The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-21
fV0 PLAYS AT THE PRINCESS.
ypryCH FARCE WITH LOTS OF
rIy. but CREAKY MECHANISM,

,,a . curt ain Raiser Neither Novel Nor
s,rcere--Good Acting and Pienteous
situations In "There and Rack"
-skittIsh Husbands In New Setting.
That gay lady Mrs. johnson having
,L.led away from the Princess Theatre,
Two new plays saw a joint production last
,isbt in the cosey Broadway playhouse.
N. more important Is farce comedy by
csoree Arliss. called There and Back
~. other, a curtain raiser. evidently re-
ouirsd extra labor in writing. for II ID signed
~ two authors. Tom Gallon and L. NJ
lion. II is named The Man Who Stole
the Castle.
Mr.. ARTISTS is an actors play. II 10 full
n effects" not a chair IL moved, not a
mech is uttered that does not produce q
stration, usually laughable one--though
n. mechanism creaks nightly. The plot
h French. is Italian. is Spanish; probably
n was enjoyed before the Crusades. for II
h that most memorial Of intrgues-two
bubands away on a lark and their wives
cutie as far away from home as them
elves. In word quite harmless version
n what is sometimes naughty French
scc.
To 20 into the details Of the story would
reed a map. Mr.. Arliss knows the value
da criss-cross tangle and the pleasure
q ntying his contrived knot. His two
husbands are in need Of recreation. They
are neiehbors. casual acquaintance. Both
ere ordered on an American trip by their
doctors. We see them packing up. Al
Gems smooth until q ,ady turns up--in q
\, Ia oil Of Is<.fh
asks for a trihing loan. informing each
man in separate letters that she purposes
Going to America. She mentions the
steamer They collapse.
Forced by the exigencies Of farce comedy
etiquette to deceive their wives. they make
q visit to Scotland. They have q friend
Need we explain that his bride, newly
acquired. is the lady Of the letters3 There
"a a meeting In the waiting room OF the
railway hotel. Scotland. It is conical.
iou laugh. But the balance Of the situa-
lion must be preserved. -
technique. there O. ri Iron conventional The
poor wives are not left long sorrowing
An Australian uncle turns up. He has
bought a place--up In Scotland. He in
fists on the .widows,' pro fempors ac-
companying him. Their station is the
Is 1t necessary to dilate further on the
possibilities OF the scene? The author
keeps matters moving. He has all the
business at his finger tips, and II the fun
is OF an athletic and obvious sort 1t further
proves that Mr.. Arliss knows his public.
A piece Of this order requires hair-trigger
acting and the cast Is generally good and
excellently well rehearsed.
That old favorite Charles 4. Evans, with
his smooth tongue and gliding walk, plays
one Of the husbands, Charles H. Hopper
remittingiy and were heartily sppiauded.
Nestor Lennon a. the brusque Australian
uncle was real, and Augustus Cook gave
Il capital sketch Of an easy Scotchman.
But the women rather walked away
and Elisabeth Barry as the desolate wives
were admirable. Miss Montgomery in par
licular. (She In Mrs. George Arliss in
private life.) She has the true comic force,
and her hysterical scene went Oh like an
sap,SSss,ohn , Maud White and ea aS the
we'll. BsrHsy Rsynoi3s wasa SCOTCH waiter
knocked about. The audience
liked There and Back despite Its plentiful
The man Who returned the stolen castle
In the one-act play was Aubrey Boucicault.
After drinking old Scotch ale from an old
Heidelberg mug and topping OF with mulled
wine he becomes 80 sentimental that he
surrendes his rights to the children OF
the former owner dead. desdD. These are
a boy and Q girl They have q Hodgsou
Burnett iavor. though faint. Gertrude
Towar was the boy. She acted neatly,
but she was girlish at all points. Little
Louise Allen was q dainty child who chat
tered ingenuously.
The whole affair was a. sincere as Christ
mas card. In vain Mr.. Boucicault, looking
picturesque and graceful as
a axteenth century blade, endeavored to
be heroically self-sacrifcing. II would
not impose on even the greenest theatre
goer. The only live person In the affair
looked real. Nester Lennon was her hus-
band Teething rings for souvenirs can
be the only eolution Of this kindergarten