Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-28
WORK OF AMATEURS.
Carroll Institute Club Presents "Secrer
Service

Tho wise man who first discovered that
ocr,narisons are odious must have been
c,1lad nnon at some time during MS
career TO sit in judgment on the WORK Vi
fellow townsmen who essayed 10 DE az
ors and actresses. There IS only one tilihS
that approaches the dlfhcuity Oh plouu1
ing successfully a drama by amateur .
, +bo+ is to write an intelligent, fair
and satisfactory criticism OF II. Most VI
.ho cherished traditions of critics OF nom
professional play-acting were upss' y,
tho work of the members OF the e oi1
Irs,;tnta Dramatic Club in Gillette Sc
nat Service' at the Lafayette SquaIe
Tbeater Friday night. a stranger III tiie 1l,'
who wandered into the play mouse Iaa ,,o1v-
ing in search of amusement "iti i - n
ing what he was to see or VINO N"9 ~,
niay it. would let no one convince nm
that the production was the WORK Oh aiia
taure who would meet him smilinsiy at
any one of the business houses ana oii n'ss
in the city in the morning ard sno" mn IN,
Goods give him legal advice, MI ms teetil,
Sell him real estate or advise nm as -
stock speculations with the lntelhSeht mai
nor that denotes extensive experience III
any one of these various lines of endeaVoF.
II would seem to the average person tndt
the significance of this incident FURNISHES
about all the criticism OF the apllity VI ,ns
amhitious Young men and women VINO niieu
the various parts in Gillette S greatest Oh
war plays the occasion calls for. Inc
Greatest difficulty that surrounds the pro-
duction of a successful play by amateurs
lies in the fact that the audience Is always
filled with people who are convinced tney
could portray some one or the chafdcteis
much better thap the people intrusteo WIN
Thorn When We see DR.. Tom, squire DICK
and Professor Harry, whom we have
known all their lives forsake the prescflp-
ton book, the magistrates bench, or the
chair of learning to disport themselves in
the full blaze of the spotlight for the bene-
fit of their townSpeOpleS craving IoI
amusement. it is hard to loose sight OF the
very human characteristics of these learned
gentlemen that have Identified them IN our
minds and their work suffers. And one
feels that the elimination of the aforesaid
characteristics would nightly improve the
production. None of these things inter
fered with the success of the Carroll In
stitute's performance last night. The peo-
pie who are known intimately in private
life left their mannerisms in the wings
when they walked on the stage ana be-
came for the time, the characters of Mr..
Gillette's play. Mr.. Edward J. Walsh gave
a careful and competent study of the part
of Captain Thorne, role or great am
Guilty and responsibility. AS Caroline Nit
ford from across the street. Mrs Nora
Cocker Bagnam. long identified with the
clubs productions, scored complete ana
emphatic success.
Mr. James A. O'Shea, in the heavy role
of Benton Arrelsford of the confederate
secret service. shared the honors OF the
evening with Mrs Bagnam Mr. OShea is
d
circles though he has had some experience
in college plays. The friends of the club
were warned that he would do something
worth remembering, and he did. There
are few heavy parts that are easy to por-
tray and fewer yet that are difficult
that of Benton Arrelsford. Mr.. O'Shea was
most satisfactory in every particular,
neither ranting, when he had an excellent
excuse therefore, nor strutting. when most
inviting opportunity offered. So close in
point of merit to these two were the other
principals of the cast that selection be-
comes difficult. DIR. Paul Evans, in the
part Of young Wilfred Varney. justified
reputation. long standing. of unusual abili-
ty in juvenile characters Miss Catherine
Loughran, one of the new members of the
club was very acceptable in the leading
part of Edith Varney. She was especially
good III the emotional scenes in the second
act.
AS Mrs. Varney, Mrs. Bette Florence
Leach gave her many friends another char
acterization about which they might boast,
and Mr.. w. S. Mccarthy. for many years
one of the mainstays of the club, acquitted
himself well in the two parts he was called
upon to portray. Mr.. John J. Nolan proved
very acceptable in the part OF the bluff old
confederate brlgadier, Gen. Nelson Ran
dolph. Besides these principals there was
an unusually large number of people in
minor parts, all of whom acquitted them
selves nobly and with little of that stagi-
ness that seems to paraliZe the locomotion
and vocaliza ton of people unused to wigs
and grease paint. The play was staged
with great effectiveness by Mr.. Robert
Hickman.