Los Angeles herald., 1905-05-22
GREAT FUTURE
FOR PLAYWRIGHT
HIS MMPERlAL HIGHWAY" A
BIG SUCCESS
CLIMAXES CAUSE MYSTERIES
Harry D. cottreIps Play Scores
Triumph at the Burbank Theater.
II VIII Be Run All
Week
cLlMAxEs CAUSE MYSTERIES

Harry d. Cottrell Is Calltornla
dramatist. He is going to do things
some day. Those who go to the I'M
perial Highway this week at the Bur-
bank may doubt this at the beginning
Of things, but by the time the COM
plexity of climaxes is reached in the
third and fourth acts the whole audi
ence, sane or otherwise-it is a ques-
ton whether the regular Sunday
theater absorber Of melodrama can be
called sane-is stirred UP to keen ex-
element that keeps 1t on the edge of
chairs in a state bordering on hyster-
| les.
Really it is not a good play; 1t is
wildly foolish and wildly thrown to-
gether and wildly filled with incidents
that clutter the main story, but there
are the absurd variety of funny situ-
ations that divert an audience of this
Sunday type, the type that is willing
to have the action cluttered, because 1t
knows that everything is coming out
"just lovely" in the end. We feel Cot
trell is writing down to his audience
and can do better If he likes.
Tells Stirring Story
In spite of all the bypaths that lead
nowhere the Imperial Highway" tells
stirring story of love and adventure
and lays the scene in country that has
no existence. This leaves one quite
free to accept every situation as it is,
and after the first act one is glad to.
It is the story of party of Ameri-
cans who have gotten themselves very
much tangled up in state affairs in
Zenobia. The kingdom of Zenobia has
a wicked, oh horribly so, king and
young and charming queen, whom he
| has ceased to value Jack melville
Desmond proceeds to fall in love with
this charming piece of femininity, Miss
Hall, thus bringing down intrigue on
his head and tanglng up the affairs of
the whole American colony. But the
king opportunely dies of heart dis
ease at the climax of his wicked career,
and the lovers, after brief six months
of mourning for etiquettes sake, come
together and live happily ever after.
There Is an abundance of clap-trap
comedy pulled in by the skin Of it's
teeth, a lot of not very pointed jokes
that are let off at the rate of about
two to the minute all through the
play.
Every member Of the Burbank COM
| pany, besides the new members, were
yesterday seen at their best, and it is
a best that is really growing more so.
| The honors of the play were very
evenly distributed. Blanche Hall and
| Desmond have a good chance to please
| their audience this week. Miss Hall
was unusually charming and unusually
reserved in a trying part, and Des-
mond sent the gallery quite wild with
| admiration in that begilt uniform, a
combination of Austrian, Russian and
German, and anything else you like.
The best work was done by William
Bernard as the emperor, a part easily
| ruined by ranting, part, in fact, so
wildly, improbable villainous that 1t
was ruined when 1t left the author. 1t
was Bernard that made it. Mr.. Ber-
nard has a fine reserve and self-for-
getfulness that makes his good work
| in such a part doubly tragic. He did
that death scene so we'll that the gal
lery stopped kissing and begun to feel
sorry for him.
The character parts are in good
hands. H. ]. Jobson, as the globe
trotter, is very effective. and Burton
and Stockbridge and Southard are all
we'll placed. Gertrude Kellar, an old
Burbank fayorite has come back with
all of her old grace and charm and an
additional ease.