The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-02-13


PARK.-"only Shop Girl" and p. m.
EMPlRE.-Burlesque 2 and p. m.
UNIQUE.-Vaudevile, and p. m.
William II. Crane i'm ''The spenders."
William II. Crane long ago won a warm
place in the hearts of Indianapolis play
goers, and whenever he appears on the
local stage in a new play the event is of
enough Importance to draw TO the theater
an audience of good size that is always
disposed to view with favor the work of
this very capable comedian. Mr.. Crane
brought to Indianapolis last night, when
he opened his present brief engagement at
Englishs, a dramatization by Edward E
Rose Of Harry Leon Wilson's novel, THE
Spenders''-a story that has met with de-
served popularity in it's literary form. The
assembly was most friendly to the star;
the applause was frequent and seemingly
very genuine. and to judge by the manner
of the plays reception, the new comedy
was well liked by most of the people in the
theater.
The Spenders,'' as Mr.. Wilson wrote it,
was an attractive story on account or the
well-drawn characters, the novelty OF in
cident and the clean-cut, vigorous style In
which the tale was told. Peter Bines was
the central figure of the story, and became
all the more interesting because of the
fact that the other characters were not
neglected by their creator, but pictured
as persons of real flesh and blood. In pre-
pairing the story for stage purposes, Mr..
Rose has seen tit to make Uncle Peter 1.-The
whole show" He was evidently impressed
with the idea that the play was to be
Crane play first, last and all the time,
and that Crane should be given the middle
of the stage In the beginning and kept there
until the end. 1t is not to be supposed
that Mr.. Crane himself was DESTROYS OF
having The Spenders'' made into kind
OF monologue for he Is an actor or too
much judgment to desire personal glorifca-
tion, but the fact remains that Dramatist
Rose refused, as superfiuOus, perhaps much
of the good material supplied by Author
Wilson.
And so, while THE Spenders' will not
stand close analysis as play, it shows Mr..
Crane at his best and provides an evening
of wholesome amusement. The comedian
has a part that is similar to several others
he has played, Peter Bines being a bluff
rugged. shrewd and kind-hearted old fell
low, who, while making an occasional Dluh-
der, succeeds in doing the right thing at
a time when much depends upon his action
r r
The main thread of Mr.. Roses dramati-
cation follows the novel closely. Peter
Bines is a very successful prospector and
mine owner in Montana. He loves the
mountains and detests what he terms the
affectations of the East. He has made
huge fortune from the lone Girl mine
His grandson, Peter Percival Bines, is the
apple of his eye, and Old Peter hopes that
the young Peter will follow in his footsteps
as an unpretentious, strong, square mining
man. But Peter Percival has been to New
York and has tasted of the delights of the
tropolis-delights which are irresistible
20 the average Westerner. as George AIDE
says in an essay recently written for the
Metropolitan Magazine. Moreover, the
young man has fallen in love with a faScf-
mating New York girl, and when she turns
up with a party of rich tourists who are
doing Montana" he finds that her charms
are too much for him to withstand, and he
follows her back to New York. old Peter,
almost broken-hearted, declares that he
will go East to keep the young idiot out of
| harms way-and away he goes.
The second act shows the Bines family
| old and young Peter, and young Peter s
mother and sister-in the metropolis. The
| young man is now desperately In love with
| his pretty New Yorker, Avfce Milbrey, and
a great capitalist, Rulon Shepler, is his
rival for her hand. Old Peter hits upon a
| scheme to disgust his grandson with New
York and promptly puts 1t into execu-
heavily i'm Wall street and he craftily sug-
gests certain stocks which he knows to be
on the decline. The old man thus starts
| the young fellow on the wrong road, while
| he himself invests heavily on the other
| side of the market. The result is that young
| Bines loses all his wealth while old Bines
| doubles his already immense fortune. This
seemed quite plausible in the book, by the
way, while it proves very unconvincing on
| the stage. Old Peter pretends TO be ruined,
| too, for ne has led his grandson to be-
| lieve that he also was on the wrong side,
and he secures the consent of all the men,
bers OF the family TO ''go back West and
start over again" But when he learns that
| Peter Percival is really in love and that
the rich rival. Shepler is about to take ad-
| vantage of young Bines's financial ruin
| TO press his suit, the old miner gets his
| blood UP, gives vent to some lofty senti-
ments and winds up by helping Peter Per
| cival carry off his adored one. And so the
| play ends happily for all members of the
Bines family for the daughter of Mrs.
| Bines has had her love affair, too which
| has pleasant termination.
In the role of Peter Bines Mr. Crane has
character perfectly suited to him. and he
| enacts it in his usual emphatic style, with
| dry humor and sincerity of purpose. In
the scene when Peter pretends to be ruined
the comedian is delightfully."- amusing, and
| he brings out the pathetic passages of the
1 play in a most effective manner
The supporting company is competent
without being particularly noteworthy.
| George S. Spencer makes a handsome Peter
| Percival Bines and portrays the part as
| well as could be expected under the cir
| cumstances. The character is not the Peter
| Percival of the book by any means, but
| this is the playwrights fault-not the ac-
| tors. In the novel the young mine owner
| is the sort of man who sweeps everything
| before him when once reused to action but
| 1t Is the old grandfather who does all of
| the sweeping in the play. John Flood is
| good as Rulon Shepler, although STACEY at
| times, and Samuel Reid is amusing as Billy
| Brue. Charles Crawford does we'll in the
| part of exaggerated Englishman, and
| the smaller male roles are in adequate
| hands.
| The role of Avice Milbrey is played by
| Lucille Flaven, who presents a charming
! picture throughout and gives TO the part
| the right amount of sweetness and tender
| ness. Marion Pollock Johnson is a bright
and vivacious Psyche Bines-"Pishey," as
| old Peter calls her-although making little
| attempt at characterization. Miss johnson
| comes on the stage in one scene, direct
| from game of tennis wearing shoes
with uncompromizingly high heels. If any
woman on earth could play tennis in those
| shoes she would be entitled to the cham
! pionship. Ida McMillen does creditable
work in the role of the matchmaking Mrs
| Drelmer and Anne Caverly is sufficiently
| giddy and gushing Florence Akemit
! The other feminine roles are capably taken
| by Marie Bingham and Grace Addison.
| The play Is tastefully mounted and the
| stage management is excellent 1.-THE
| Spenders'' will be given again at Eng
| lishs at matinee this afternoon and for
| the last time this evening.
| Theatrical Notes.
| Lulu Chaser, who comes to Englishs the
| first two nights of next week i'm her nretty