The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-01-09
PROVIDENCE OPERA HOUSE.

tdptdln Julian Nnanui'i, HlN Sohf'f'f'
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. ;. Homewood
Batty Todd. Chambers managing
man..................... III. Cane
Jesse Pegg. one OF Chandler's work
men. en.......................E Ernest Stallard
Mr.. vachell. a lawyer..........H Barfoot
Epiphany Danks. of Gawcott-on-the-
Moors. s....,..,,........v....J. q. Taylor
County Herald" "...........G George Bonn
Postman. n......................W Edmunds
Dutton, servant at Mr.. Chambers
.......................,... Ferguson
Mrs. Chandler. Miss Rose Beaudet
Maude Chandler. Miss Alice Ionnon
Sir Seaton Umfraville. II. g. Lonsdale
Lady Umfraville ..... Miss Laura Linden
Felicia Umfraville. their daughter.
...,,................Mis Miss Mabel Roebuck
Mary Blenkarn. Miss Maud Fealy
Nancy Blenkarn...........M Miss Joan Blair
At the Providence Opera House last
evening Mr.. Il. s. Willard as Cyrus
Blenkarn in ''rhe Mddleman." by Henry
Arthur Jones.
As a character study perhaps this Is
the strongest. the most significant OF the
art Of the artist and the most sympa-
thetic In Mr. Wizards repertory.
Inc Jones play II wrought out ol Son-
ventonal materials. There Is the In
jured heroine. the careless but misjudged
hero. the hard-hesrted and selfish father
and the two juvenile lovers. OF the
latter IL is TO be observed that I'm his
round OF juvenile parts Mr.. Ernest Stall
lard Is becoming a great favorite among
the Willard audiences. Last evening the
audience gave him very complimentary
recognition OF his excellent comedy work
as Jesse Pegg.
The audience, indeed. got very much
into sympathy with the play and the
players last evening. sympathy OF the
sort that is oftener discovcrable at the
popular priced shows when the melo-
drama IL aflame. IT took a cordial i'm
tcrest in the love affairs Of the Juveniles,
and IL guyed the hard hearted father
when he was exposed in all his misery OF
ruined fortunes. The human interest I'm
the drama. as the press agents call II.
caught the parduet about as completely
az IL did the gallery.
II was not in human nature TO resist a
laugh at the opening OF the scene where
the pottery furnaces are disclosed I'm full
blast and the potter Is in despair be-
cause his coal is giving out and he can
get no more in town. Under the circum-
stances the audience could be pardoned IL
Il claimed to understand just how the
old potter felt about the coal situation.
and after a brief attempt. for courtesy's
sake, TO restrain the laughter that nat
urally bubbled when the actor read the
lines, the audience decided that the best
thing TO do was TO laugh IL out and have
done with IL.
Probably Mr.. Willard has before this
realized the hazard taken with these lines
al this particular season.
IL Is a curious thing. by the way about
the applause during the Willard engage
ment that very little of II is indulged
I'm while the action is going on. The phe-
nomenon is entirely due 10 the command
that Mr. Willard maintains over his audi
ence and. while every talented actor and
every good play possesses the same power
OF restraint over an audience. II Is rarely
that that mastery is so absolute as Mr.
Willard demonstrates IL.
The audience simply isn't allowed to
get away from the Willard play often
enough during its progress to vent its
enthusiasm and so. when the last curtain
falls. there has been. every evening.
bursting forth OF the pent up feelings that
amounts to an extraordinary hearty arri
even tumultous ovation-the punched ap-
plause that under ordinary circumstances
would have been delivered from time to
time during the course Of the play
The frequent desire TO applaud during
the progress Of the play IL restrained
by the stronger desire to catch every ut
terance and see every gesture OF the actor
so that the whole thing is checked to
break out i'm the mass when the tension
is released at the fall OF the last curtain
or few actors may II be said that their
spell over the audience Is so well sus-
tained that the latter prefer to withhold
the tribute they desire TO pay rather than
TO break the spell. But that is just the sit
ua tion As between Willard and his audi
ences at the Providence Opera house this
week Fig,iratively. you could hear pin
drop at any time during the progress OF
the play. so rspt is the attention. And
the beginning OF applause seems like an
unwarra nted interruption.
The clever and artistic device for re-
spending to encores contributes TO this
Same end--to postpone the tributes until
the play is finally done. when the curtain
falls between an act and the applau use
sends II up again. the action Is taken up
and proceeded with. Continued applause
only continues the action still further so
that the only way 10 get the curtain final
Is down for the intermission is TO quit
applauding and II dies out after two or
three rises
The idea is by no means a novelty but
Il is done I'm so quietly effective way
by the Willard company that tho audi
ence becomes quickly convinced that there
Is no possibility OF coaXing the actors In
front OF the curtain or getting speech
from the star or inducing anything but
a continuance OF the tableauX and panto-
mime on which the curtain has fallen.
IL Is as though willard should say mot
yet. ladies and gentlemen. | appreciate
what you would do but walt until we are
quite done" And when the play is quite
done the accumulated applause that has
been all but suppressed through the even
ing comes with a rush. a tribute 10 the
IL afad fla.a ma acfln nm al
tor as we'll as TO his art
As play. THE Mddleman" belongs TO
y past dramatic period. But as q charac-
ter cyrus Benkarn. the old potter.
humbly devoted 10 his craft with the
soul Of an artist and only reused 10 ma
terial ambitions 10 avense tho wrong
done his beloved daughter is as vividlv
\ living crea tion as ever and. In Mr.. VIII
lards keeping. will always rank among
the most engaging lmpersonatlons Of tho
modern stage.
Tonight Mr.. Willard appears In IAN for
Her written by Herman Merivale and
ralgrave simpson We don't know how
many years ago fis plot is based on the