Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-03
-HANKsGIvIN day comes to the
rescue OF the business done by
Washington theaters, as 1t Is
customarily expected to do. There

Washington theaters, as II Is
customarily expected TO do. There
was nothing especially appro-
priate TO the season offered. In fact, there
has been little tendency to make timehhe's
a prominent consideration in the theatricai
bookings for this city. The race track peo
nile are supposed to be a gay and festiVe
throng. who delight in the fun ana Irisoi'
ftv of musical comedy, but the horse-o"ii
ing fraternity and their numerous traiii
have been compelled to bestow their pat
r,orage upon plays some OF which were ia
most literary. "Raffies' might a"aheh "
certain sympathetic interest In men OF au-
yenturous temperament. But II Is not hAe-
Nv that the turf devotees found much that
was inspiring either in Her Great Maich
or In Sweet Kitty Bellairs." 1t was some
thing Of relief to find that, although the
norsemen might crowd you out OF your Ia
yorite restaurant and increase the norman
discomfort of the suburban street car. they
were not tempted to wholly take posses
sion of the better theaters.
r
The play is emphatieally not the thlhs
Cexcepting the phrase be used to lnalcate
fashionable vogue) when Miss Elliott Is
the star This lady, with deep. dark eyes
and softly radiant smile, Is the only coh-
slderation OF Importance. To some OF ner
ardent admirers, and we are legion, IL VIII
never be known whether Miss ELLIOTT reaiiy
acts or not. The question OF artlstlc MIN
tory great as 1t is in the minds of people
who regard the theater as possessing pos
s,buities more important than the function
Of casual entertainment, fades into inslg-
niacance during the contemplation of this
She is one of the few individuals on he
Stage who manage to put the vocabulary
Of gush. so commonly employed in the dis
cussion of theatric favorites, momentariiy
,pon sane and legitimate basis. That
Miss Elliott is beautiful there is no deny
ing. and the Importance of beauty should
not be critically underestimated. Beautiful
women have made history.
x 4
Her Great Match" is not a great play,
but herein lies one of Miss Elliott's pecu-
liar advantages-she does not need great
MAY. Her admirers visit the theater where
she appears in order to see a charming wo-
man rejecting a variety of ehangeful and
summary moods. They do not ask for the
tempestuous or sublime. Maxine, happy;
Maxine. grIeved; Maxine, with ruffied tenn
per; Maxine sweetly affable; it must al
ways be the same Maxine. Though she mas
ouerade from season to season with the
names of an hundred heroines, her gracious
personality remains obvious and unaltera-
Bile This was shown with convincing though
melancholy emphasis when she was once
persuaded TO try and sink her identity in the
traditions of Shakespeare. The recollection
of Miss Elliott playing Portia with an in
Congruous blonde wig lasts even to this day
with spectral grewsomeness. Mr.. Fitchs
plays are in some respects ideally adapted
to Miss Ellotts powers. They submit none
of the players in the cast to any tragic tests
They are mostly about nice, comfortable,
cultured people, such as Miss Elliott ought
to know do you like goldfish?" inquiries
Mr. Fitch in the opening dialogue of the
second act, and Immediately he adds that
the question was asked merely for the sake
of making conversation. This effort to make
converse ton is noticeable throughout Mr.
Fitchs plays. But every now and then 1t
is eminently successful. Any playwright who
converses as constantly as does Mr.. Fitch is,
unless all the laws of chance are at fault,
sure every now and then to say something
downright clever.
1t Is not surprising that many women de-
Of usefulness where the domination of femi-
ninity is complete. The world loves lover,
but its heart does not go out to him with
anything like the sympathy that is felt for
a lady in distress. A dozen actresses are
launched forth upon successful careers as
stars to one actor Mr.. Bellew Is an excep-
ton that proves rule; he holds his own as
q playgoers idol despite the gentle rivalry
that has overwhelmed most of our mascu-
line players Dear old Raff1esl" exclaims
Bunny during the progress of the play, and
the audience echoes the sentiment, uncon-
sciously substituting "Bellew' for the name
of Mr. Hornung's immaculate and fasci-
mating rogue. 'Raffes'' offers a potent ar
gument in support of the saying, ''Old
things are best" Very few new productions
that Washington has witnessed this season
possessed anything like the appeal of this
from which the bloom of novelty
was brushed some time ago and whose ma
terals are vastly older than the play Itself.
Ii is amusing, though gratifying, to see the
punctilious disposition occasionally mani
tested by authors to give due credit for
the source of their inspirations. In the first
act of "Raffies'' the amateur craftsman is
mentioned as worthy the attention of Sher.
lock Holmes himself. The Indebtedness of
this play 10 Sherlock Holmes Is so obvious
that any effort to escape it would be fu-
tile. The scene with which the play opens is
almost the duplicate scene in the Gillette
of Sherlock Holmes" The
safe on the left-hand side and the staircase
moved from the right of the stage to the
middle are landmarks Capt Bedford is a
more stalwart physical specimen than Sher
lock Holmes. lie has no disagreeable hypo-
dermic habits. but his lines of operation are
quite similar TO those of the Baker street
Conan Doyle in one of his
stories introduces reference to Monsieur
Dupin. which makes quite clear his readi-
ness TO recognize Edgar Allen Poe as the
originator of the short detective story. 1t is
quite reassuring to see this conscientious
delicacy about giving credit where credit is
Que. although it is not always manifest in
cases where the source OF suggestion is not
OF common information.
The stage villain finds his revenge in
Ratfies For years he has been spurned by
the heroine. buffeted by the village cham
pion. made the subject of crude Jokes by
the comedian and Kissed by the audience. In
Rafffes he comes forward as a haa,, tda,t