess," slangy. good -natured, likable. Miss
Howe has done nothing letter here since the
summer season opened. Alexander Kearney
contributes an excellent character sketch az
Joe Aylmer, an honest trainer Of race horses
and Edwin Holt gives an artistic portrayal
of Major Mostyn, the heavy Miss Eleanor
Gist is fitted neither by, temperament nor ex-
perience for emotional roles and is mis-cast
as the countess. Praiseworthy work Is done
by Jack Amory as DR.. streat1eld, Chauncey
Southern as a jockey, Miss Louise Compton
as Mary Aylmer and Miss Charlotte Parry as
Annette Donnelly. j. IS. Lawrence.
s