Los Angeles herald., 1905-11-13
MELODRAMA IS
GREAT SUCCESS
M0RoSC0'S NEW PLAY WELL
RECEIVED
Author-Manaeer Compelled to Re-
spond to Enthusiastic Applause Of
Large Audenee-company
Does Superb Work

oliver Morosco is not ashamed of
melodrama. This type of play, he says,
holds the mirror UP to nature most
perfectly and at the same time is
most dramatically effective. Yester-
day he proved this to the satisfaction
of two audiences which crowded the
Burbank theater, by producing "The
Judge and the Jury" which he wrote
in collaboration with Harry Cottrcll
and which was produced under his
direction.
Nothing so tremendously successful
has ever before been presented at the
Burbank. 1t was q Sunday the Burbank
manager, and as well the Burbank
company, will never forget. Blanche
Hall wept after about the twentieth
encore at the matinee and oliver
Morosco made a curtain speech only
mildly expressive as words went of
the thanks which he plainly felt.
IT is a better class of melodrama,
founded on old lines and brought to date,
With some remodeling, necessary to
every play following it's premier, it
will stand to win foremost place for
itself in the play world. The authors
have chosen to introduce the pictur-
esque and have done so with excellent
success.
Hero and Girl
The story is made-as are all melo-
Only in this play the hero is not a
hero in the melodramatic sense of the
word, but very much of a human be-
ing; the villain is not a villain but a
very respectable hero and the girl is
a live girl of New Mexico. Briefly the
tale runs:
The hero-miner is the rough, big
hearted sort, who loves the girl but
who fears the gay New Yorker as a
rival. The city man paints Claude
Melnotte pictures for the maiden of
the sage brush country until she near
1y yields. She goes at the dead of
night to meet this genteel heavy at a
The answer is mo" but after he re-
ceives it the villain is shot by a MeXi-
can whose enmity he has incurred.
The girl has just been presented
with a revolver and 1T is this weapon
which is used and which afterwards
being found incriminates her in the
eyes of many and for a while even in
the eyes of the hero. The hero is
not extremely complimentary to the
girl whom he processes to love, it
must be confessed He refuses to even
consider her violent protestations of
Innocence and of love for him alone.
The tide of affairs turns, however,
as it always does in favor of the hero
and the play ends happily. With a
trif1e more conventional whitewash for
the hero and few more black spots
on the character of the villain it might
be improved for many conventional
theater-goers.
The company distinguished itself
William Desmond never did better
Earle Ryder also came to the front
as he has not done before during his
stay here. John w. Burton has an
excellent part in Steve Olds and
makes the most of it. 1t is easily seen
that the roles were written with this
company in mind. Harry Lewellyn
has another Chinese character and
makes a great hit in IT.
Bennett Southard does character
work also as the local justice of the
peace and was enthusiastically APP
plauded. Henry Stockbridge is pop
who has now and then displayed re-
markable talent, gives an excellent
picture of an Indian who worships the
heroine. Raymond Manion deserves
praise for his portrayal of miner
Blanche Hall has the woman's half
of the drama nearly to herself. 1t is
in New Mexico, which probably ac-
counts for the scarcity of the sex
Miss Hall, however. can carry half
play on her shoulders without much
of an effort Her work is extremely
difficult and she accomplishes it with
a grace and charm that are wonder
fully effective.
Mention should be made of the in
cidental music composed for this piece
by Joseph Montrose. The tension of
the drama kept the attention of the
audience generally above incidentals
but these little compositions are worth
going to the play a second time to
notice.