The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-21
LONDON INTERESTED
IN BARRETT'S PLAY
Actor-MaHager's Latest Piece,
Produced at Hull, Piques
Curiosity of Play-goers.
From a STAFF Correspondent.

From a Staff Correspondent.
LONDON, Feb. 20.-Since he made
his great strike with The Sign OF the
Cross" Wilson Barrett has bid for
the favor of play-goers here with
three or four original works. none OF
which, however, has attracted largely.
The uncommoniy favorable reports
that have come from Hull, where Bar
rett's latest play, THE Never Never
Land" was produced the other night,
have, however, made Londoners rather
curious to see it. The playwright
seems to have hit upon decidedly
novel plan and to have worked 1t out
with exceptional success.
Australia, OF course. is the Never
Never Land and the frs. act of the
play passes in the heart of the bush"
We have two comrades-as unlike as
comrades generally are-one of them,
Jack Lansdale, being Enthusiastically on
his way to the dogs. Though gem
tleman by birth. his reputation Is I'M
savory, and he has married an aban-
doned woman from the slums of Sgd
ney. His chum. Jack Mowbray, how
ever, is as straight as a string, and
also q man of q good deal Of breeding.
Early In the play, Lansdale, the DISCO
lutte partner. gets letter from his
widowed mother who begs him to re-
turn to the aristocratlc home in Eng
land which he deserved twenty years
before. to her, and to the younger Sis
ter whom he never has seen, Lans-
dale IS ashamed to do so. AS luck Will
have it, however he has a fatal acct
dent only a day or two after receiving
his mothers letter, and, when lying at
the point Of death beseeches his chum,
Mowbray, who has no kin living, to
20 home and personate him, thus, per-
haps, saving his mother from heart
break At last Mowbray consents,
hardly realizing, however, what sort
OF mission he has undertaken.
The beginning OF the second act
shows Mowbray's arrival at Lansdale
abbey, where he Is received with open
arms The situation soon becomes
complete, for the well-meaning impos-
ter falls in love with the beautiful
girl who SuppoSeS herself his sister.
Things become still more complicated
with the arrival on the scene of a
shady attorney from Australia, who
has discovered Mowbray's deception
and brought Iansdales dissolute wife
to England with the Intention of get
ting blackmail. Mowbray. however,
defies him, and. the thing finally COM
ing to the hero's supposed sisters ears
she implores him to give her broth
ers trust A striking scene follows
between the two. in the midst OF
which Mowbray, losing all control Of
himself, grasps the girls hand and
kisses 1t passionately. The girl Is i'm
mensely affected.
THAT was the kiss of a loverI" she
aY-in nd oil W
thing. He IS forgiven on all sides. the
shyster lawyers conspiracy Is frus-
trated, Mowbray is accepted by his
lady-love. and all ends happily.
Barrie Scores Over Pinero.
Barrie has scored over Pinero. The
latest works Of the two leading Brit
ish playwrights, Lefty" and Little
Mary, were produced within a few
nights of each other. and at neighbour
ing theaters, but though the Pinero
piece was withdrawn last evening,
after creditable run of 123 nights.
Little Mary" has passed its 150th
representation" as Mr.. Frohman calls
1t. Moreover, the popularity Of Mr..
Barrie's comedy shows no signs of
abating; on the contrary, it has just
been provided with new curtain
raiser-a one-act play by Maarten
Martens, the Dutch novelist, which is
called 1.-The jail Bird"
American players of ability never
have to rest" long in London. Ma
belle Gilman, whose sprightly acting
failed to save Dolly Warden" from
disaster at the Avenue recently has
just been engaged to play the heroine
in the coming revival Of "Amorelle, =
while Blanche Ring, who came over to
appear at the halls, will have leading
part in The Love Birds" at the Sa-
voy. Meanwhile, Maud Hoffman. who
was seen first by English play-goers
in The Cardinal" with E. s. Willard,
has been paid the compliment OF Sc
lection by the Oxford University ORA
matte society to play Rosalind in it's
coming production of LAS You Like
It."
Perhaps 1t Is not immodest to men,
ton, as a phase of the American in
vasion of London. that James WEIGH
has contracted to produce a one act
comedy by Curtis Brown, entitled
Mrs. Hazenby's Health" Mr. WEIGH
is to have a London theater of his own
next winter, at the conclusion of an
i