The Washington times., 1906-11-13
DALLAS WEXFORD MAKES
HIT AS Mr.. H0PKINS0N

For months New York has held It's
sides laughing at the quaint MIR. Hop
( kinson" and the successive series OF
predieaments into which his social as
pirations led him. and last night in the
/ Columbia Thsater a Washington audi
ence put the stamp Of its approval on
this very amusing young person and his
! "archangels."
The Hlay comes from the facile pen
OF l.. c. Carton, who gave 20 the Eng
llsh stage Lord and Lady Algy," Lib
orty H1H," and other delightful Eng
hsh coTaedies. In his latest output Mr.
Carton relies on plot SUFFICIENT only 20
carry TIE Characterization OF a third
rate social bonder." and al the same
time almost lifts his play above the
class OF farces into that OF genuine light
comedy.
To the role OF Mr.. Hopkinson the au-
thor has impaired an atmosphere as dis
tinctly English as Augustus Thomas
gave 10 The Earl OF PawtuclSet. "
though widely different. Mr.. Hopkin-
SON IS a social "bounder' IN every
sense Of the word. was a salesman when
wealth came 70 him suddenly and, with
the money, freHzie> desire TO shine IN
English society. He IS taken up by the
Duchess OF Braccborough. who deter
mines 70 marry him TO her niece. who
is under her chapeTonage. The father
Of the young woman has stipulated that
she must be married 70 a wealthy man
without past Nr Hopkinson is sIat-
ed for the part. but girl-a tailor's
skirt hand-whom he had illted when he
became wealthy, appears on the scene
and for three acts HOpkinsOn has d
mighty hard time
Mr. Carton has cleverly sketched a
phase Of English society which is. in a
measure, unfamiliar TO Americans gen
orally. II deals with the class which
bars respectabuity from its code, with
the husband and wife who meet only
at other peoples entertainments ana
then only every four weeks or so; IL pre-
sents suggestion of the good fellow
ship between the man and his wife, who
smile at the others hirtatiOns and
cheerfuny help them on.
Dallas Wexford, who sazne months ago
gave the New York critics something 10
Write about, Is seen in the role OF Mr.
Hopkinson. Personality, voice and ges-
4 ture tend to give the part what one
might readily believe to be eveTv inch
OF the authors meaning. He is the uar-
venu to the life. Every move every
gesture, every intonation of hts voice
suggest the lOwbOrn suddenly Thrust
into an atmosphere he cannot imb!be.
I His liberation by the inner circle and
ITS reason are made manifest. and the
efforts OF Mr. Hopkinson 10 become an
I integral part Of that fairy world lead to
three acts of one Of the most pleasing
and delightful comedy the new season
has produced.
Many persons have thought that ''Afr
HopkinsOn' is too talky. To a ceTtai In
degree Il is. but the lines are excen-
uonally well written and as cleverlv
read The third act is much too long
and might be consistently shortened
but otherwise the play. while not hi
lariously funny, is subtiy suggestive of
a comedy element that only "a clever
writer like Mr. Carton does well to en-
ploy.
The company IS uniformly good. This
does not mean that each is ordinarily
satisfactory, but that ever. TO the small
est bit the characters arc exceptionally
well done. 1t might be said that there
Is not poor bit of character work in
the play.
Conspicuous In the work Of the com
panY is Miss RoNane Barton. a very
pretty young woman who plays the role
Of Eliza Dibbs the girl Mr. Hopkiuson
ly clever Miss Elinor Foster gives to the
role of the Duchess of Bracebor0ugh "A
poise which fits the part to a nicetv.
She is an ideal woman of fashion and
Olive Temple, in the role Of the niece.
is very good. Henry Stephenson. as the
Duke Of Braceborough; Cecil Burt. as
the Earl of Addiction: Howard Surge.
as GawthOTpe; George NJ Graham. as
the Hon. Otho Dursingham: Edwin II
Brooke, as SmethuTst, all contribute TO
an exceptionally clever ensemble.