The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-03-03
sIDE,SADDLE COMEDY.
n THOMPSON SCORES A sue.
"" .rssJy"THE BISHOPS MOVE"
r,.,rir.. Newest Play Not Much OF
WIZ One. though Its Dialogue Ii Brilliant
rnonrh-Oscar Wide Never wrote
u,,,,er Iincs-Just the Play for Lent.

rno,rb-Oscar Wide Never wrote
x,,,,er Iincs-Just the Play for Lent.
Tho Bishops Move" modern comedy
:, three acts by John Oliver Hobbies and
aa,rrav Carson, followed MARY Of Mag
w. a, the Manhattan Theatre last night
w., ,ou NAV was first viewed at the Garrick
rhoo,ra London, last season with Arthur
pa,rcbier and Miss Van Brugh in the prin-
o;nsI roles The piece here serv to in
,.ad,os the name Of James X. Hackett as
,haotrical manager, and to bring forward
;,,o . position OF prominence Mr.. W. Il.
rromnson. the veteran character actor,
Lnoun 10 the theatre going public OF this
c,,v for the past two decades as that man
Thonnson-cleverest actor on the boards!'
plgc, aur ddnes' John Oliver Hobbies,
tho extremely serious and philosophic pen
name Of Pearl Richards Craigie, once Of
Roe,on. now in London. has been signed to
several comedies which met with fairly
favorable receptions in the British capital.
.Tbe Ambassador" and THE Wisdom of
the Wise" to name two, revealed the bias
Of the author for epigram. Her stage
nunnets indulge in the most brilliant-and
unnatural dialogues Even the late Oscar
Wilde uttered no wittier lines than our
coun,ryvoman.
But II is wit heard az IL in a diving bell
under glass receiver from which the air
has been pumped. Breathless, crisp, spark
ling speeches set of in effective antithesis
keep one at a tension in her plays and
novels. Humanity and its broad charac-
terization suffer from this forced high
pressure. Mrs. Craigie's people are OF
the best society, dress well, behave charm
ingly, talk like Lord Beaconafeld's men
and women-and never for a moment
suggest the ample rhythms or the atmos-
phere of real life. In a word. she is de-
lightfully artificial.
Presumably she wrote the dialogue in
-Ths Bishops Move leaving the moving
OF the bishop and the various pawns in the
game TO her collaboration, Mr.. Carson. Her
prediction for Moliere's comedies is evil
dent she would follow his severely classical
comedy pattern, while her wit is coined
from the Disrael die. Compact. highly
peptoniaed. hard as hailstones, 1t pelted
her figures last night like a veritable shower
in which neat cynicism and the worldly
minor moralties we're cunningly combined:
Best of all, Mrs. Cfaigie knows her social
you recall the style of epigram: a woman
Is one Of - blank, blank but man Is -
blank, blank" IL is a pretty formula and
evokes the smile OF breeding, not the coarse
laughter that emanees from the midrih.
Il is La Rochefoucauld en- corsdge-never
Rabelaisan.
Mrs. Craigie loves Mother Church, as
readers OF Saints and Sinners and Robert
Orange may remember. There Is a church
ly atmosphere In the new comedy, churchly
and also literary. The story Is simple
The good Bishop OF Rance has a nephew
he meets a bewitching Duchess, and after
he meets her is not certain whether he loves
her or his first love-a gentle ingenue
The Bishop sees the situation, quietly
persuades the Duchess to drop the lad
and by several very palpable devices the
Mr.. Thompson as Bishop Ambrose has
q part which the French call Raisonnsnr.
He invested IL with dignity; wat at once
the setvant Of the Church and the simple
hearted kindly man whose outlook upon,
by q gentle irony He probes the hearts
OF those about him and occasionally be.
trays q fugitive tenderness for the soul
OF that wandering sheep Of his fold, the
Duchess. This actor in voice. gesture,
bsarns mai nsn PERFECT iilH ssra
were no idle, sweeping. pontihcal airs
or mechanical genufexions.
At his first entrance with the episcopal
hat, the homely spectacles with thick lenses ,
the b arty manner q upled with q wholly
winning and slightly sly smile-it was one
Of vibert's incompatible ecclesiasiics that
stood before US. The Bishops hobbies
printing, playing the organ. chess and
delicate management OF human beings,
were indicated with the deft mastery OF
the artist. There was humor In his work.
humor and unaffected sentiment Mr..
Thompson's speech at the close of Act ii
he referred with feeling TO his old manager,
Charles Frohman, and tactfully 20 his new
one. Mr. Hackett. Altogether the new star
may fairly congratulate himself on having
impressed his audience: he also demon
strated that he can make much OF a rather
colorless roe
His support was excellent Careful re-
hearing was evident. Dorothy Dorr was
the Duchess Of Qrsnfen and PLACED with
well-bred ease and elegance Her man
nerisms 70 allied memories OF Ellen Terry
which was natural; Miss Do r was for some
ems . member OF the lrvins company.
Prank Mayo, revealed charming possibili-
ties. She was girlish. nave and free from
the artificial. Wallace Worsley did the
nephew with the undecided mind-he really
hAd not much 10 make up--and William
Bra scomb and Virginia Buchanan were
we'll cast
The Bishop's Move is not much Of .
play Technically IL resolves itself into q
series OF duos with an occasional trio. IL
vii do very we'll for Lent. though We hope
M thompson h stronger part