The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-20
NEW HUDSON THEATRE OPEN,
COUSIN KATE" THE NEW DAVIES
COMEDY, A GREAT SUCCESS.
beautiful Playhouse, Ethel Barrymore
a Charming star, and She Has Role
That Fits Her Like q GlOve-SmOOth
Performance and Satisfied Audience.

That Fits Her Like q GlOve--SnOOth
Performance and Satisfied Audience.
The cry is still they come-the new
theatres. Another was opened last night.
If is called the Hudson and is on Forty
fourth street between Broadway and Sixth
Avenue. 1t is managed by MIR. Henry B.
Harris 1t is beautiful playhouse, and,
despite the fulminations of Dowie. it will
no, only be an ornament in this city Of
theatres, but it will achieve its artistic
justification by presenting good plays
we'll acted and, therefore, make itself more
useful than some churches.
Whether it was the proper tonal values
of the decoration or the extremely COM
Portable chairs, coupled with the compel
ling sweep of the auditorium, certainly
there was an atmosphere of AT home"
seldom felt at the opening Of a new theatre,
an atmosphere, let it be said in parenthesis,
that even the formal playing of sThe Star
spangled Banner and the usual show Of
patriotics did not dispel.
The piece selected for the opening was
Cousin Kate" by Hubert Henry Davies.
Ethel Barrymore, under the management
Of Charles Frohman who is to furnish
the attractions of the house, played the
title role. She was charming. lending to
Mr. Davies's neat, pretty little piece some
thing it appeared to but really did not pos
sess-v raisemblance. The author Is not
altogether unknown here. Miss De Wolfe
exploited one Of his efforts-4Cynthia"
for she has benevolent soul. Last season
London saw Mrs. Gorringe's Necklace"
and also the present three-act comedy,
which attained considerable vogue.
1t is butt upon an improbable hypothesis:
That young man and a young woman
alone in a snug country house will avoid
the momentous question Of their names
and stations. To be sure. Kate Curtis
is novelist, one who--like most OF her
trbe-wrtes problem novels before she
knows what life and its problems are.
To be sure, Heath Desmond is painter
with money! who has q pleasing address
tinged with an Irish brogue and young
man fond of telling fairy stories by way Of
flirting his way into the hearts Of inn
pressonable girls. 1t il, nevertheless, diff
fcult to believe that the pair would abstain
from finding out each others names How
ever, let US take it for granted. The audi
ence did SO last night and enjoyed itself
immensely.
very unpleasant time when Amy Spencer's
marriage has been deferred for the very
good reason that the young man, has left
in a 'hutf. The first act is spent inmaking
the facts of the case quite clear. So beauti-
fully does the author do this that he gives
himself away You can't see the pro-
logue because of the plays conclusionl
Still it is all done so frankly that you pardon
the undue youthful candor for the fun in
the second act.
This takes place in an empty house where
kdte (what a tempting name is this same
kdte to playmakersD has gone to light the
fire. one is tempted to Additionally pushed
there by the author so that he may bring
her face to face with the man she met COM
explained in Act 1. Kate has fallen inl
love. cynical Kate. But she doesn't know
the stranger is her cousin Amy's young
man, and she has just advised reconcilia-
ton!
This little knotting Of the lovers loop
is the one interesting point OF the piece.
She is discovered alone by the artist-any
he was literally on his native heathl--and
pretty comedy, the old, old comedy,
Is played. Bernard Shaw would say that
the woman was the pursuer, the audience
last night believed it was the man.
In either case it gave Miss Barrymore
anu DIuCt hCINdS All OppOT-
tunity to display their skill at light, bright
comedy. Both were extremely natural;
he, little suggestive to old playgoers OF
the younger Sothern in Captain Letterblair' ;
she, evoking family perhaps, yet none the
less effectually. memories Of her brilliant
mother, George Drew Barrymore. 1t was
not until the thunderstorm (agsin Mr..
more seemed trifie artificial, trifle UNI
gtnaIy in her note OF nathOS
She was throughout too young for 20;
too girlish for the bookish Kate Curtis.
Rrlt her spontaneity, her genuine wit in
the utterance OF wit far less than her own,
her personal charm. above all her cool natur-
aIism, were so many binders to the ques-
tons that perforce, occurred to her audi
ence. She enjoyed positive triumph.
And she deserved it.
She also played the .piano-some bars
from the Magic Fire. music in die
Walkiire" Possibly there was intended
some sort of reconcile allusion to the tea
kettle that later furnished the love motive.
All, these young folk! They even 60 back
to the Tom Robertson comedy in 1908
10 find an excuse for their gentle erotios.
Gentle is the play, harmless and sentimental.
Mr., Davies let's of perfect girandoie of
efigrammatio fireworks in Act l., some
quite clever, none quite new 1t is only
when he essays the serious that you feel
the thin ice breaking, and you are much
relieved to reach the firm earth in playful
alIusion to man and woman and the rest
of things supernal.
Grant Stewart as conscient ious curate,
was as usual capital; Mrs. Thomas Whiffen.
a. a mother who hardly knew what to do,
excellent. Beat rice Agnew was Amy. the
girl who found her affinity-she acted
the part exactly in the right key-and
Harold Grau, a young man. understood but
brave Cousin Kate was success,
and will continue to be one for long time.
Miss Barrymore has role that fits her
like n plnyo