The evening world., 1902-12-03
Kate Carew Says Wizards Play
Is Soothing and Satisfying,
and Altogether a Charming
Tragi-C Comedy.
ROME OF THE MIDDLE AGES.
But II Is a Different Rome from
that Of Mansfield and Viola Allen
Maud Fealy Wins Applause In
a Weepy, GIrllsh Part.
And now, The Cardinal"

And now, The Cardinal"
Difident Mr.. Willard. modestest-nny
modestestest-of visiting s~tars-neve
to hint what a good. sweet thing he
had in store for us CaIne-ridden NOR
talsl
Never an advertising banner. move
the beat OF q drum, never a sound re-
sembling the familiar Man miaou o!
self-announcsmentl No: he has been
content to steal among us, this modest
Willard, with his w!stful. deprecating
s~mile-content TO let US ind out for
ourselves the quality of his wares.
The Cardinal" OF course. means
Rome. More Rome, in this Romiest OF
seasons. We've had the brilliant. heart
rendlng. diseased Rome OF D'Annunzio
aad Duse, the melodramAtic Rome of
Caine and Viola Allen. as gaudy as a
drummer's dream: the handsome, mob
ridden Rome of Mansfield.
Rome of the Middle Ages.
Wizards is a different Rome. It is
the Rome of the Middle AEes-the Rome
OF the Medici-and although the work
of the scene painter and carpenter does
not rise up and stun your optic nerve
and set your brain buzzing with the
figures OF its cost, II ia soothing and
satisfying, and won't confuse your
mind as to the contributions of play
wright and actor.
Mr.. Willard Is Cardinal Giovanni de
Medici In the prettiest and whole
soonest and simplest. n at the same
time most exciting. little traEl-comedy
OF sweetheartIsm. villainy. misfortune,
terror. weepiness, nobility. triumphant
diplomacy and mai wedding bells, that
tho stage has seen this many a day.
A good Cardinal is this Medici. In
spite of his sinister name. A dear,
gentle. loving soul. who collects an
tiqufties and translates Virgil with the
innocent happiness of Tom Pinch play
ing tho church organ. and struggles
constantly to repress the vast ambition
that is a proper part OF his brilliant
nature.
You Don't Doubt willard.
The beauty OF this Cardinal OF
Wizards is that you believe in him.
He doesn't let you doubt him for a
moment. and he doesn't jar you for a
moment. You believe In him when he
jests with his friends. and when he
blesses a suppllcant, n whom he melts
to his mother and his little brother,
and his little hrother's sweetheart.
It's a ticklish business. you know.
trailing around In a beautiful robe of
red silk that would make Sunday frocks
for a family Of girls. and mimicking all
the minute little sacred phrases n
gestures OF exalted priesthood, and
through 1t all TO carry a strain Of light
and tender comedy: and thence to be
plunged into a whirlpool OF conflicting
passions, and to picture n noble anguish
and self-sac rlhce; and ut length to
straighten things out by feiEning mad
ness.
A tlckllsh business. indeed, and you
might expect the best OF actors to give
you one little chance for a shrug. or a
sneer, or a toss OF the head. or Just
a sassy smile. But Willard doesn't
lose you for a second. He makes you
smile with him. n grieve with him,
and thrill with him. and always you
are held by the winning, manly, priest
ly strength OF him, and the deep, rich
voice which ranges so efrortlessly from
playfulness TO passion.
Hinges on n Murder.
The play hinges on a murder. Car
dinal de Medici knows the guilty man,
but only through the confessional
Hence. when his own brother is on
demned OF the crime. he cannot unseal
his lips to save the boy.
That's the whole story. Not a new
one. perhaps. but Louis N. Parker has
woven 1t into a pretty. poetical. and in
tensely dramatic little play. There is
a love scene in the ArBt act-glrl and
boy, complicated by CardInal-that is
alone worth the price of admission,
ladies and gentlemen.
Apart from the Cardinal, the acting
isn't brilliant. but Mr.. willard doesn't
seek a giddy prominence by surround
ing himself with dubs. and all the
members OF the cast are pretty we'll In
the picture. Miss Maud Fealy won
salvos by a beautiful sample of glrlish
weepiness, and J. G.. Taylor was Singh
larry happy in the small part OF a bell
ringer.
The audience was extraordinarily
attentive and respectful. 1t coulda'i
help itself. KATE CAREW.