The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-18
"SHE STOOPO TO CONQUER. :"
COLDSUITH'S MASTERPIECE At
the NEW AMSTERDAM.

4 Icnten HlessinB Tor the frOuuclloh
K,rls Bellew an Ever Young MarlOwe
rlcanor RObsOn's Miss Hardcastle
Merely Mary Ann-DiggOry the Clown.
II NAV he wished that our old comedies
,,,,cd better Office than that Of stop
e,p al the end OF peteHnR season, and
were the occasion OF something more dig
,Ircd than the exploitation Of the tenn
roranly unemployed; but nothing short Of
murder most foul can quite destroy their
charm. OF all the plays Of the elder stage,
nome is more trimming with the wine Of
classic humor, none hper with well OBJ
scryed and sincerely felt character than
Goldsmiths "she Stops to Conquer
,hich was put on last ight for three weeks
NJ the New Amsterdam. Coming in sea-
.on Of rather thin lenten fare in the local
rayhouses, the occasion was one OF much
rejoicing
over the production 1t is not possible to
srcaxrrorc than a lenten Ilessing. Every
,roIt. it il true. has Teen n ace 10 recon-
rrI IT, TIE three sets are rich, deep
eru elaborate. the interior Of the Three
Pigeons and the garden front Of Mr.. Hard
,a.,l,'s house Icing quite beautiful. But
80 -tagc coach which twice Tlfmbles across
tho hack Of tho stage, and the trap with a
,ar.,ononv which Is led on only TO be backed
N are matters OF dubious propriety.
Thank tie good Lord there's no more
Of EN-.
The acting was as undistinguished as
the personnel Of the cast Is creditable.
Mr. Kvrle Bellew makes a perennially
Young Mdrloue-inhnitely more youthful
than. let VA say, Sarah Bernhard In her
most maidenly creation OF rice powder
and rouge. The air Of make believe
extended even 10 his attitudes and his
smiles But 1t was a pretty make believe,
and carried of with no small eXpeTtness
in comedy and romance. There have been
many far less satisfying Perfo FINANCES in
The mart and last night II ranked almost as
q triumph.
Miss Eleanor Robson's impersonation OF
Mise HdrdcdSile must be frankly set down
As a disappointment-a grave disaPpoint-
ment in one who has 50 often exhibited
sincere even transcendent, abilities, II
lacked breadth Of method and ebullienoe
of comic sTirit. And when the gentle
woman was merged in the supposed bar
maid what a fall was therel A thick and
unmistakably Irish brogue buttered her
utterance, even while NdTtove was eI-
claiming that she was "a pure English
growth I assure you'll II was merely
Nam Ann with a difference. Miss Robson
has somewhere confessed that her accent
IN that delightful character was bit Of
pure fake, but it had at least the proPriety
to be a fake English dialect.
The Tony Lumpkin Of Sidney Drew was
even dryer and more uninspired. u showed
an expert command Of the business OF the
actor, and with this the part Is capable Of
causing much genuine laughter, for II Is
as near actor proof as a part can vel De,
roars. But never for a moment did he
denote the shrewd clownishness, the broad,
spontaneous fun Of the character.
The Diggory Of j. +. Dodson was
huhooned to an extent incredible in an
actor who has so often proved his quality.
On his first entrance he struck the attitude
n a circus clown, and he exaggerated the
traditional strides and outlaws Of the part
in a manner that fairly brought the aroma
of Swdust into the nostrils, And il was
not particularly artistic Glowing at that
One Svers Of Madison Square coul give
him cards and spades. II was BpPlauded,
N he sure in certain remote end elevated
sActiors Il the audience, but II Is not the
highest triumph in classical acting to be
the subject Of laughter for the gods.
The Hdrdcds'lc Of Mr.. Louis James was
theatrically effective in a rather hard and
irsstent manner; but II was not Tor mo-
nent an Interpretation Of the character
The essence Of il is a sort OF robust spirit
Of the gentleman which swallows rebUh
and insult out Of sense OF personal dignity
end loyalty ~ an old. friend. Mr.. James
suggested little more than the rustic inn
kaerer for whom Hdrdcds'I" was mistaken.
The H sirot - Mr.. Frank Mills WIS mumhled
ind ndistintt, andtSe old M0. loLe0f George
holland undisti in guished at best. As Miss
Nerilie Miss Isabel Irving was pretty and
Dassa blv AMUSING.
The one bright spot In the evening was
the Mrs. HdTdcdstie Of Mrs. Calvert, re-
Gently arrived from England Al her hrst
entrance she was denied the hand OF hos
pitable welcome and this may have been
the cause Of a certain lack Of spontaneity
IN her opening scene, but every movement
and every intonation revealed the actor
who knows and feels the cha acter, and
who scorns 10 play for points. On her
first exit the audience warmly apphuded
her and continued to delight In her
throughout Her scenes Of alternate ten
deness and IA ge with her pumpkin son
we're carried on with the genuine spirit OF
old comedy.
The last previous performance OF the
nlay, by Ben Greet's company at Days
Theatre. was less effective as whole,
MANY Of the parts being taken by actors
al slight ability, and II was marred by an
overelaboration Of stage business, par
tlcuarly in Mr. Greet's performance OF
Tony Lum pkin. But Il somehow preserved
more Of the ripe atmosphere OF the old
comedy, and Miss Wynne Matthison's
Miss Hdrdcdstle in particular had a gem
uneness Of character and feeling that hnger
gratefully in the memory.