The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-03-25
AT st. Paul Theaters

Unique, ingenious and entertaining
is the four-ac comedy bearing the odd
title "The Mummy and the Humming
Bird which was presented at the Met
| ropolitan last evening. The title gives
no suggestion of the matter, but its
application is disclosed soon after the
curtain rises.
The mummy is an English lord
who gives more time to scientific re-
search in the realms of chemistry than
to his wife, the hunming bird is an
Italian man of letters" who constant
| ly f1utters about the neglected wife
| with intents more wicked than char
liable.
The play is the work of Isaac Hen
derson, who has succeeded in telling
the old. old story in clever and orig
inal fashion. 1t is not a pretentious
literary effort. bristling with epigrams
or favored with brilliant witticisms.
Nor is it burdened with tedious
! speeches and didactic harangues. 1t
| is simple narrative in dramatic form,
| in which few words are wasted, in
which the humorous aspect is most
frequently visible, Notwithstanding that
a tragedy is imminent before the story
! is half told. The dialogue has nat
| ural, spontaneous flow, occasionally
| Frightened with clever repartee and
| never forced or stilted.
| The most unique situation occurs in
| the first act, when Lord Lumley, sit
! ting alone one evening in his study in
| London, his wife having gone out to a
dinner party with Sig. dOrelli, invites
an organ grinder into his house to
dine with him. The son of Italy can't
| speak a word Of English, and Lord
Lumley is an equal stranger to Italian,
but they converse with each other in
| the universal sign language.
Giuseppe, the organ grinder, in ex-
| press1ve pantomine, makes it known
| to Lord Lumley that he has come to
| England in search of fellow
countryman who wrecked his home.
| Giuseppe, in his jealous rage. had in
fiicted injuries on his wife which
| proved fatal. Nothing remained but
vengeance. He expresses this by
drawing stiletto and crying, wen
detail" In describing the destroyer of
his home Giuseppe stroked his upper
! lip IN manner SO like that of Sig.
d'Orelli that Lord Lumley, startled by
| the imitation, shows the organ grinder
| a picture of D'Orelli. That is enough.
Giuseppe, with a cry of rage, recognizes
Lord LuInley at once engages Gui-
seppe as his valet. and eventually
makes such use of him as to save his
wife and strike terror to the heart of
| D'Orelli, who is only too thankful to
be permitted to escape. In this re-
Spect the plot is a strong reminder Of
the story of Herman Merivale's For
get Me Not" in which Sir Horace We'll
by employs a vengeance Vowing Cor
Stephanie.
Paul Gilmore, young actor OF
graceful carriage, expressive counte-
nance and pleasing voice, impersonated
Lord Lunley. In the first act, in
which the English aristocrat is suppos-
eddy absorbed in his scientific re-
searches, Mr.. Gilmore did not afford
a convincing picture of a man STEPPED
In the chemical compounds Of his lab
oratorY, but from the moment his eyes
were opened to the character Of
DOre1li, from the instant the hus-
bands honor and the wffe's name
stood in the fafntest shadow of peril,
his portrayal improved in outline, color
and vitality. Throughout Mr.. Gilmore
maintained a eommendable reserve,
and sustained the dignity of the char
acter without sacrificing its humanity.
But somehow his personality seems
better adapted to the delineation of a
more impulsive individual than Lord
Lumley. Mr.. Gilmere's best acting
marked the final scene of Lord Lum-
ley's reconciliation with his wife.
The other roles were fairly well as
sumed John Martin, in the important
but comparatively brief character of
Giuseppe, contributed the most eff
fective representation. The Sig.
dOrelli of Bennett Southland was not
convincing, either in action or dialect.
Adele Thurman was mildly pleasing in
the role of Mrs. Thornton, the young
widow. Margaret Drew was intrusted
with the ungrateful and therefore diff
cult character of Lady Lumley. Her
voice was inadequate in the only dra-
matte scene she has, and her enunc1a-
ton was not as distinct as it ought to
be. #. G. H.