The Savannah morning news., 1903-12-22
AT THE THEATER

After so much has been said and
written of Tolstors Resurrection" it
was surprising to find in the play, as
produced by Blanche Walsh last night,
that its morality was it's least debat-
able point. That it enforces a strong
and terrible lesson could scarcely be
denied by even the most delicately-
minded. And this, with nothing in
itself offensive unnecessary, and little
sensational or unduly narrowing.
Whether artistically it should be a
play at all might be more justly ques-
toned. There are only two really dra-
matte scenes in 1.-THE, prison scene
which is tragic in it's intensity, and
the jury room, scene, which is pure
entertaining comedy. The story suf-
fers from a hating effort to crowd it
into the compass of a play, even with
a prologue and four acts. In the pro-
logue and the last two acts one is an
noyingly conscious that the story is
being explained, instead of carrying
the listener along, as a good play
should, unconsciously from introduce
ton to sequel The last act drags
a little to its conclusion, with too
prolonged conversation. Perhaps If the
minor roles had been better sustained
the play would have been. open. to less
criticism although, none were notice.
ably poor. The very difficult part of
Dimitri was not too we'll handled by
Mr.. Alexander Won Mitzel whose slow
habit of speech had the effect of too
great deliberateness in moments of
deep feeling. In the capital jury scene
there was some particularly clever
work done by William N. Wadsworth,
as the merchant.
Except for the unavoidable explana-
ton, the third act, showing the prison
inflrmary and Katusha risen with
amazing quickness to higher life
might be cut out altogether for it
is almost wholly lacking in interest
and even as an explanation is not con-
Vlne1ng. Preceding it is the powerful
prison scene, in which the intense
pitch of feeling is reached and almost
every motion of the heart in some
degree is shown. This one act tells
the whole story of the play, the wom-
ans fall, her degradation and her re-
demption, suggesting the first, reveal
ing the second, foreshadowing the last.
through the rest, with Miss Walsh in
the role of Katusha. She unfolds a
wonderfully wide range of feeling with
touch remarkably strong and true.
If but a woman's heart might see
such erring heart unerringly" wrote
Rosetti. Miss Walsh has the gift of
making her vision of it memorable.
The sale of seats for Railroad
JACK, Thursday matinee and night,
will begin this morning. The play is
a melodrama. A big South African
lion carried by the company occupies
one of the most important parts on
the programme. "A lady is cast into
his den and rescued by the tramp in
view of the audience. The beast will
be drawn through the principal streets
Of the city, weather. PERMITTING. The
prices are: Matinee, 10, 20 and 80;
night, 10, 20, 80 and SOC.
Christmas matinee and night Ehie
Shannon and Herbert Kelcey will
present sherlock Holmes" A run of
ten months in London, in the face of
a strong antipathy towards American
plays, and over 800 nights in New
York; surely a play, that has done this
must be the rightaS6Ft in order to be
characterized asa-big hit.
Saturday night Savannah theaater-
goers will again have David War
field in 1.-THE Auctioneer." BeIasco,
whose name upon a, production always
spells success, has brought out many
stars, who still remain under his man
agement.r The most notable Of these
are Mrs. Leslie Garter = and Miss
Blanche Bates, among American ac-
tresses, and now Warfields name has
r. "a