Los Angeles herald., 1905-05-16

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supporting company. The cast.
IN THE PROLOGUE.
Hester Trent. ....... Miss Margaret Anglin
Capt Arnold Sylvester. Walter Hitchcock
Sir Frederick Knowles. ....... Walter Allen
MAJ. Gen. Graham. ........ Henry Firth
Lieut. Tyack. ............,.. walter Roberts
Surgeon Watson. .............. Arthur Kent
Surgeon Marsh. ............ John Winter
orderly .....................A. A. B. Franklin
Ruth Wilding ,...... Miss Blanche Stoddard
IN THE DRAMA.
zlra. ra................M Miss Margaret Anglin
Rev. Gordon Claverlng. Frank Worthing
Capt. Arnold Sylvester 90. Edward Emery
Sir Frederick Knowles, F. r. c. s;:.....,,,
Bishop of Wrapping ..... Arthur Lawrence
The Rev Mr.. Lennox Edgar Asche
John Mowbray. ......... Maurice Wilkinson
Dave Hopkins "a costermonger ........
.................... ....... Gordon Burby
Mr.. Fielding g...............Ar Arthur Bertram
Butler. ...,............... II. Beecher
Footinan. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. George Moore
Lady Clavering. ...... Mrs. Thomas Whiffen
Ruth Wilding. ...... Miss Blanche Stoddard
Mary King. .............. Miss Eleanor Blake
Mrs Virgins. Miss Mabel Coleman
The story of the Magdalen has kept
the world weeping time out of mind.
The mental anguish brought to re-
pentant woman as the penalty for "sin-
ming and being sinned against makes
an easy appeal from stage or book,
and under the influence of the moment
there is apt to he a confusion between
consummate art and hysterical emotion.
There are both these in "Zira." Those
who are ever anxious to believe that
the greatness of a drama is in propor-
ton to the sobs of an audience will
H. tbo+ &c 70
to posterity, although they themselves
will have forgotten it by the end Of
next month. BY the same physiology
the revivaists who recently brought
their Los Angeles audience to tears
and repentance are great.
The Manners Miller offering is an
other study in neurology, for nerves are
the dominant theme and they are
played upon with much the same
abandon as that with which the wan
dering, wanton winds toy with the
strings of the Aeolian harp. There are
times when these sensitive fibers are
strained to the highest tension and
there are moments when the relaxation
is so complete that the persons in the
drama drift into awkward explana-
tions that engender nothing save weari-
ness. Between these two extremes are
all the different gradations of neurotic
disorders.
For the most part it is emotional
melodrama, crude and conventional,
but it is saved by the flashes of almost
In, q
the admirably sustained clir1axes Of
the second act and the several care
fully differentiated studies of charac-
ter. The excellent art of Miss Angln
and her associates often make much
of little material.
The plot Of "Zira' Is taken from
Wilkie Collins New Magdalen." "Zira"
is young woman who is endeavoring
to hide aid forget her sin of the past
in the work Of nursing the soldiers out
side Pretoria during the war in South
Africa. 1t is here she is found by Ruth
Wilding, character portrayed by an
actress of unusual ability, Miss Blanche
Stoddard, who, however, sacrificed her
characterization to some extent by her
conscientious effort to have the entire
sympathy of the audience centered in
the star.
Ruth Wilding is about to disclose her
knowledge of zira whens an opportune
cannon ball strikes Ruth down and
apparently kills her. Zira adopts the
name of the woman and stealing her
passport and the papers which are to
introduce her as the niece of Lady
Clavering, she escapes through the
lines without learning that Ruth is only
wounded and will recover.
When Ruth does recover no one will
believe her story and she finds Zira
in her place and winning the love Of the
leading man. With such misfortunes
on her head Ruth might easily be made
the heroine of the play, except for
the fact that Miss Anglin was placed
in the other character.
1t is the meeting between these two
women in England of course which
makes the drama. In these scenes
Miss Anglin rises to the heighth of her
wonderful emotional ability and scores
a triumph. 1t is a mad struggle for
Zira to keep what she has gained and
she pleads and RACES until it threatens
to become a tragedy. zira scores her
point and Ruth is ordered from the
house. Then zira following one climax
with another holds the audience breath
less while she falls to her knees and
confesses the whole story to her bene-
factors.
Frank Worthing makes the most Of
a rather colorless John Storm role. Mrs. |
Whiffen was delightful as Lady Claw
ering and Edward Emery gave brilli-
ant portrait Of the drinking soldier.
"HER MAJESTY" SCORES
A nICTIMNT cIINnEcc