The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-11-29
MAlexander The 0reat,n

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 sAlsxander The Great"
 "Alexander the Great" the subject of the new play in which Louis James and Frederick Warde will appear. at the Montgomery Theatre next Thursday even ing. was born under lucky star. and the influences which surrounded him in his early youth, had much to do with his subsequent achievements.
 He inherited the qualities of both his parents; his father. King Phillip, was . man of rare courage and keenest judg- ment; his mother, woman of savage en- ergy and fierce superstition. These quali- ties combined to produce in young Alex ander boundless ambition and a thirst for power But the genius of Alexander, the greatest of military commanders, was moulded in 6 still greater degree by the genius of Aristotle, then the greatest con- queror in the world of thought, who was his chief tutor. His exploits, which cov- cred period of but fifteen years, and which for their daring and conception, almost challenge belief. should suggest copious and thrilling incidents for stir ring heroic drama
 This subject has hardly been used on the stage until now, and consequently. expectancy and curiosity concerning the coming performance is very keen, Un- less there be a conflict of emotions and q consecutive narrative to bind them to. sether. thus providing the elements of suspense. incidents however thrilling in themselves. become tame to the specta- tor. To this end the authors have made Alexander the prey of insatiable ambi- ton on the one hand, and on the other an absorbing love of Roxana, an Egyp- tan princess, whom, after many yicis- sftudes, he finally marries.
 A character in the play which has equal prominence with that of Alexander. who will be portrayed by Louis James. is that or Perdiccas, which will be essayed by frederick Warde. Perdiccas is a species or lago; envfous. vengeful, interruptions: who uses his office of Prime Minister to further solely his own ends By dupIic- ity and cunning, he retains the confidence and loyal friendship of Alexander, whom ne IS constantly harrassing fin unseen ways, employing others for his cdtvard- " purpose His schemes are all directed 10 bring about the fall of Alexander. whose death he finally encompasses.
 witn nis keen sense of humor, his cut ting satire. his merciless intrigue, the role Of Perdiccas Is said to furnish all tnese subtlettes of character which Mr.
 Warde Is uch an adept at portraying.
 tuner important characters in the play are the military commanders Clitus and Fnilotos, Cleopatra, step mother of Alex ander; that most pliable tool of Perdic- cas-. Snefrechaf. High Priest of the Egyp- tlan Temple of Ammon,~ and Kirmah, fo- male slave of Perdiccas.
 The scenic equipment, which is said to exceed in its elaborateness all previous productions of Managers Wagenthal and
 hemper, comprises six massive stage pic- lures. The first is the palace of King PHfIHn affar vuh ander succeeds to the throne; then the Egyptian Temple of Ammon, where the sorceries of the high priests are exposed. This is followed by the tent of Perdiccas, and brings the third act to close. The fourth act requires two scenes-the first showing the siege of the town of Mallia
 where Alexander fought one of his great est battles. and the other the mountain tops above the clouds, where Alexander imagfnes he has reached the end of the
 world. It is in this scene that the in- ! ventive genius of stage mechanic and scenic artist has been most brilliantly il- l frustrated. The last act is a scene of roy- al splendor disclosing a banquet tent in Babylonia where Alexander, surfeited with conquest and battle, is biding fare. well to his generals, and pictures the tragic climax to the play where, though villainy is triumphant. defeat is made glorious.
 The company is an exceptionally capa-
 ble one and includes such players as Nor
 man Hackett, Wadsworth Harris, Thonl- | as Coffin Cooke, Engel Sumner, Aphie James, Fiona Leonard and forty others. Ward and Vokes Friday. Ward & Vokes's new musical frolic. "A Pair of Pinks," Is announced for presen- tation at the Montgomery Theatre Friday
 night.
 This offering promises to be the piece de resistance of the long and successful | career of these two popular comedians. For ten years we have seen the evolution | of Percy and Harold" from the two
 misfit tramps to bankers, Governors, me-- chants, etc., and now they will be found supplying their particular kind of fun as | two crafty detectives.
 | It is not promised that there will be much of plot to worry over, but it is claimed that the company the music, | the scenery, the speciality introductions, and all the evolutions of the big show girl chorus will be found far superior to any offering Ward & Vokes have ever
 made.
 Fifty-fve people are employed in the new piece and the cast of principles in- cludes such persons as Lucy Daly, Mar. garet Daly Vokes, Vinie Daly, Ruth
 Gould, Charles Howard, Gus Bruno, Tony
 Williams, Lew Miller, Eddie Judge, David DeWolf and Dan Coleman.
 The big chorus of more than forty pret
 ty chorus girls have been trained by Jo- seph c. Smith. who is said to be assum- ing rank with such master producers as | Julian Mitchell and Ben Teal.
 There are sixteen musical numbers in
 the two acts of "A Pair of Pinks," and not one of them has ever been heard in ! any other production.