The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1906-03-06
PROVIDENCE OPERA HOUSE

Mr. Upton on......................C Cyril Vezina
| Bob. an urchin.......,...,...H Harry wagner
Anna Gray. y........................Jul Julia Dean
Ruth Jordan..............,DOr DOrthy Donnelly
Mrs. JORDAN. .............,.......EN Eva vincent
Mrs. Graham, nee Carruth. ............
| ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. .Justina Wayne
Miss Wadleigh. Rachel Barr
At the Providence Opera House for the
week with matinee tomorrow and Satur-
| day Maurice Campbell presents THE Int
/ tie Gray Lady" play without hero
/ by Claiming Pollock II is announced
] that at the Wednesday matinee every
| lady who has on gray gown will be
given a seat AT half price.
The Little Gray Lady" appeals. IL for
no other reason because II is-well, very
! different
| 1t hs a story-play, a character drama
and comedy OF manners. The plot is
not a thriller. the characters are com
mon every uay folk and not all of the
manners arc lofty. or even fairly good
| manners. But story, characters and man
/ ners are all plausible and are told, drawn
! and pictured with a skill and finish that
make the Little Gray Lady" a mighty
! interesting and likable play for it's own
sake as well aS because Il is thoroughly
| different from what We are accustomed 10
! I'm stage life.
/ 4.
/ back yard-a common or garden variety
! OF back yard such as Is found i'm the
/ older portions of a well favored city like
/ Washington. -. Ca deadly dull back
yard, perhaps. but the sort OF place,
| nevertheless. that for many folks has
] tender memories The back yard belongs
! 10 a boarding house conducted by real
] Virginia lady" who takes dodgers from
| the moderate salaried government offices.
| There ia ice cream for dinner on the
| evening of the opening scene and the
! captain" the Virginia ladys husband,
is grinding the freezer. From adjoining
| houses on the summer air 1Gats out the
| doubtful melody OF a flute or a violin or
some female lodger down the line prac-
| ticing on the pianner. Someone SHES over
! the fence from an adjoining back yard the
! remnant OF a discarded tin wash-boiler.
The lady who runs the boarding house
! is at pains TO cast It back again over the
! fence into her neighbors yard. This
neighborly pleasantly is INDUCED I'm sew
/ eral times throughout the scene
There is a hammock in the yard:
gaudy backyard kind Of a hammock.
| There Is a summer moon over all. And
! I'm and about the hammock under the sum
mer moon after the ice cream that topped
| off the evening meal has been dispatched.
several love stories are represented in
| course OF development. There are more
| love stories. per charssSter, 10 THE Little
| Gray Lady than are apportioned 10 any
! play we can recall. The characters are
assorted by couples and there are out
siders who seek to break into the couples
| and displace one or the other OF them.
| They are all young lovers. boys and
| girls almost. and they go about the bust
ness of love making just as young people
really do. more or less foolishly 10 the
view OF the outsider, and so rather de-
| lightfully for an audience to watch IL Il
nd pt M m
| sympat hetically There are the Grahams,
| who are secretly man and wife, since the
| girl would lose her position in the govern
| ment department that retains no female
| employe after she is married Then there
is Perry Carlyle. a bad sort of a young
ster, who gets himself gone on vulgar
| piece OF calico. and finally proposes TO her
and IS cheerfully accepted. The other girl,
that is to say the Little Gray Lady.
! loves him all along. and he. In his careless
| way. has loved her--they have grown up
together I'm a distant state before they
| got their government places. But the Vul-
| gar bit OF calico and the backyard ham,
| mock and the moon and bit 90 sentimen-
tai music that just happens from one OF
| the backyard rooms unsettles him and he
! proposes to leave the Little Gray Lady.
| AS for her she feels almost as bad about
the choice that the boy has made In her
stead as she does about being cut out
|
| how unselfshly. makes the story OF the
| little comedy pretty affecting and heart
| reaching.
This is "a play without a hero but
| n has a dear flesh and blood heroine who
! ilustrat tes one OF the universal phenomena
| OF love and loving, to wit, that you don
| love the one you love for what he or she
Is or does or despite what he or she Is or
| does. but simply just because you love
] I can't
over her fondness for the bad boy, Perry
| Carlvlc-no not even when he Is proven
! to he wretched thief and not even
when he Is foolish enough to discard her
] and grab the vulgar bit of calico who
| nings herself at his head. Another fell
| low. a fine manly chap. loves the Dittle
| Gray Lady very heartily and because ne
! loves her so he isn't generous but is
| downright mean about reminding her OF
/ the fatal defects in the other chap-which
| seems to make her cling to the other
/ chap all the harder strange as II may
! seem-if you are not young yourself or
| have forgotten your youth. The vulgar
piece develops all the weaknesses In the
| fellow who, isn't a hero-but the Little
! Gray Lady. loving him good and strong
/ for All he isn't worth it. develops the
strength in him and makes a hero out OF
him az last Incidentally Il is rather re-
freshing 10 have the man In the case
/ rather than the woman. the weaker yes
seI-it Is right true Of real life though
not so often Is that phase of the universal
sex problem offered on the stage.
Very charmingly pictured portrayed and
acted is the play of the Little Gray Lady
/ Character sketches are strong and inter
esting and atmosphere Is cultivated to the
delight OF the audience. The back yard
scene Is fine bit Of comedy work. There
Is another effectively constructed scene
I'm the lodgings of the Little Gray Lady.
! The manly fellow who loves her drops In
! for a call and II any fellow wants TO
know how he looks himself when he goes
through the preliminaries Of call on the
I girl ne likes, he should watch Mr..
! Humphrey poke over the photographs on
/ the piano and the trines on the table
before ne Is able 20 settle himself com
fortaby Then YOU get a vivid picture
of the young woman preparing TO retire