The San Francisco call., 1905-02-14
D'ORSAY REVIVES
DUNDREARY DRAMA
Thomas Earl of Pawtucket'
a"BIahsted EmgIshmam."
NEW COMEDY SETS COLUNBIR R-CRIN

i implored Mr. Thomas" said Law
rance D'Orsay last evening in his lit
lie speech, mot to make a silly ass
OF me in The Earl Of Pawtucket'
'D'Orsay,' said Mr.. Thomas, III make
you exactly what you are yourself
and here am concluded Mr.. D'Orsay.
be was certainly there" last night
at the Columbia with THE Earl Of
Fawtucket." The D'orsay personality
in the Earl OF Cardington, alias Mont
gomery Phnam, was as deliciously and
pungently in evidence as il was in the
actors one-worded part in THE Only
" ay'-and who can forget the lovely,
niown-in-the-bottle ''blahsted'' Eng
ltshness OF his condemned French aris-
locrati Il would in fact take much
more than Gus" Thomas to make any
thing else but himself Of Lawrance
DOrsay. Nothing short OF a guillotine
would effect it-and the pity ont when
oone. one rather wondered if there
were enough Of Mr.. D'Orsay to go
round a whole play. The moments we
nave had OF him, as the King in "A
Royal Family" as the "alluring" man
IN The Gay Lord Quex," and in a
small part or two besides, We're unfail-
ingly delightful. But they were small
parts comparatively, small and in
lngton-similar-only more so. 1t is
The generous. stupid, chivalrous, aris-
iocratic Britisher in three acts. and
there is not a word too many of him.
one is not surprised that The Earl
OF Pawtucket" kept New York a-grin
Tor year even in the hot season,
when 10 grin Is hard labor. 1t kept
the audience in queer little spasmodic
convulsions last night all through.
sudden and tardy smokers, great
laughs and little laughs as the leisure
ly humor sunk in.
Mr.. Thomas has planted Mr. Dor
says kind Of Englishman down in
New York at the Waldorf-Astoria
The hero is an English Earl, Card
lngton, who has left England TO es-
cape being a witness at a trial and
also to follow a beautiful American
girl with whom he has fallen in love.
An American friend of his in London
has lent Cardington his name, Mont
gomery Putnam. The girl happens to
be Putnam's divorced wife. who has,
however, resumed her maiden name.
But Cardington is introduced to her
as Montgomery Putnam" and the
fun begins.
Besides Cardington. there are sew
eral other cleanly dram figures in the
piece, and the complex situations and
complications are both entertaining
and original But Caudington's the
thing. The Earl. with his delicious at
tempts at Americanism, his constant
tund Of amazement for the thing
American, his chivalry. his leis-
urely. lovely unhumorousness, is the
center Of things. Mr. D'Orsay is most
happy in the part He wears its won
drous vests with the air Of a thousand
kings His drawl viii be epidemic
within the week-one heard half the
people going out grinning that they
had a telegram from Aunt Sara-ah,
don't-cher known" And, above all, the
little mannerisms, stupidity, unhumor-
BUSINESS forgotten, the figure is that Of
fine, sweet gentleman, as ably drawn
by the playwright as ii is handsomely
pictured by the actor.
The company assisting is excellent
There is not a smack of stagineSs
throughout the cast Perhaps Miss
peytons spinster aunt is the most
sggressively comical figure, though no
more realistic than the admirable wait
ers that help things out so well.
Charles Hallock, Herbert Fortier and
A. p. Thomas as Mr.. Fordyce, Senator
Barker and Silas Hooper are a trio
Of business men that might have
walked in off Montgomery street. and
Ernest Elton is equally realistic as the
valet
Miss Florence Robinson as Harriet
Fordyce also brings much charm Of
naturalness and grace TO the role, and
Mary Elizab beth Forbes is winsome In
the ingenue role of Ella Seaford. An
excellent play. an excellent company
and an excellent star.
BLANCHE PARTTNGTON