Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-20
National Theater.

Dear Mrs. Wfggsfa that now national ia
vorite. whose nnfaiiing cheerfulness and
deep human $ylnpafhys have made her
everybodys frIfrs and who bids fair to
become ansinn1 pgtaE erea ton of American
realism and hHfho t o make her bow be-
fore the foptig htx 1ere4 at the New Ma
tional next week Mrs Madge Carr Cook,
the comedienne whoSlaas so distinguished
herself in a wide range of roles, but more
especially in kindred character work, will
then give the humorous, half-touching
and wholly, loveable old lady what has been
unanimously praised in ,other cities as an
ideal incarnation. Playgoers may then
listen to the quaint sayings, the iudicrous
"Malapropisms, the famous epigrams of
Mrs. Wigs from her own lips-hear lot of
new ones, too.' it is promised-and see her
looking straight at them through her rose
colored spectacies across the footlights.
She will be seen in her own famous
tin-roofed, two-doored cottage, making
the most of her serni-grotesque poverty
with a serene optimism, looking after her
three little Biography named girls (Asia,
Australia and Europena), sheltering and
sticking up for runaway Lovey Mary
with Little Tommy, and running the affairs
of the Cabbage Patch in her own motherly
way. -
In the three-act dramatic version of Mrs.
Alice Hogan Riee's popular STORIES which
Mrs Anne Crawford Flexner cat the "au-
thor's personal requeSD has made for
Lieber 6, Co., an effective opportunity has
been given Mrs. Wigs for revelation of
her more deeply human tenderness, forth
tude in suffering and self-sacrifcing for
giveness in her humble, yet noble walk of
life
The flight from the orphanage of Lovey
Mary. luckIess, sotll-starved young orphan
girl. hungry for the human sympathy and
affection which she could not find at the
Home has furnished the romantic motif
for the new play. and while Mrs Wigs,
herself, will carry the supreme heart inter-
est, the love interest will center around
Lovey Mary, this almost equally novel and
striking creation of Mrs Rice, who so~welI
understands childlife and girlhood in its
subtlest psychological phases. The arrival
of Lovey Mary, still rebellious-sprited and
sharp-to ngued, at the Cabbage Patch and
Mrs Wigs shanty occurs in the first act.
and the pursuit of her (as the abductor of
Tommy as well as runaway gives rise to
several later scenes, in which, however,
novel interest of plot develops. Mabel
Taliaferro who is to play this part of
Lovey Mary, has already won enviable
laurels for herself as an Interpreter of chill
drerl's roles. Humor and comedy of an &C.
centric type is represented in the unparal-
leled courtship of Mis- Hay and Mr.. Stub
bins So elaborate. indeed, has been the
development of this theme, and so much
that is original with the dramatist been
supplied that the lank, tipple-loving, any
Thing but Apollo-like Mr.. Stubbins bids fair
TO be as conspicuous a parsonage as Mrs.
Wigs herself who ''scSed" poor Mis- Hazy
on to her ill-starred matrimonial expert
ment and precipitated the wedding between
the meek little spinster and the mysterious
ly found ''prominenr citizen of Bagdad juno
ton" Great things are expected by the
management of Mr. William 7. Hodge. who
is TO create this role fef Stubbins. for the
part seems cut to the exact fit of this ec-
centric comedian, whose rise in reputation
has been so rapid since he shared honors
with lanes A. Herne himself in Sag Har-
Dor" Little Mis- Hay will be portrayed
by Miss Helen lowell, who gave such
clever character pit as the old spinster sis
M Rarrie's equality Street" The role
Of Chris. her acknowledged nephew, will
be enacted by Tatl0rS Granville. who scored
as Widgits in THE Royal Box and as the
Jockey in 1.-The Suburban.