Omaha daily bee., 1903-01-02

At the Boyd.
Miss Adelaide Thurston, IN Pauline
Phelps and Marion Shorts comedy
drama, "At Cory Corners" The cast:
Clyde HOLSTER, minister of Congrega-
tional church at Cozy Corners.....
Mark CRANKY, manager Of ccncert COM
panies. ..,..... ......... Ogden Stevens
Deacon Pettibone, stinsiest mar in Cozy
Rob Bartlett. Mrs. Bdttiettis only som
Adam E. Fox
ar'sss. sexton OF the on n5s@es ii. johnson
Mrs, Deacon Bartlett. a pillar in the
Am Gh \ works out for a aeoomm naiSourt
on"...n,..........~..,.C Constance Glover
sophronia Anderson, ''who sigsles".......
;Mlnnle allen
Avis Merrill Tnurston
Not very many years ago nature created
Adelaide Thurston, pretty, dainty, sweet
voiced and winsome. Now come the play
makers and build around her "At Cozy Cor
ners," a comedy-drama which serves we'll
in the exploitation Of her charms and
which. while improbable in plot and nor
mally inconsistent in detail, is made ac-
| ceptable entertainment by the really bright
lines and the clever situations with which
It is endowed.
Claudia, famed young violinist, goes to a
country village to rest at ease; tnnocently
causes much foolish gossip about her dress
and her source OF income; falls In love with
the young minister of q mortgage-plast-
cred Congregational church: marries him
accidentally arouses his suspicious and
Jealousy; breaks with him when he breaks
her violin; returns to him when he re-
stores 1t by heroic secret sacrifice. and,
presumably, lives happy forever afterward.
That's the story. In its telling the authors
employ, as compromise villain, a concert
manager who loves Claudia, good clothes
and expensive cigars, which latter he
smokes at all times and in all places in
truly villainous fashion; a crafty deacon
with good makeup, squeaky voice and a de-
sire to settle an old score against the min
ister's sire by harrassing the son; a coun-
try boy and country girl too gawky and
gigglish TO be exactly true; a deacon's wife
who is paEsably good; a country serving
woman who. as played by Constance Glover.
is a gem Of consistency and a spring OF
welcome humor; and, finally but fore
mostly, q preacher of the kind who makes
romantic maids grow suddenly worshipful
and healthy people grow suddenly tired.
Mr.. Francis x. Hope has this last men
toned part in Miss Thurston's company
and doubtless does what he thinks he should
and what the playwriteTs intended he
should. Perhaps, too. his demeanor only
sets on to greater advantage the charm OF
the vivaeious Claudia, but with those whose
digestion Is good and prospects reasonably
bright, the character never. never can be
popular. Folks won't stand for him-and
certainly not when he adopts English pro.
nunciation, md refers to himself as q
"pooah meenist-a--h." In this play he IL
supposed to have strengthened the hocl
and got a rowbs under one corner Of this
mortgage. Anybody who ever spent twenty
minutes in such a place as Cory Corners
knows that the young shepherd who works
such miracles as that is necessarily 4
mixer" with a plain, old-fsshioned way o.
sounding The letter ar" and a perfect will.
ingness to look his fellow-man inahe eyel
instead OF the middle vest button. Tit
country congregation stands for severe
piety, sometimes. but never for wiltet
sanctimoniousness OF the Holster type.
All Of which is respectfully submitted II
great kindness and only because Mis-
Thurston, being herself a very rational ant
sensible player. should have only very ra
tional and sensible surroundings.
Her engagement at Boyd's was for tn
two performances Of yesterday and at boil
she received many curtain calls from audi
ences Of very large proportions and gen
erous demonstrativeness-