The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-01-19
SPLENDID COMEDY
1.-THE EARL or NANTUCKET" AT
 THE THEA ARE.
Latest Play of Augustus Thomas by an Excellent Company Enjoy cd By Large end Gull
 tured Audience.

III I-.L. "The Earl of Pawtucket' enhances the managerial skill of Kirk La 'Shelle and increases greatly our admiration for the genius of Augustus Thomas. . The one has won many plaudiss as a successful producer, the other was long ago acclaimed a great American writer of plays. To say that this one comedy given at the Mohtgonery theater yester- such assured reputation. fs perhaps. the highest tribute. that could bs paid.
 "The Earl of PatWnckety', is ias good as t'.Henrietta, and 'I5enrfetta" is the best American cornedSs ever written. d ,ts That excellent writer tof'. plays Mir. 1 Thonfas has done IiisTb best work right here Perhaps a.wfiiar finds more to de- light him ih the3 triumph of a fellow craftsman than in the >piayets. The writer, conceives, constructs The play CT executes. In this entertainment. the Result: brilliant idea,e perfect setting and finished execution. !..a .: .i The story is simple. An English lord. Darlington, falls desperately in love with prety American tdivorcee, and fol- lows her across the Atlantic to New York Desiring to travel incognito, that his charmer may not know his station, he assumes the name of his American friend. Montgomery Putnam who. is travelling on the continent. It: is reveal ed early in the play that the real Mont gomery Putnam Is the divorced husband of the woman Lord Darlington loves. The complications involve the efforts of the English gentleman, to make himself | appear as a Pawtucket business man and | the determination of the irate father of Mrs Montgomery Putnam to collect ali- mohy from the, husband of his supposed ly injured daughter The diyorcee very naturally finds herself loving the brun- dering Englshman. and the whole is worked out logically. coherently. effec- | lively.
 Indeed some of the humorous situa- tions demonstrated that none but the | hand of a master drew them. '-'' The genius of the playwright is also shown in the truthfully drawn characters and in lines which scintillate with clev- erness. 4" There are three acts to ''The Earl of Pawtucket," and the action takes place in one day, morning, afternoon and even. ing at the Waidcrf-Astoria Hotel. New York. s$ r ..
 No one but Mir Thomas would have had the. courage to cast play in such sumptuous environment. Kirk La Shelle showed business nerve-no other word is so expressive-to f1tiy stage a play that | called for such lavish expenditure oi money.
 From a. background of regal stage in. vestment. this delicious, delightful, evel interesting American comedy Is pro l jected,' and if the audience be intelligent and cultured 1t wins everlasting approv al before the first act is ending. | Nothing so convincing, so startlingly II 10 tN tou -ham been seen on a Montgomery stage. q. that palm room scene. .-e. ,t'~ se a
 Truly Kirk La Sheile has beat DaviC Belasco at the game which brought DaviC Belasco fame and fortune.
 But, while The Earl of Pawtucket'' fl a fine comedy 1t does not act itself. Un intelligent, mediocre actors could mak' even so clever 8 piece .inocuous. A splen did company has been provided and tn, whole combines an evenings entertain ment that fingers in the mind.
 Writing against time and strivin, against fulsome enthusiasm one lacks ad equate words with which to completel, convince those absent from the theatr last night that they missed something de cidedly refreshing, something so good al to make us commisserate with those wh were not there.
 Frank Monroe. an actor with fin I biundering but always gentlemanly Lorl Cardington. We are told that Lawrenc DOrsay. set New York wild in this part One can scarcely conceive a better pres entation than that of Mir. Monroe. Ther was just enough restraint to make 1t ar tistic He understood the difficulties an, the pitfalls and he kept away from them
 Montgomery had not heard much of MT Monroe, although he has been seen her | e mi A ha0 VyffI V-f Y3nI, son.
 If the enthusiastic. but refined appla us of the large and cultured audience pres ent last night and the frequent curtain calls means anything it means that Mont gomcry would welcome the return of MT Monroe. as ''The Earl or anything els he may essay. H '-
 Quite as popular with the audience anC equally as commenda ble was the dainty refined, understanding work of Miss Mari, Pettes. Really, for a woman so young her thoroughly. artistic portrayal of liar riet Fordyce. the real Mrs. Putnam, be loved by Lord CaEiington.l was a revela tfon. Older actresses might have beer so perfectly at oases so n4 n4tural but 1t i. seldom real young and pretty woman so completely fills our expectations.
 This young woman may feficitate her self that she is no small factor in tn, great success which has been that of tn, road company playing The Earl of Paw tucket."
 It is true that the play revoives around these two persdhages but the comedy would not bear the Thomas brand with out several good character parts Tn, minor roles were in excellent hands ever down to Mir. Pollock who WAS on but z minute. His special officer" was dis tinctly we'll done.
 Those walters in the palm room wer, as natural as if they had just stepped 1T from one of our best cafes.
 Especial mention should be made o Miss Robinson. Miss Hayden. Mfr. Pringle MT. Evans and Mir. Thomas. They wer, as good as the most exacting manager ol theatre-goer could desire.
 Let us hope that we may have nor, such entertainments as The Earl O l Pawtucket
 Wednesday night "Alphonse and Gas l ton comes to the theatre.