Los Angeles herald., 1906-09-10
'TRILBY' WELL
DONE At BURBANK
BRIGHT PRESERVATION OF
DRAMATlzED NOVEL
Mary Van Buren's Farewell Happy
eIeetion-Grand Gets Back
to Melodrama With
Vim

Mary Van Buren began the closing
week of her very brief season at the
Burbank yesterday in that clever
dramatizatlon by Paul NJ. Potter of Du
Maurer's immortal novel of artist life
in Paris, "Trilby." And Mary Van Blu
rem, more than in any other play in
which she has appeared here this time,
deepened the regret which rs generally
expressed that her stay Is to end so
soon.
In only one respect can one seriously
object to the Trilby of Miss Van Buren,
she is not tall enough The heroine
of the novel was quite of generous
height, and Miss Van Buren, while of
good size Is still hardly as elongated
as the text requires. But in the multi
tude of attractiv qualities which her
Characterization presents, one nearly
always forgets this one thing that she
cannot change. And it seems hardly
fair even to mention this one objection
to her, inasmuch as her pulchritude
was the one great fault In her Camille;
and she can't change her beauty, either.
That same beauty nightly applies in
"Trilby," for the Du Maurier heroine
certainly was depicted as lovely.
The Trilby of Miss Van Buren, is a
very winning young woman. She is
not the wild, hilarious grisette that one
at first thought would believe she
ought to be. A careful study of the
book will demonstrate that she is right
in thus toning down the character from
the ordinary conception. She presents
a. sweet, lovable, happy-go- girl
quick to anger but equally quick to af-
fection; tender and demonstrative in
\ her love, full of camaraderie, and alto
gether winning. This is the kind of
girl Trilby must have been, to capture
, the hearts of the redoubtable trio who
all loved her.
That she was wicked, not intention
ally but merely good-naturedly, Trilby
as here played implies rather than de-
clares. This, too. is acceptable; one
cares more for her than If she frankly
avowed her moral shortcomings. She
sinned; she admits it; she palliates it
in no way; she explains merely by say
ing that she was accommodating. 1t is
not good moral defense, but it makes
us like her for her very humanness.
And that's Trilby. So Miss Van Bu-
ren's depletion of the part leaves a
pleasant memory with u.s. and the
fetching heroine clings closely to our
hearts.
The Burbank players shine strongly
in the several roles allotted them. Mace
Greenleaf is ponderously likable
ally WllldIn DeTldTu is uIllQuely
clever as the canny Laird, and Harry
Mestayer, as Little Billie. a sort of
mlk-and- water part in less capable
hands, makes one think strongly of a
certain very delightful Imp" and to
applaud as much from memory as from
present evidences. Harry Glazier's
Svengali, while in many re poets like
that of William Gillette, is yet differ
ent and is quite as thrillingly Creep as
could be asked. thus t,dding to his list
another role of peculiar excellence.
John Burton makes the Rev. Thomas
Bagot the typical caricature of cler-
gyman-why a raj minister cannot be
depicted on the stage one cannot but
wonder. Carroll Marshall is Mrs. Ba-
bot; Phroso McAllister is capable as
Nine Wizard, and the rest of the COM
pany in minor parts almost raise them
to higher proportions. 1t is too bad
that the soon to leave Brenda Fowler
hasn't a better chance, but she does
well what little is given her.
"Trilby" abounds in good scenes. The
studio in the first act is atmospheric
to a degree, and the revels in the Sec
ond act are quite natural. The Trilby
song in act III is cleverly done. The
mountings and costumes are fine.