The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-01-02
4 SOUTHERN PLAY
WORK ssrHE CAvALrER'
 ONLY FATRLY PLEAsED.
Suffered the Usual Fate of etage version of Popular Movei, Ioss of Cohsreucy and
 Symmetry.

ssThe Cavalier" George w. Capso Southern romance in it's stage version as the Montgomery Theatre yesterday, snaI cd the usual fate of the popular novei dramatized-
 Some of the inherent beauty. some of the elusive charm of the story. was lack ing in It's stage form. The transition from the book to the boards put too great . strain upon the interest of the me romance. So much altering, rearrang1nG, and resetting could only result In the loss of part of the story's original beauty.
 The dramptist, who is given a iong novel and two hours and a half of time for 1t to be crowded In has a dfmcuit problem. The drematic interest, the at mosphere. the development of the char acters, the minor incidents that seem so unimportant, but which mean so much Il, rounding out the symmetrical whole of q coherent, interest claiming story, are not to be pent up in two hours and half ot time with other arbitrary stage limita- tions. First of all the stage version lacks coherency. The stage presentation of the merical story with It's details and incl dents following in natural sequence.
 Perhaps the stage may be revoiutionized for the presentation of popular novels The Chinese offer a new idea for the dra- matized book. In the Chinese theatres performances some time run through a whole day. If the dramatist had a whole day in which to rearrange the work of the novelist. he could do an infinitely better job than under existing conditions. Wagner's "Parsifal." now being sung in New York, begins in the afternoon. A recess Is taken in the midst of the opera for dinner and players and patrons after wards return to remain until the end of the opera, after II p. m. If dramatist had the freedom, the time of a Farsi far performance, he could do wonders with one of the best selling books of the year.
 Aside from this natural and inevitable defect The Cavaliers" is pretty play. It 10 war time drama. with much troop ing in and trooping out of soldiers. The play starts with novelty wedding in the first act. The bride Southern heroine finds on her wedding night that her husband is a Northern spy The play has to do with her honor at this discovery. her resolve to take the place of her trsacherous husband in serving the Confectionery.
 There are several strong dramatic situations, and some effective scenes of sentiment. but the whole lacks convic- ton and coherency.
 The play is especially well staged The interior scenes of the old Southern home was represented with praiseworthy fldeli- ty. The production merits much praise on this score.
 A Southern atmosphere was maintained, principally by the intelligent and not too lavish use of the distinctive music in which the South Is So rich.
 Msls Charlotte Tittell the star. was for tunate in her role of Charlotte Durand. the Southern heroine. Her temperament suits the requirements of the part to . nicety. She had, too, the advantage of looking the part. The audience was not compelled to take anything for granted whom Mss Tettell appeared as the hand some Southern giFi.z With her blonde hair in disorder wearing a loose clinging costume of Confederate grey, Miss Tlttell made a very striking picture as the feminine cavalier.
 She has a strong voice of good range and she understood it's effective use. She did fine piece of emotional acting in the second act. In the emotional scenes, she strongly recalled her gifted sister, Mrs. Brune. The company was not all that it mgfht have been. The players were too vehement. and too incoherent. The audience puzzled by the unintelligible talk on the stage was more than once farced to wonder what all the excitement was about.
 The best work was done by J. A. Nuisen as Lieutenant Ferry and Frank Powell as Captain Oliver.
 The matinee audience was large, but only c small crowd witnessed the night performance.