The San Francisco call., 1904-11-27

the comedy 1t doesn't belong AL
most comically it comes indeed, this
earnest Nemesis, against the charm
ingly impractical Providence that
Georgiana plays Still. the playwright
has furnished US here. and it must not
be forgotten, with a portrait worthy to
rank with that of Richard Sterling in
THE Climbers"
For the order of this comment those
that have seen Her Own Way this
week will perhaps incline to tear my
coffeeyour''-as Miss Shindle says.
For what but Maxine Elliott's way,
most captivating. is Her Own Way?
Fitch has proved himself a very
Worth here. The cut, color and hang
of Miss Elliott's part are unexception-
able. There isn't a wrinkle. All of
the potent womanliness, breeding.
grace and calm humor that Miss Ell
lott owns are here exhibited in best
evidence. But the part is not great
one. Nor IS there any suggestion,
perhaps, that the actress is by way of
bursting its seams Oddly, however,
it awakens lively curiosity as to the
unknown Elliott quantity. So abound
ingly sufficient is Miss Elliott here
as one remembers she was also as
Phyllis in when We Were Twenty
one"-that one wonders what further,
if further she has to give. Greater
gratitude would have gone Mr.. Fitch's
way for a bigger carelessness as to
the Elliott contour. At least, one
might have discovered something the
actress cannot do,-which you don't
in Her Own Way-even to looking
more imperiaIly beautiful than ever.
Take your child eyes and heart
with you tomorrow evening to The
Star of Bethlehem that the Greet
players will present this week at Lyric
Hall. Thus will you get the full flavor
of the play written out of the child
hood of Christianity and the drama
But none can fail to find The Star
of Bethlehem" interesting.
For the litterateur the play has pecu-
liar attraction in it's rugged and naive
" beautiful verse. For the theolo-
gian it is again peculiarly suggestive.
Those interested in dramatic history
can. of course, not afford to miss it.
And to the artist the play affords
pictures which his experience will be
erninent1y the poorer for lacking. But
he that takes with him the eyes that
widened over the exalted romance Of
the Magi, that followed in the Bible
pictures the splendid wanderings Of the
Eastern Princes toward the star, will
get most from The Star of Bethle-
hem" In fact, the point of view rather
imposes itself The curtain opens upon
a picture that pitches the key rev.
erent Immediately. 1t is that Of Con-
stance Crawley as Angel Gabriel, fig
ure nothing short of celestial in its
white and wonderful blue draperies,
Anrunciation lilies in the hand, the
head halo starred. Benignant and spir-
itual and with the sublimity of express
sion that makes her Everyman so re-
markable. Miss CrawIey maintains
amazingly the angelic illusion Her
voice. nobly musical, and her serious
and stately delivery still further ac-
centuate the impression.
To me, after this, the unceuth come
DIV of the shepherds came neither ir-
reverently nor irrelevantly. 1t had for
me something of the feel" of an cid
Flemish picture of Christ blessing the
little children that 1 once saw. Pa
thetically Flamande was the Christ fig
ure. The children, close capped and
straitly gowned. were probably the
painters. The surrounding men and
women were stolid Flemish burghers
and their mates, the mise en- scene
most frankly of the time. The artist
had, in fact, brought the Christ famil-
iarly into his day Yet the picture
was instinct with such fine simplicity
of reverence, such inherent dignity,