Omaha daily bee., 1906-04-16
At THE PLAY HOUSES
sThe Little Gray LADY" at the BOYD.

'The Little Gray Lady" at the boyd.
The Little Gray Lady: dram in four
acts, by Claiming Pollock. The cast;
Perriton Carlyle. Stephen Grattan
Samuel Meade. ECONOMICALLY Edward Elsner
Captain Henry Jordan. Frank opperman
Richard Graham. ............. Charles ID. PITT
Bob an urchin. Harold dc Becker
Anna Gray................Pa Pauline Fredericks
Mrs Jordan................ Eleanor Sheldon
Mrs Graham, nee Csrruth.. Mary Morgan
Miss Wadletgh. ...................H Helen Lesle
After seeing The Little Gray Lady
sense Of obligation to Mr.. Chsnping Pol
lock IL irresistbly borne home to the
thoughtful observer The author calls It
play without hero" 1t is more than
that; Il is a Washington play without
high government official. without titled
foreigner. without society lady, with
out a dress suit. without a negro, without
a single reference to 'the old flag" in
short. without any OF the conventional
features 80 familiar 20 us through the
medium of other Washington plays. The
folks concerned are all employees Of the
treasury department, save the boarding
house keeper and her good-for-nothing
husband. The little gray lady is clerk
i'm the redemption department of the treas
ury and is in love with a fellow clerk; the
daughter Of the boarding house keeper,
also employed in the redemption depart
ment. makes the young man think he loves
her. She leads him into extravagances and
he finally steals enough pieces OF bills
to make one bill. A secret service man,
who loves the little gray lady, is put on
the case and brings the crime home to the
man. The little gray lady shields him and
III. eta-
ment and in doing so opens his eyes and
the curtain falls on the happiest Of happy
endinss. The scenario promises little, but
the simple material has been most deftly
handled by Mr.. Pollock. who has proven
himself a master of lisht and shade In
dramatic construction and who knows fun
we'll the value OF cumulative effects. He
sbates nothing OF the sordidness of the life
Of his characters. They are people to
whom the expenditure of 81 for theater
tickets Is a bit OF reckless extravagence
and whose lives are simply bound up in
the money they earn at the treasury. But
they are human and illustrate phases OF
life seldom thrown on the screen. Opposed
to the intense strain Of tragedy that lies
very near the surface all the way through
the play is a vein of clever comedy and the
tears are kept back by the constantly re-
curing bits Of unique drollery. Mr. Pol
lock certainly merits thanks for his de-
parture from beaten paths and deserves
all the success that has attended his
efforts.
The company presenting the piece con-
tains no we'll known name of actor or
actress, but is a splendidly selected and
equipped organization. And right here is
tip for the Omaha people who love
good play Don't make the mistake you did
when you let THE Heir to the Hoorah'' go
by because il didn't have star con-
nected with It. 1t was one of the brightest
and best comedies ever offered here. and
presented by a company of thoroughly
capable people. who made every point
count. and the folks who did go to see It
were never better pleased Here Is the
same sort Of an orsaniza tion, with a piece
OF the same kind, and you are doing your
self an injustice IL you miss it,
Miss Pauline Fredericks carries the big
end OF the load in her part OF Anna Gray.
and proves herself fully worthy OF the
judgment that placed her in the role. She
is a sincere, thoughtful. honest, loving girl
with a fine notion OF personal responsibility.
That's all. Miss Fredericks fully merits
the enthusiastic appreciation her work re-
ceived last night. Miss Humphrey, as Ruth
Jordan, the lght-hearted, selfish and friv-
olous daughter of the lanolsdy, is quite as
clever as Miss FTedericks. and Miss Shell
don as the fussy. meddlesome, prying
boarding house keeper is also excellent in
the role. Miss Moran and Miss Leslie have
smaller parts, but do them very we'll
Mr.. Grattan as Perriton Carlyle the
young man who made a mistake, enters
into his work with a sincerity that is con-
vinclng, and Mr.. Elsner in the role OF
Meade, the secret service man. creates
character that is likely TO linger long I'm
the mind, associated with some most ap-
pealing stage pictures The other men in
the company are worthy associates OF the
leaders.
The piece is finely mounted. all the set
tngs being extremely realistic. The one in
the room of the little gray lady. a typical
boarding house setting. is a most natural
conceit. The broken down furniture and
tawdry trappings bring back strongly to
any who have led the life memories Of
what they have escaped. When Miss Gray
let's down her folding bed unstraps the
mattress and sheets, stuffs sofa cushion
into a pillow case, and. just before retiring,
looks under the bed, the effect is beyond
expression. The audience last night was
not large, but 1t was quick to realize the
excellence of play and company. and com
mended both accordingly. THE Little
Gray Lady" remains till after Wednesday
night, with a special matinee on wednes-
day afternoon.
"The Duke of Duluth" At the KFuE.
Nat M. Wills, the popular comedian. be-
gan his annual engagement in Omaha yes
terday at the Krug theater, where he and
an excellent supporting company OF COM