New-York tribune., 1902-03-19

Leonard Boyne plays the part of the happy go
lucky resourceful Irishman with genuine comic
spirit and fine variety, and provides much in
nocent diversion and boisterous merriment that
the audience is prepared to accept the serious
and narrowing numbers which in reserve.
one OF these is Heard at the Telephone" a
translation of "Au Telephone" by NM. De
Lorde and Foley an ingenious French melo-
drama, in which a powerful dramatic effect is
produced by simple means. In the first scene
Andre Marex' parts from wife and child to
spend a night in Paris, leaving them in a lonely
house under the charge of servant and
A governess. Before the curtain falls a muir
derous tramp has appeared at the window and
taken away a loaded revolver fro mthe desk;
the man servant has been decoyed from the
house and the women have been thrown into
panic fear by the barking of dogs and mys-
terious noises outside their room. The second
scene reveals the husband at the house of his
friends in Paris and leaves him at the tele-
phone, where. after attempting TO reassure his
wife. he hears the dying groans when the house
has been entered and she has been murdered.
The powerful acting of Mr.. Charles Warner
renders this painful melodrama most effective
The ingenuity of the playwrghts lies in leading
the way up TO the murder in the first scene, so
that the story can be told with full realism by
the distracted husband. with his ear at the tele-
phone,
The problem play. Caesars Wife is an Eng
lish adaptation Of NJ. Paul Hervieu's LEng-
me-" with alterations enforced by the censor.
1t is designed to illustrate the draconian sever
ity of jealous French husbands in furnishing
their wives with death when there is ground for
suspecting unfathfulness. and indirectly 10 oil
lutte bloodthirstness with sentimental rose
water. I suspect that the play has been dam
IL, nIcT1V
ton 10 the quaIms Of the censor; but certainly
in its present form il is not a wholesome source
Of entertainment for an English audience. There
are two husbands engrossed as sportsmen with
the pleasures of hunting and living in a secluded
chateau; two beautiful wives. one impulsive and
petulant. and the other silent and demure; and
two guests. a lover of one Of the wives, and
the other n elderly mentor. who has discovered
that something is going wrong, and is bent first
upon sending the intruder away. and secondly,
upon tempering justice with mercy. The mNs-
terry of the play lies in the identification OF the
guilty wife. which is effected through passion
ate outburst Of grief from the demure Leonore
when the gamekeeper reports that the lover has
shot himself The secret is not well kept from
the audience since the Identification Of the
faithless wife is the simplest Of inferenceS from
the outset; and while the second act is strongly
emotional and dramatic. there is no ethical jus
tification for the presentation of an unwhole-
some theme. This is unfortunate, for the act
ing is remarkably good. Miss Fay Davis and
Miss Lena Ashwell the innocent and guilty
wives rival each other in brilliant work; Mr..
Charles Warner and Mr.. Charles Fulton are
equally strong as the pair Of Nimrods; Mr..
Leonard Boyne plays with effective selt-restraint
as the lover without a love scene, and Mr.. Fred
Kerr is at his best.in makeup, voice and man
ner as the amiable mentor.
The same line of comment may be followed
with reference TO the new play at the Prince
of Waless Theatre. "A Country Mouse is an
extremely cynical study of social life with the
broad effects of old English comedy of the less
reputable class, and with innocent country
est and most INSCRIPTIONS plotter Of a scan
dalous circle. The success of Becky sharp
probabl inspired this theme of social adventure
and cynical immortality; but "A Country Mouse
is not a wholesome substitute for Thackerays
satire The play is enacted with such vivacity
and charm that it is likely TO succeed in spite
Of its obvious faults. Miss Annie Hughes is de-
IightfuIly fresh and resourceful in her work;
Miss Granville is perfectly equipped for her
part and Mrs Brooke acts with odtime comic
spirit Mr.. Somerset Mr.. Gerald du Maurier,
Mr. Aubrey Fitzgerald and the other members
OF the company are we'll suited for their parts,
and the play goes merrily from beginning TO
end Mr. Hawtrey is 10 reappear at this theatre
when he returns from America so that the new
piece. with its suggestions of the playwright
ing of the Restoration period, is not destined
for a long career. l. n +.