Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1906-12-31
RETURN ENGAGEMENT
Miss Montgomery Plays lara 10 Large Audi.
enee Saturday Matinee.

There must be something worth
while in an. actress who can make a
return engagement of the same play
TO theatre in small town like An
napolis in less than three months. and
can play to an audience the size of
the one Miss Mabel Montgomery play
ed here at the Colonial Theatre
Saturday afternoon. The night audi
ence was also of fairly large numbers,
but not so large. probably. because
of the attraction at the Naval Academy
basketball.
Early in October Miss Montgomery
appeared here in Zaza. Her audience
was not large, possibly because many
who had seen Leslie Carter in Zaza,
thought she is the only woman who
can play the diefiult and not altogeth-
er pleasing role. Miss Montgomery
Zaza however became famous here as
elsewh here, and she was given cordial
welcome on her return Saturday.
There is some change in the company
since its last appearance at the Colon
ial Theatre, notably the leading man
aud the maid Nathalie. The former
assumed by Frank Sylvester, the lat
ter by Areen Hackett, seem TO be the
only new ones in the cast. Each is
an improvement on the former particle
pants in the play.
Zaza at best is one of those immoral
plays supposed to have moral, but
il is play that leaves n dark brown
taste in the mouth of the audience.
1t is much better than Camille that
idealizes badness, but ii is bad, Zaza
is coarse, tough woman, but every
body does not understand why. She
has been raised by a drunken aunt,
who cares for nothing but for drink and
money, no matter how obtained.
Zaza, the child of the slums has no
education, no safeguards thrown
around her. She is a French concert
hall singer. She does not know what
refinement means, she has never asso-
ciated with any but coarse people. A
gentleman comes into her life the
first she has ever known, she falls in
love with him, and she loves him
truly and honestly. She gives up her
stage life to live with him not dream
ing of the conventional laws of mar
riage, and it never occurs to her that he
is married.
Cascart, the the man who has been
a friend to Zaza and made great act
ress of her, reveals to her the fact that
the man she loves is married. All
her jealousy is aroused, she goes to
find out for herself, and here the true
woman's character is revealed. No
man or woman is wholly bad who
can be moved by little child. Iaza
is so moved. She goes to her lover S
home to make scene, but his child's
prattle awakens her womanhood, and
she is good woman from that hour.
Miss Montgomery is a splendid Zaza.
What OF the man Bernard, Zaza' S
lover. He is type of his sex the
world over. When he finds hls mis-
ress has been to his home, has seen
his wife, he imagines Zaza has told
on him. He turns on her, insults
and spurns her. He even raises his
arm TO strike her. This is one moral
and q great one in the play. Every
young girl should see Zaza if for no
other reason than it emphasizes n
truth in human life. There is not a
man alive today who will not always
turn upon his mistress in favor and
defense of his wife, in no matter
what walk of life he may be. 1t is n
lesson to be remembered, and Zaza
teaches it. No matter whether the play
leaves a bad taste or not, there is some
good in everybody and in everything,
and if this lesson can be learned,
there is much good in Zaza and every
young woman should ponder il.