The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-02-16
Music and Drama
Coming Attractions for
Wichita Amusement Lovers.
At the Crawford.

At the Crawford.
AS a truly artistic play nevery detail
The Rivals as presented by Joseph
Jefferson and William W. Jefferson and
most evenly balanced and excellent cast
last evening at the Crawford would be
hard to equal and If there is such thing
as play and its players being perfection
this play has reached that height; and
how the play was enjoyed. 1t is safe 10
say that not an adverse criticism was
passed by a single individual in the en-
raptured audience for it appealed with
equal force TO every one. To the world
/ weary IL was infinitely refreshing in its
bright spontaniety; TO the sentimentaily
inclined its tender love story, its deli
cate touches of pathOs were most well
come; to those who care for laughter 1t
offered ample opportunity for the eXer-
else of their risibes; and 10 the worship
ers of art for art sake il gave satisfac-
ton complete and entire. OF course the
acting had quite as much TO do with this
general state of rapture did the play
itself While no disparagement of the
work of the two Jeffersons can justly be
made it would by no means be fair to
give them all the credit foy the success
ability to a marked degree and several
of them evidenced their right to rank at
least ma parity with the Jeffersons.
William Jefferson as Bob Acres was
iresistably funny Those familiar with
the play will recall the unsophisticated
country youth who went to the city with
the idea that it would not be long before
he would be social lion Mr.. Jefferson
portrayal of this character, showing an
attempted braggadocio swagger, but in
reality innocence and timidity, was most
ludicrous 1t would be hard to imagine
anything funnier than some of the scenes
in which he figured Probably some of
his best work was done in the scenes
with Sir Lucius O'Trigger in the framing
of the challenge and the preliminaries to
the expected duel.
As Sir Lucius O'Trigger Joseph Jeffer-
son. Jr., was simply fine AMI really could
not have done better for he presented his
part in a manner that left nothing to be
desired.
The character of Mrs. Malaprop stands
out at least as prominently in the mem
DRY of one who has witnessed the play
as any other character in it. In delineat-
ing this character Miss Foiliott Paget
was so natural that one would not think
her merely acting but living the character
in reality 1t would be hard to say in
which scene Miss Padget appeared at
her best, she was so uniformly good
throughout. The frequent misuse OF high
sounding words was so naturally done
that for the instant the audience appear
ed shocked at her ignorance before the
humor of ii dawned.
Mr.. John Mack's portrayal of the char
acter Of Sir Anthony the impatient and
quick tempered old father. whose will
was the only way and who in the end was
really tickled that his son had practiced
the deception he did upon him. was ex-
cellent. his work in this character proves
his right to rank among the best of act
ors Miss Blanche Bender as Lydia Ian
guish was charming and natural in this
diJscult part She possesses real merit
and with II has a dainty appearance that