Omaha daily bee., 1905-11-05


Na1 THE Little Minister" by the
Woodward Stock company al the Burwood.
That this splendid play was told over again
with force and directness was evinced by
the fact that the house was sold out at
every performance. The work of the indi-
vidual members of the company was uni
formly good. One or two had more than
little trouble with the difficulties of the
dialect, but these were overcome by per-
sistent effort, and aside from this the
events of the play moved along with salts
factory precision and desirable results. Mr..
Morrison suffered considerably the re-
suit of a serious physical disability. On
Saturday night he fell coming down from
his dressing-room after the performance,
and went on to play Sunday with a leg so
badly strained that his doctor ordered him
30 keep his bed Each performance Of the
play was gone through by him at the ex-
pense of great pain, and IL his performance
fell short of preconceived notions, the de-
hciency must be charged TO his physical
unitness Miss Lang gave a seriousness TO
the role of Babbie that seems a part Of the
character, for under the surface the Egypt
ian was not any more frivolous or mis-
chievous than other girls at her age, ana
when she saw the way her mischief was
leading her. Il was but natural that she
The character parts were made most de-
lightful Miss Davis scored quite a tri-
umph in the role of Micah Dow, and Miss
Hill, who is showing each week more ca
pacity for light comedy, was an ideal Jean.
Miss Gerald's Mamie Webster might have
been taken from the book directly. John
Todd's Rob Dow was the one great part
among the bits" Mr.. Todd has estab-
lished himself as a most capable character
actor, and the public has come to expect
finished performance of whatever part
he assumes Mr. Davies in the role OF
Tammas Whammond also scored success
Generally speaking, THE Little Minister
was presented in a way worthy in every
respect OF the importance It holds in the
Ist and the presentation won many more
friends for the Woodward Stock company.
Mr. Mansfield has added another 20 his
list of successes in his presentation OF
Don Carlos" The critics in Chicago well
come the play and the player in language
which, while tempered with the calmness
2 of deliberate judgment, is sufficiently en-
thusiastio to enable one to read between
the lines and discover that the play Is
one of the most enjoyable the great leader
OF the American stage has ever offered.
This sentiment is indicated in what Mr..
Hubbard writes for the Tribune. Mr.. Hub
bard says:
Richard Mansfield last evening added an
other item to the already large debt OF
gratitude the theatergoers OF TINS county llltr,
Henry Irving did for many years In Eng
land-keeping before the public that which
is best and finest in classic and contempt
raneoun drama. He is doing It in slightly
different way, for the CONDITIONS under Hae,I
those under which Mr. Irving labored dur
ing the years when he performed his great,
est and most notable tasks: 5St nn 1ns
of what is the best are the same IN potn IN
stances. - nrza,a hos
n lapse into what impresses as tondness TOT
the giorifying of self In certain OF MS OF
fsrlnEs s sSd they usually are Followed by
the bringing forward OF some notaole pIo-
ducton In which he is put an one Sn o Which his
desire for complete artistic ensemble Is
beyond question. 1t is with such pr4edpSGI ,
autumn engagement at the Grand.
%
From his security in London George Ber-
nard Shaw refers to the situation Of Arnold
DAILY in New York by quoting the telegram
OF the English landlord TO his revoltec
irish tenantry: you need not think you
can intsmidate me by shooting my agent.
With his customary cynicism Mr.. Shaw
goes on to defend his play that has just
been prohibited in New York, asserting thai
q will be found powerful argument look
ing to a solution of the problem involved
1t discloses, he says the "tact that ricr
men spend much money on that class Of
women. and frequently love them" This
IS hardly an original discovery on the
mart of MT Shaw and even If It were 1T
value is not apparent. The ugly truth o.
the matter seems to be that Mr.. Shaw de
liherately- tried TO see how far the per
matist TO go in his pursuit of the merely
nasty. and he has found out that Mrs
warren's Profession" is beyond the limit
II Is merely needless, cold-blooded dis
cussion of a topic that can not be settled
through academic debate. The prompt &C
ton of the New York authorities in puttinI
a stop TO the exhibition is an excellent In
dication OF the temper OF the American
neople Mr. DAILY weakly admits that h
has accepted the verdict Of the New Yorl
dramatic critics. after the play had beei
given a presentation, and has decided tina
IL is UNIT for the public. Mr.. DAILY wa
assured of this in advance. Not one OF tn
influential New York papers but had give
frank and complete utterance against IN
play months ago, long before the Daily pro
duction was talked of. It will gain tn
manager little sympathy that he wen
ahead hoping against hope, and expende
some thousands OF dOllaiS IN MS uuOeIIah
ing. The demand for the printed volum
OF the Shaw plays will be much enhanced
but the sale of tickets for its presentatio
on the stage Is over. That's something I
be thankful for
Olga Nethersole. In an address to Chicag
women just before she began her engage
ment there In the translation of the Hei
vieu play on divorce, said she would devot
her efforts to elevating the stage. Mis-
Nethersole's last undertaking in this dire,
ton in America was such a notable success
that the police stopped the presentation {
"Sapho." in which she was engaged, b,
cause OF it's indecency. Now she comes q
the heroine OF a play that Is different onl
in a degree from the Daudet story. A vii
finds her husband unfaithful and divorces
him; she marrles again; her child. the Sc
OF her first husband. falls III and over II
sickbed the father and mother renew the
love: the second husband and the first hgl
for her, and fall over a precipice TO dealt
That's certainly elevating. All that It e
tablishes is admitted in advance II
woman is weak. she is weak. and II ma
Is morally loose. he Il morally loose, an
no amount OF divorce OF marriage will alt,
m.