The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-10-14
II tie Oheot1es

| Miss Simplicity grows on you as she
1 trips her way through the two acts OF
| tho piece. AT first YOU are not alto
] gether favorably impressed with the ope-
ratio comedy. You say there isn't any
| thing to it, and You are about right
] You feel sorry for Frank Daniels. who
i has to work hard for every laugh he
| gets, for the laughs are not in the lines,
i and therefore the whole burden is upon
/ the comedian. Daniels and the chorus
1 of pretty girls carry the first act to a
successful termination, despite the ma
teriaI furnished them by the man who
| wrote the book 1t is case of hard work
upon the part Of the comedian and clever
staging on the part of the man who
put on the piece.
In the second act, however. some really
good lines and some really catchy MI
sic make their appearance. and the piece
then goes Inerrily on to the end.
The 'spook song" in this act was
probably the best thing in the piece. It
received several encores.
The company was not especially strong,
but there were all OF the essentials OF
an operate comedy, and the performance
was quite pleasing There will be matt
nee and night performance to-day.
Not Guilty. described as a melo-
dramatic comedy, scored an instan-
taneous Bijou success last night at it's
first presentation here Not Guilty IS
superbly cast,#$the work OF M. A. H.
West, as Tom Daley. being exception
ally clever. and the work Of the other
members Of the comedy above the ave-
rage.
Not Guilty is the type OF play
which permits Of great character draw
ings, and these opportunities are all
taken advantage Of to the full by the
company. It tells a story of love and
persecution. the work of a villain. and
the well-directed efforts Of a detective
to rehabilitate a mans reputation
The comedy is clean and Wholesome
and frequent. and altogether the play
NAV be said to be one of the most efec-
tive the Bijou has ever shown.
There will be matinee this afternoon
and a special matinee on Wednesday at
ternoon. the company closing on Weu-
nesday night
Lord Strathmore." to be seen at the
Academy tomorrow, matinee ana nlsnl'
is essentially a. drama which appeals TO
both sexes equally. For the matinee girl,
however, it is exceptionally strong. The
character of Lady Vavasour shows In
such a forcible as we'll as delicate way
the dominant power of the beautiful and
ambitious woman over the opposite sex.
How that for love the man Will give up
all ambition for political life or business
life to be near the woman he loves and
worships How that the woman can
make or mar the future life. happiness
and business interest Of her adnirer at
viii. The part of Lord Strathmore illus
trates the intense feeling of the cold and
cynical man of the world against all
womankind. which is gradually thawed.
twisted and moulded into shape by the
one woman who finally becomes to him
everything in life. But when this love.
respect and devotion is turned to hatred
by the ambition of the woman to domf-
nate and bring under her sway all man
kind for the love- of adnli1ta lion and
power and causes Lord Strathmore to
s'ay her best friend. revenge steps in and
displaces all such feelings, and trans
forms a being who could have been one
Of natures noblemen into a fiend for re-
venge, thus appealing to either sex in
more than one way. This has become
one of the strongest matinee plays in
America
Sardou's great drama. ''T1leodora.'' will
be presented at the Bijou the last three
nights of this week by the Baltimore sec
ton of Mr.. George Fawcett's Stock Com
pany. This company. is headed by Miss
Mary Shaw, an actress of great talents
and striking personality, who will un-s
doubtedly repeat in Richmond the impress
sion she has already made in Baltimore
Her performance of Sardou's tragic he
rome the Empress Theodore, has been
pronounced very fine.
The part Is that Of a fendish woman
who rises from the gutter to rule the
world But with all her power she can
not win the love Of the only man on
earth for whom she cares.
The company includes a number OF very
clever players, among them George Faw-
cett, who makes his first appearance In
Richmond this season; Frederick G.
Lewis and Miss Jane Oaker.
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