Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-04-01
At THE PLGYHOusEs


''The MiddIemnn- at the Boyd.
E. s. willard. and company IN The Mid
dleman," a drama In four acts, by Henry
Arthur Jones. The cast;
Cyrus BIenkarn. .............a....Mr. Willard
Joseph Chandler, OF the Tatiow Porce-.
Captain Julian Chandler, his son.........
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. William Sauter
Batty Todd, Chambers managing man:
Jesse Pegs. one Of Chambers work
Mr. Wyacben LAWYER Walter Edmunds
Epiphany banks of Gawcott-on-the-
Moors. .............. Ivan +. Simpson
Daneper, reporter OF Saturday County
Postman .......................... George Bonn
Button servant at Mr. Chambers. -.
Mrs Chandler Miss Rose Beaudet
Maude Chandler. Miss Mabel Dubois
Sir seaton Umfraville. ;:,.., Frank Dyall
Felicia, their daughter. -. Miss Ruth Barry
Mary Blenkarn. ......... Miss Alice Lonnon
Nancy Blenkarn. Miss Gladys Granger
Mr.. Willard closed his engagement last
night with capital performance of Henry
Arthur Jones' fine melodrama, The Mid
dleman." How often he has appeared in
the role of Cyrus Blenkarn the star does
not like to say. but he stin plays it with
careful, loving zeal and the finish of the
capable artist. Mr.. Jones laid on the con-
struetion of the piece his utmost efforts
in the way of heart and human" in
terest, and certainly develops situations
that appeal to even the dullest, sustaining
them with SUFFICIENT Of dramatic intensity
to compel the attention of the cynical and
rounding out the whole with the most
poetic Of justice and the hRppiest of happy
endings. 1t provides the laughter, the
tears and the satisfaction demanded from
| the theater, and IL therefore not likely
soon to lose the affections OF the public,
on which II has at present such fine hold.
AS the old potter Mr. Willard is seen in
one of his most picturesque characters.
Cyrus Blenkarn is Palissy brought up to
a date trihe nearer our own, and trans
planted from his home in France to
conveniently British atmosphere. Certain
complications in the way of a loved daugh-
ter wronged are added to the sufficiently
thrilling incidents of poverty and despera-
ton and oftimes failure Of the genius who
seeks for the right mixture and the proper
temperature to restore lost art of china
making to the commercial world. The in
| tensely human passion of the old man,
who prays that his enemy "be given into
my hands as clay that 1 may mold them
as 1 like, and that they may melt as wax
| In the fires of my revenge" is a strong
| climax to series of successive incidents,
| but IT is weak as compared with the artis-
tic zeal that drives him on TO win his secret
from nature. The contrast of the two ele-
ments in the old mans nature is finely
shown and it is part of Mr.. Wizards
! greatness that he overshadows the human
/ with the divine as exemplifed In his I'M
! swerving faith in his utimate discovery
/ of the lost formula for making the ware
! he seeks. His eKultation has in II no idea
Of vengeance; II is the JOY of the artist
who has achieved what lesser minds had
told him was impossible. His vengeance
is taken later and is nobly taken. All in
| all, Cyrus Blenkarn merits the attention
given him by the actor.
The SNUG Mr.. Chandler and the self
! satisfied Batty Todd are finely done by
Mr.. BarfOot and Mr.. Cane. and Mr. Stall
lard contributes fine bit of work as Jesse
Pegg. Miss Lonnon is satisfactory as Mary
Blenkarn, and Miss Granger has a splendid
/ opportunity, OF which she takes full ad-
vantage, as Nancy. The others aid in
making the performance a most enjoyable
one.
1t is quite fourteen years since Mr.. Will
lard first offered the play i'm Omaha, but
It was rewarded last night by the largest
audience of the engagement; which state
ment doesn't mean very much, for at no
one OF the performances was the attend
ance such as It should have been. But
! those who did attend were we'll repaid, and
were not at all backward in expressions Of
| approval.