The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-10-17
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.erhe County Chairnan..

| The company which last night pre- | scented George Ade's comedy, "The 1 County Chairman" at the Montgomery | Theatre came about as near being | genuine all-star cact as Is ever seen 1 in this city. The play itself is not un- l familiar to local theatre-goe and in- | terest last night centered mainly in the personnel of those who essayed to de- lineate Mir. Ade's masterpiece of rural comedy. .c- >
 Theodore Babcock, in the leading role of The Honorable Jim Hackler, County Chairman, was the typical country pol. itician; he not only acted the part.f but he looked 1t as we'll Of splendid physique. with an astute brow set of by a double chin and an inimitable drawl and an adroitly-used roll of his eye. he kept the large audience with him throughout the performance, and at the close of the third act, when about to deliver to Wilson Prewitt, editor of The Patriot, story concerning the past candidate, which would have eternally ruined the reputation of the latter in his little home town, he tore the man. uscript to shreds rather than break the heart of Rigby's wife. the curtain rose half dozen times in response to re- peated and enthusiastic applause. The audience. evidently clamoring for cur tain-talk, was disappointed. however, Mir. Babcock declining to speak
 Tilford Wheeler, the County Chair mans junior law partner, a candidate against Elias Rigby for the offce of County Prosecuting Attorney and Rigs by's daughters fiance, is a part worthy of better handling than that accorded 1t by Herman Lieb. who rose at times to the occasion but who. generally speaking, was rather weak. Mir Lieb's work was only passably good. though once or twice during the evening he came in for round of exclamation.
 The plot has no villain in it's make up. Elias Rigby himself would have made an admirable one, however. and did manage to make himself about as rhrcI Llar with those present as the hu- morous conditions surrounding all of his actions would allow. His campaign speech to q crowd of sympathizers and hangers-on at the opening of the po- litical contest was well executed and constituted his best work.
 George Thatcher as Sassafras Living ston. the touch of local color" was the same old iaughable. entertaining Sassafras who gave an audience a year ago two hours of side-spfitting enjoy ment. He has not changed, unless 1t has been to improve. He and his cam paign cigars. which stubornly opposed ignition, and his new baby, which he named successively for the candidates and their man CTS, were the real fea- lures of the comedy
 Miss Ruby Bridges is pretty--real pretty, she is--ard that is her forte, rather than acting. As Elias Rigsby's daughter she won appreciation last night. but t was due less to ability than to facial and physical characteristics Miss Rig sbys manner, her personality, is attractive, and she is and will be a favorite on this account if no other.
 Next to Sassafras Livingston among the fun-n1akers was Joe Whitaker, the windmill agent and Lorena Watkins, the mfllfner of tle village. portrayed by Will F. Phillips and Miss Zenaide Will Hams. respectively. The former, an up- to-date travelling representative un- awed by any circumstance and with an irrepressible proclivity for exhibiting his windmill model, and the latter, who confessed to having met so many trav- cling men, you know" had their anus ing vicissitudes, but a marriage license settled all their woes in the end.
 As for the rest of the cast they were all goo 1--so good that every one who saw and heasd them resolved to be present again should "The County Chairman" make its appearance in Montgomery next season.
 Ths scenic invostment was all that one expects of company for which Henry W Savage stands sponsor. This is but another way Of saying it was splendid. Babes in ToyIlnd" is the attraction tonight