The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-21
HISS SPONG'S NEW PLAY GOES.
kv OLD STORY, BUT DEITY WRIT
| TEN AND EXCLUSIVELY ACTED.

eJOhn HudsOn's WIFE" az weber's Capt..
Yates by It's Subtle HunOr and Charm
D. OF Truth -Hllda sDOnE. Wlliam y.
Hawtrey and "a walsh Lead cast.
n literary art at once simple and subtly
exquisite and acting az full Of life and
humor as OF technical inesse can conn
pensate for the lack Of a fresh and inter-
esting story, then John Hudson's Wife
should prove a signal popular success.
The play affords Miss Hilda Spong a less
snowy role than LADY Jim. ' her first ven
ture this season at Weber's Theatre, but
d gives full scope to an admirable COM
pany and bids fair to be as sucoessfA AZ
Chat was otherwise.
The story Ia that often exploited anair
Npf how she fell in love with her husband.
Honour BeGuchdmp .. the one a onshoot
pf q nobly degenerate family, marries
thu millionaire Of humble birth, noble
character and royal bank account, to re-
nesm the fortune OF her family. IL is q
mans bargain between the two, open and
Explicit; with not even a kiss Of the fingers
to,seal L.; and from the middle OF the first
ID four acts there ia no doubt as to how It
twtn end. At the opening OF the second
mot, In fact, Honour Enthusiastically signifies
20 all but Hudson, that she is in love with
him.
Then arises the more important COM
Nplcation Of the plot. HonouT's spongtng
9amtly, having pushed Hudson's generosity
b0<he limit, steal a State paper left In his
heeping by the Prime Minister Of England
tnd sell 1t to a newspaper. The burden
ff the crime falls upon Hudson. Here
Again the story is hackneyed. and it's end
4s4n no possible doubt. The crisis tries the
Rouas Of the husband and wife. and after
&he usua1 deeds Of ~elf-sacrifce they fall
Unto each others arms.
Hrhmatio conflict OF character and passion.
Even uch interest as might arise from
tkeeping H0nor's true feeling for her nus
band In is sacrificed, and, as It seems,
Intentionally sacrificed in the interest OF
syer1stmilitude. But it is no small recon-
3bense that the atmosphere OF simple truth
SEnd humanity dominates every action and
Jgvery line. Pinero and others OF the great
bnes have seldom written more pungent
catalogue, seldom presented more unaffected
hnd sympathetic characters.
x The audience, for two acts, inclined
To smile at the shopworn materials OF the
action, was held in unmistakable interest
AkhToughout, and rewarded the actors with
applause that increased in volume and
8bCntaneity TO the final curtain-when
lkhe two leading actors were called out
skgaln and again, until Mr.. Hawtrey made
W Hkrnp4e little speech for the star OF the
fDccasiop, who stood hand in hand with
him.
IL would be useless to try to give anyidea
Of the dizziness of the writing, the sobriety
and the plausibility OF the action. There
ts q matter Of HudsoR's first little pair OF
baby shoes, which his mother, an honest
Yorkshire woman, brings to the wife. She
II too proud to let her husband see how
they touch her, but h covertly covers them
with the kisses. One word too much, one
touch OF the obvious in the acting, would
reduce 1t all to bathos, But the authors. a
q pair Of English collaborators in fiction
Cordova, spare us the word too much and
Miss Spong and her company prove them
selves worthy Of them. To realize how
fine and compelling it is you will have to see
the play.
Then there il the matter of the stealing
of the papers. The safe is in view from the
rise Of the curtain, and ia the receptacle
OF the jewels Hudson has lavished on his
bride OF ice. The least one expects Is a
Jimmy and dark lantern. Bnt the Beau
champs; father and son, have the tradi-
tons II not the instincts OF gentlefolk,
and do not touch the jewels. Even their
theft Of the papers is 40 skilfully led up to
as to seem quite In the nature of things
which IL was.
Mr.. William F. Hawtrev is the elder Beau
GNNHPH - ~yAhNNA "AN ON Bsy
and the mellow r~ipeness and fine veracity
of his acting is as manifest here as in
'PThe Two Mr.. Wetherbys," and to far
, greater effect with his audience. A more
individual and more distinguished per-
1ormance II would he impossible to imagine;
Mr.. Lionel Walsh is only less successful
An assuming the part of his cynical and
Y~audacious son. II was hard to believe
that he 10 not in his own person one Of the
1big cared degenerates Of whom Lombroso
has so much to saw.
Herbert Percy is handicapped in the
sportrayal of the husband by a somewhat
stin n unsympathetic personality, but
he In throughout earnest and sincere. As
his Yorkshire parents Henry Hanscombe
hand Edna Bern are capable and appealing.
GCharles Rowan as the Prime Minister, and
sJohn Westley as the editor h buys the
t6tate papers, ably maintain the balance
ljof a cast which it would seemingly be i'm
possible TO improve,
y Miss Spongis downright sincerity IN
distinction OF manner nave never been
more agreeably in evidence. Hers is not a
temperament of great magnet ism. Emo
/ tionally one has to meet her half way over
I the footlights. But given q play az adj
/ mirable as this and a rart as we'll within her
Necope one is more than willing to be
charmed.