The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-09
-----AT ST.
7 II EAT RE S

Elaborate Scenery and a first rate
cast Will go far toward redeeming the
Hercest sort, of a melodrama. These
TWO merltorlouS features combine to
make The Suburban" what is known
In common parlance as "a good show"
Inc audience. which witnessed this
spectacle at the Metropolitan last
night proclaimed as much
II percnan2e any admirer of the pos
siple drama, whether tragedy or COM
edy, or genuine farce, strolled unwarily
into the Metropolitan last night, ex-
pecung the intellectual pleasure afford
ed by a clever play of any class, he
must have been isappointed-griev-
ousIy. But If he knew that an up-to-
date meIodrafna was on the boards, as
mas been widely and frequently an
nounced, he had-again borrowing from
the street Iexicon-"no kick coming"
Ine suburban" is no better and no
worse than a. hundred other melo-
dramas. 1t is better than eighty or
perhaps ninety we could mention. No
experienced theatergoer looks for rea-
son In modern melodrama. He knows
better than to ask foolish questions or
find fault with the audacious defiance
or physical laws that enables the au-
thor to perpetrate his dramatic sur
prlSes and evoke the ear-splitting
Whistles and ecstatic shrieks of the
gallery. 1t is all-sufficient that virtue
is triumphant victory which, ac-
cord1ng to Gilbert's sagacious Mikado,
IS achieved in theatrical performances
only"
But to return to "The Suburban" 1t
is written, or built rather, around the
greatest horse racing event in this
country. This, at once insures for it
the sympathetic interest of a goodly
proportion of the people resident in
large cities, in close touch with the
race TrAcK-hW Wir iC
quired as an excuse, and this G. T.
Darcy, the author of In Old Ken
lucky has supplied. 1t is an interest
ing one, as melOdramas go, furnishing
good situations in the Safe-robbing
scene in the first act, and supplying one
character bearing distinction. 1t is
that of James Hyde, the scheming old
attendant I'M the rich household. This
role was capitally portrayed by John
Jennings. b4.3
The scene for which everybody waits
is that representing the grand stand
and a section of the track at Sheepshead
Bay. This is an unqualified success
in the eyes of all those who occupy
seats in the body Of the house. The
track is between the audience and the
grand Stand4 which is shown in the
distance. 1t is packed with humanity,
to all Appearances At least 10000
people you would guess. Something
is but a painting, but when you see
them waving handkerchiefs. hats and
programmes as the race progresses,
you doubt your senses. How all this
is done, it wouldn't be fair to tell, even
if the writer could. Suffice it to say
that the spectacle is surprisingly eff
fective and the race scene scores
heavily. Ten horses gallop across the
stage twice, the last time in an excit-
ing finish, but the main interest is
focused on the grand stand, which
seems to be alive with human beings,
not supernuneraries.
Managerial sagacity in the selection
of the company is Enthusiastically in eV-
idence. J. H. Gilmour, an actor OF un-
questionable talent and wide expert
ence, playes the role of Robert Cor
don, the elderly landed proprietor, with
commendable dignity and excellent
taste. Mr.. Gilmour's bearing possesses
the dignity and gentility essential to
a convincing portrayal of the charac-
ter. ~
w. S. Hart fmpersonates the despic
able Sir Ralph-one of those impossible,
simon-pure villains destitute of sin
gle symptom of humanity, so dear to
nelodrama, with much intensity
Charles F. GettIfoId is. allotted the role
Of Donald, the maligned hero, who has
all the sympathy and applause. He
is satisfactory. So is Theodore Mars
ton, who plays a big-hearted, unso-
phisticatede man from Montana.
George G. Staley, in the role of Died
rich, a German, servant, and Annie
Mack Berlein, as his Hibernian oppo-
site, were breezy and entertaining.
-Fanchon Campbell, as Helen Gordon,
and Jessie lett, as the young wife of
the hero, were acceptable.
Creditable character bits were con-
tributed by Kingsley Benedict, as the
honest stable boy; Taylor Granville as
the crooked" jockey, and George
Wright as the drunken son Of old
Hyde. Fred G. Hunt.