The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-11-27
THEATRES
Mr. wIIaou. in "MetE in the AIps."

Mir. Wilson, fin "MetE fin the Alps"
 Al H. wilson, with his voice, 6 number of good songs, leading woman of fair talent in Gertrude Perry, and Sa company of actors ranging from mediocre to worse, presented Metz in the Alps" at the Montgomery The ater. last night
 Metz In the Alps" is not a play which will take rank as one of the dramatic productions of the age. It is not play which even shows to the best advantage the talent there was in the company of Mir. Wilson. Founded along lines that have been been gone over again and again, and with strong element of the melo- dramatic which takes away from 1t the interest which the audience might have in the leading man and his voice, the play tones down to an in sipid and tiresome performance.
 Even the thrilling rescue" by Metz of Metz's wife, who has fallen into 8 crevasse, after being led to her seeming doom by the 'villyun," with all the local color. including a mag nlficent St. Bernard dog, fails tc sat- isfy in the performance, which for the unnatural and the unreal Is one bet ter than anything which has shown on the boards of the Montgomery The ater this season. Nor do the various muttered curses, the wild plans of vengeance formed by the aforesaid ''villyun" in fis vain endeavors to se- cure that twenty thousand pounds" succeed in impressing the auditors with the sense of realty in the production. That is the end, the "villyun" is killed, the wife restored to the arms of Metz, and little che-ild saved, and that the eyesight of the wife, blinded by a pistol shot of deadly intent, Is oor S,rfx1 fa hAP--fhQt short everything turns out happily, as 1t should in the cheap and trashy novel, and the hero and his heroine are re- united-all this fails to satisfy the audience. For the end was foreseen from the beginning. Such a play could matter of waiting through four acts until that end should be reached. to see the fulfillment of the happiness of the MetZs and the audience.
 Perhaps 1t is not fair to deal toe harsh ly with a play that is not intended to be masterpiece. Charity should at times be spread over some of the productions we have placed before us. Metz in the Alps" is not entirely devoid of good things. Had 1t maintained fin It's entirety anything like the level of the first act it might have been, if not of the highest class of drama, at least fairly interesting. Indeed, in this act, there was considerable interest, and at the end climax which was not without strength
 The curtain rose displaying the interior of the home of Metz, his wife and his child. Metz had not yet succeeded, in six years of married life in falling out of love with his wife. Their little banter and happy love- making furnished something attractive and pleasing. That 1t had to be spoiled by the | entrance of the bold, bad man." whose machinations furnished the remainder of | the material of the play, was a source of real regret which greatly exceeded the feigned sorrow Of the actors in the unhap- l piness throughout the remainder of the play | Husband and wife are separated Left l alone, Metz mattresses his little girl sings her to sleep with a lullaby, and lays her down on a couch near the window. Then the mother returns for last look at her child The child Rwakens, cries for her mother, and Metz sings her to sleep again. As the child drops again into slumber, the melodious clear voice breaks and the man | bends over the little form shaking with sobs. It makes a very pretty climax, well | sustained, and withal, convincing
 That Mir. Wilson himself is stil favor | ite. however, was evidenced last night l through the entire play. Ills character | acting was good. and his sengs called forth 1 repeated encoros. The songs were sweet and of ;he kind that finger in ones memo ry after the show Is over. Sweet and clear, and with the voice of the singer. pure, pen etrating, and filling the entire house, even the lowest note caught the ear and capti-
 
 Heaven is in Your Eyes" and the "LulIa- by." were called for again and again.
 1 Of the other members of the cast. Ger | trude Perry by far the superior of her companions. Her work in the first act | was good. and that 1t failed to convince in the latter acts was due more to her lines than to any lack of ability on her part. l Little Reenie Harrington. as Little Deut- cher" Metzs little girl. was distinct sd- ditIon to the play. Acting the part of the 1 child, she was natural and charming.
 Ross O'Neal. as Simon Frenzel. the will yum had the proper role in his prOnuncia- 1 tion, and the proper laugh for the will yum" in the cheap melsdrama. and he out lined his plots to secure the cold cash with the proper vindictiveness for the role in the same class If play Macy Millburn. as Wilhelmina Muller. the sister of Metz was l old-maidish enough to present the role of I the traditional old maid Julia Batchelder as Betty Trudehen. was nice to look upon, but it could scarcely be said said she show ed any great ability. Fred Mower as Dr. Sebastian Grimm. a burEomaster. was the | kind-souled old man who admires the hero. and who Is always his friend. That was | the best that could be said fer him.
 Taking the play as 1t was. however. 1t cannot be said that Al Wilson seemed to
 suffer much by 1t. He is a favorite in Montgomery as the large audience and the frequent applause bore full evidence. His songs will go far to counteract many other things in any play in which he is the cen | tTal figure. Besides. no one expected to see Al Wilson in an extraordinarily good play. "The Isle of Spice" is the attraction at Ian FrTN--