The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-02-20
AT THE THEATER

A clever and delightful little comedy
is Hello Bill" produced yesterday aft
ernoon and last night-filled with fun
of the purest sort. Spontaneous fun,
of the kind that springs from absurd
situations and bright lines, and never
degenerates into burlesque. There is
not piece of buffoonery in the whole
performance, but such a series Of
amazing compiled tons and predica-
ments, and such an. Ingenuity in solv-
ing them, that the very hight of ride
ulous is reached. The case hinges
on a question of identity, and discov-
ers a delightful humor in that familiar
saying,
"On what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practice to deceived"
How much of a play it would be in
less clever hands is hard to say, but
with the present cast it could hardly
be improved upon. Mr.. James F. Nc
Donald, as the real Bill, incorporating
as Gen. William Fuller L. S. A. for
merly colonel in the Fifth Volunteers.
handles his part with a fine sense of
humor that is most convincing, and
one listens with an unhOly glee to his
marvellous distortions of the truth as
lC 0AllOdlcS himself lIOIN one GILL
Guilty only to fall into another. He is
always equal to the emergency, and
in the end comes out with flying col
orS, as the real general good-natured-
ly picks up his travelling bag and
leaves for parts unknown.
Mr.. s. S. Wiltsie, the obliging friend
who fixes things" and politely helps
everybody into fresh embarrassment,
looked his part and carried II out with
-,
cent made a charming and trusting
widow, whose love for Bill withstood
number of severe shocks.
Mr.. Gideon Burton gave avery good
imitation of the Englishhan "just
over" and made something of a hit
with a musical Interpolation, Those
Things Cannot Be Explained" Mr.. Nc
Donald, in the second act, sang 1.-The
Gambling Man" in a sweet, light
tenor, and was warmly applauded
Interest was sustained until the clos
ing lines of the piece, the last act be-
ing, on the whole, the best, and show
ing Mr.. Mcdonald in his most happy
vein.
The sale of seats for Are You a
Mason?" Monday night. will open this
morning at o'clock. The prices are:
Orchestra, $3.50 and S1.0O; and balcony,
IS cents and so cents. The play bids
fair to equal in longevity and financial
Private Secretary" At the head of the
company presenting it are John C.
Rice and Thomas A. Wise. The story
of Are You a Mason?" which is an
adaptation from the German, by Leo
Dltrichstein, runs as follows:
A young married man has promised
his wife that he will become a member
of the Free Masons. her desire in the
matter being prompted by the fact that
her father holds high office in a Ma
sonic lodge, having been a member
thereof for a score of years. While
his wife IS away for the summer
months the young husband has a gay
time, seldom returning to his home
prior to or O'Clock in the morning.
One night he is taken into custody on
a charge of disorderly conduct. Upon
the home coming of his wife the maid
servant promptly reports the trans
gressions to her. She takes her hus-
band to task. He excuses his conduct
by declaring that he has Joined a Ma
sonic organization, and his absence
from home was made necessary by at
tendance upon the sessions of the lodge.
Upon this lapse from the truth the
complications begin. They are in
creased when the fatherin-law, of
supposed high standing, appears upon
the scene. 1t develops tndt the old gen.
tleman is in reality not Mason, but
has been masquerading as one for
twenty years, in order to explain his
periodical absence from his family cir
Gle. Both the young husband and his
father-in-law are continually in hot
water each fearing that the other will
discover his Ignorance of Masonry.
But, of course, matters areg finally
Strengthened out, and the end is reach
ed, in a manner satisfactory to every
one on and off the stage.
Next Tuesday, matinee and night,
Gertrude Coghlan will be seen in
Alice of Old Vincennes." The salient
qualities of the play are patriotism and
self-sacrifice and love; it's atmosphere
is redolent with the odor of heroism
and romance; it's conditions are deeply
scented with the rustic and local col
oring Of a military post of the wilder
ness, and its people have an interest
ing story to communicate. The pro-
duction is in every detail the same as
seen at the Garden Theater in New