The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-07
rs, WIZARDS BRIGHTER SIDE
REFINED TDILLiC COMEDY
trDNTS ron "LTCKY DURH An"
,,f,c1 Capus's la Chatclaine." Well
translated and ABLY Acted. Abuses
md prllghts q Refined Audience Alice
Ionnun Charming Chatelninc--Mr.
wizard Himself seen at His Best.

ionnnn a Charming Chatelainc--Mr.
wizard Himself seen at His Best.
willard amply atonod last night
.. ,be Erickerbocker for the Grass rhodo-
,.,,,q.Io thr silly bosh Of Lucky Durham. :
4, r,..ruut Louis y. Parker's trans
i..or..f Alfred Capus's idylhc and charm
r,,r..r Ia Cha,ean'.
ro .ag vas given in Philadelphia two
ys,r- i've. under the rHme Of The OPP
,m..t I-t nisht il was called The
.-,r,ar ~... Sir Willard could scarcely
t.,a b,cr 10 optmist as regards his New
Var. f8.Iua.nc when he held this piece up
.cc,, for 10 shows his brighter side,
I,,ba. rr.Igcing manager and actor
II r rcrtap- truc-and pity It's II true
nat t... exquisite sane and charming
c.IIl,camc,ly has no deep and broad appeal
Gar fhe generality Of AnElo-Sayon play
r1o-. I,i- pr1mi.cd Ms only for a limited
,c-n Hu' Nr WIZARDS publican intelli-
re-tr..Hr. and by no means a small one
Wilde n-c.f great injustice if it lets it pass
IS without due heed
The romance ono Of middle life. The
Cb.icIama has been ruined in happiness
suI no n.'gne ly a protligate husband
s,,I- aiu4' ~ divorce him and sell her
.rr. .'r.. clstIc no the highest bidder in
or."r fu devote what Is left of life and
v.auh 90 rcr seven year-old son.
4p.ttus nuns up IN the person OF the
Oa,i.r d man who. having sGuaudercd
t.lafrmHuy IN his youth has lived 20
,.o,lcr iu % he Of cheerful usefulness.
Tie Crimst fails IN love with the Chate-
ard Wins her love before the divorce
/. f,ulv rr'ried
Hem tho uilln age romance heco mos,
iva IrI..l'e turn of invention, "A Medieval
m.ro ur 40 least mock MediT val
r.~spap an intriguing middle class wife
Ina MANNED To- marry her daughter 10 the
en.nit and a. about. quito IN the
Tamrr ol Catherine de Medecis to sep
s-a,e the mature lovers.
she ~pr. up the jealousy Of tho worth
le,. husband. and he in a spirit Of futile,
dog-r-tha-manser jealousy, abducts the
child from tho earth. The Chatelaine Is
for tte moment di-maved, and IN obedience
10 tic instinct # motherhood renounces
ler the first and only hope Of love.
No ,o the Optimlst. Al first he makes
payill elliis.on 20 the way III which a rob
Ter taron Of old would treat the husband
there is the most humorous and delicate
contrasting of sane and cheerful modernity
With the dark ways of the Middle Ages.
Bn wat he finally does is quite just and
reasonable.
I
ami by the force u his knowledge q men
a.d hi- wisdom Of the heart convinces
the husband Il the folly and the selfish
ness Of hi. course Gwlklng what little of
good his nature knows Tn child is
r. red and the lovers are united
Hitherto We have known Capus only 10
tho author Of the somewhat racy and
sophisticated farce comedy The Two
Schools Here he is dealing with comedy
that In both senses Of the word is pure.
He is not, like BreuG, the dramatist 81
s'atcsmanllkc essays. not. like Hcryieu,
the eIploter OF sober problems Of duty
and the memorable human emotions, He
j. the gay. sane man Of tho Partisan world
to-day, full Of the hRht-heartedness that
j. rs best racial instinct, Of the soundness
Of mind and heart that is its best tradition.
la tha,elalne though no doubt quite
unconsciousy il the work Of a lesser and
modern minded Moliere 1t is a comedy
in which not will passion nor prejudice
rules. hut reason aud good SENSE he wis
dom ~ life and the heart
IS for the performance, ono easily
ina gines how much more crispneSs and
verve a French company would throw
into it; hut 20 insist on this would SAVIOR
painfully 81 pedanfry Mr.. Willard has
deserved unusually well Of Va inavoiding
The speoiou- but fatal effort at adaptation
which has ruined so many n charming
foreign arca Why should wc make use
Of me fact 20 urge the shortcomings that
are incyiahns
Mr Wizards own acting is in his hest
VEN, which an but the very best rehned
sud gracious. me.lowed 10y a rich human
sympathy. lighted by serene and play
iI mm1r His denotement Of emotion Is
superficial perhaps 1T least there seemed
io he depths Of love and Of momentary
niger which hc did not sound. But these
laws d aaws they We're. were all but incon-