The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-05-27
ADJUSTMENTS
The Frawleys in Smoother officers,

. *All's fair in love andslwar' men say, and
they lie when they say it, Thus Leo Ire
yor has made an epigram of the keynote Of
his comedy, Brother officers, :" with which
Daniel Frawley and hts excellent company
has opened the summer season at the Metro
rolitan. The play wa swrit tenaby an Eng
lishman for and about ENG lshnen. Never
theless, it has lost little through being
transplanted to Cis-At1antic SOIL
However entertaining the opening bill of a
stock season. may proys 1T is important chief
~ in that IT. serves, h1 racing parance, to
ances., 1t, isssthe. .trying out, the meter by
which q eonpany isaaaged and as first i'm
pressions are alWass Important much de-
ponds upon this opening play. Fortunately
Brother Officers has, been tried and found
1 satisfactory "A novelty to MINNEAPOLIS, the
play was *reefeyed with every expression of
\ approval sby last nights audience.
{ IN sall. justice it may be said that the
Fpawley company is enc Of. the best stock
organizations thatshas appeared in Minneapo-
lis within the past decade. The artistic sue
cess of the enga cement is assured. Its inan-
ciaf success should follow. Il In recalling pre-
vious stock season but<one company suggests
itself, as worthy Of comparison with the pres
emit organization. In & that company were
Kent, James Wilson, Robert Drouet, John B.
Maher, Mary Hampton and the Bancke sis
ters
We. had a taste of the Frawley company S
ability for a brief space lin the regular sea-
son, but since then Edwin Holt and Miss
May Buckley have joined its forces. Both
are mumrners of worthy reputation, and both
are highly regarded locally for their work
IN previous engagements. E.,:s5& z.-5s Isl,
But, to return to our mutton. Brother
/ Officers is a comedy Of men and manners
as they exist in one Of the crack English
regiments. It's characters are army officers
and their friends. Itss locale is the tight
little island" Its plot is clean and interest
ing, though effective rather because of its
treatment than for it's novelty. 1t teaches
no lesson, but simply reiterates the old no.
ton that there exists, after all, a subtle dis
tinction between one of Natures noblemen
and gentleman. Perhaps this point. will
appeal less strongly to an American than to
| an English audience, which has been taught
to- realize that 1t is not always sufficient to
be born with silver spoon in your mouth
| unless that spoon also bears a. crest. How
| ever, the idea is not too obtrusive. and II
cannot edetract from the Interest even Of the
| man who regards class distinction as rather
silly. " =: * s = ::
In Brother. Oficers,,'ss Mr.. Trevor .hae
idrawna'a man who. spraug II as he himself sad
snnfts, from the gutter, He has shown III
that man upon the day Ne receives aeon.
mission in the British army for conspicuous
gallantTy. Awkward. UNIV erseds in the usagei
| of polite society, committing gaucherfes a
every turn, John Kinds hews hissway through
the first act byH sheer force of character, 6
dominating figure, despite his disadvantages
! Then the playwright shows us the growth
Of the man; his slow acquiring of polish, hi
| Inherent nobility and finally his self-sacri
| flee for his friend, to whom he relinquishei
| the woman he loves with only momentar!
hesitation regarding the course he shoult
pursue. 1t is an interesting study, this char
!. acter sketch, as Mr.. Frawley presents it
an excellent realization of the man who wa
! straight as gun barrel and true as steel,
i but yet, not quite gentleman.
| The fother characters are likewise wei
Idrawn II The part of Iieutenant Pleyden
Hind s friend, though scarcely a gracious one
has been we'll thought out and, even through
4 its weakness retains, In al measure our: sym
! pathies Plevdell was a weaklirg; but b
|iloved and was loved: and love-. more oftel
1 than charity, covers q multitude of, sins, Ed
Twin Holt. who played. the part. excellen
4 actor though he is, did not cutie grasp 1t
4 meaning. His Interpretation is far from be
4 ing commonplace, butit lacks in youthfulne5
and spontaneity. However, MI. Hollis natu
raj attributes. his wonderfully fine voice an
his good stage presence do much to com
i pensate.
4 With the possible exception of Lady Algy
the role of the Baroness Royden is the mos
/ congeniaL In which Miss Mary Van BuIe
! has aooeared in this city. A woman OF de
i cided magnetism and charm, Miss Van Bure
kmakes the baroness a living reality. les
then serene hishness whom It would be
privilege to know. Net less admirable is tn
work. Xof Miss Buckley as the naive Kat
4 Johnson OF 81 ohnsons Pickles. = Miss Buck
4 lev PLAYED the part with a dainty roguishnes
that became her wonderfully well, and tina