The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-10-10
Ait St. Paul Theaters

cartoons have-sat last been cleverly
dramatized. The eccentric individuals
of Bird Center, Ill.,, created by the hui
morous pencil of John t. McCutcheon,
appeared in flesh and blood at the Met
ropolitan last night in some extremely
amusing situations Glen MacDon-
ough put the words into their mouths,
and funny words they are.
II the late Charley Hoyt were still
present, he would have been accused
of this creation, so replete is it with
snappy dialogue. satirical character
touches and laughable situations.
Bird Center is living picture of
collection of human beings, repre-
senting the leading spirits of village
community. The characters are as true
to nature as those of Hoyt's "A Mid
night Bell Though they dwell in an
Illinois instead OF a New Hampshire
village.
A false charge of paying out $500 too
much is lodged against sthe girl cashier
of the village bank by the proprietor
of the bank. who himself received the
extra $500 bill. This furnishes the seri-
Gus theme 1t afterwards appears the
bill is counterfeit but the banker,
who discovered it, was spurious and
worked it off on an innocent man, is
compelled to take it back in settlement
Of a claim, and more comedy results.
The absolute novelty of this comedy,
which is presented by capable players
who are imbued with it's spirit, makes
it highly enjoyable. The characters are
types of humanity recognized at once,
but not hopelessly conventional nor alb
surdly exaggerated beyond human re-
Semblance. The incidents follow each
other in an easy, spontaneous fashion,
yet develop comical surprises that pro-
woke justifiable laughter
Two children, a ten-year-old girl and
her junior brother, furnish no end of
amusement. They are the offspring of
the popular undertaken, Smiley Greene.
VIII Archie and Ipha Dahl are the
brother and sister They are fairly ir-
resistible. Both are artists 1t might
be explained that Archie is old enough
to vote, but he has the stature, fea-
lures and voice of a six-year- old en-
FAINT terrible.
George Richards, he of Deacon Tidd
fame in "A Midnight Bell" whose bu
collie dialect and Uncle Sam phySiog
nomy blend in most convincing style
appears as Capt. Roscoe Fry, an old
soldier and town marshal of Bird Center
The mysterious stranger, a relic of
the Confederacy, with black hair and
moustachios and solitaire in his shirt
'front.' who appears in all four acts.
but never speaks word until the third,
is another interesting parsonage. His
walk, dress, expression and makeup
are graphically denoted by Edward j.
Connolly
Extremely clever tcharacterizations
are contributed by Rosa Cooke in the
role of Mrs. Smiley Greene, the buxom
wife of the popular undertaken, and
Blanche Chapman, as Mrs. J. Milton
Brown, wife of the village photograph
er and an oracle on art. Mrs. Browns
illustrated song at her husbands stu
did, where the Bird Center villagers
have-E A Night in Bohemia" is one of
the funniest diversions in the play.
But the last act has in reserve the
most laugh provoking episode of ALL A
we'll which gives forth spring water,
literally favored with brandy that
percoiated through the soil, as plausi-
bly, explained in the same act, furnishes
too much stimulation to these two
women and third therich widow, Mrs.
Alonzo Withersby, empress of Bird
Center society" Impossible as the
presence of the brandy is, its gradual
aScendancy over the three middle
aged DANES is uproariously funny,
without being in any sense coarse or
Objectionable. The gradual growth of
the jag which eventually possesses all
three is cieverly, lnoftenSiVely and
comically noted, comically in particular
by Rosa Cooke, though Blanche Chap
man and Virginia Rose supplied pic
turesque contrasts.
Louis Payne's Cyrano de Bergerac
nose. lent distinction to the character
of the popular undertaken, Smiley
Greene, who excited much laughter
while pushing perambulator and try
ing at the same time to read a news
paper spread upon it's top.
The bellies of the village, eight in
number. were fittingly presented by
an octette of comedy young women.
F. G. III.
Wilton rLackaye, in "The Pit" will
be the attraction at the Metropolitan
during the latter half of the week. The
play is a dramatization of Frank Nor
ris' novel, which attracted much at
tention.