The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-19
N AND his ANGEL" BORES
STANLEY DARK'S PLAY SEEN AT
TIE HACKETT THEATRE.

Attempt 20 Rehabimiate the Emotional
Drama or the Clara Morris Era Go
Acting IN spots ELECTS Some Applause
FIRED Tyler wins the Only Real HonOrs.
At the Hackett Theatre last night. Edward
Rraden preeented a modern" play IN
three acta and a prologue, by Stanley
Dark. called Man and His Angel" VINO
the man OF the piece might be was sadly
In doubt, In spite OF a quotation from Tenny-
son which adorns the programme. But not
Ten lines OF the prologue had been spoken
.sneu Il was clear on the face OF Il that
Manager Braden, at least, was acquainted
with the angel.
The play Is a naive attempt to rehabili-
tate the dear old emotional drama OF the
ara Of Clara Morris. With n touch more
al absurdity in the acting II would pass az
n whole hearted travesty OF that long bat
tered derelict OF the playhouse, and n t
was. there was much difficulty in keeping
ona's antilles inaudible, for the leading role
rested in the hands OF Miss Frances Ring
aaId To be a sister OF the Belle OF Avenue
A. whoae efforts were no less noteworthy
becauee she acted in a vein OF studied (ouC
u~nIearned) emotional suppression.
Sonia tepnidk is the daughter OF a Russian
axle In London, and she has q voice that
rivals that OF Nordica, Eamee and Semorlcn
rolled. triled and quavered into one. This
10 In the prologue. By the frt act she has
taken Paris, Berlin and 81. Petersburg by
.torra. and il a favorite guest with the
Enrlish nobility. But she In 30 tender a
flower and 30 unspoiled by her triumphs
that ehe has deep womanly oubts whether
IL 10 not presuming In . woman to have q
career.
And then an old document comes to light
which reveals q terrible secret. AS LORD
Arthur Dalton expresses II, out OF q chaste
and noble horror, she II nameless. She
henself voices the dread truth by saying hat
her mother was not her fathers wife. She
loves and IL to marry Hon. Cecil Stdnforth,
but everybody sees at a glance that when
the dreadful truth becomes known the Hon.
CeciTs family will throw up their hands
In horror and call on the match.
Lord ArthuY's bachelor chambers. Poor
man, he had twisted his ankle ana 80
oouldn't 20 to her. The Hon. Cecil bursts
IN ON them and his first idea is that-well,
the first idea Of any man on the elder stage
at such a junoture. So the tender and
shrinking composite Of Nordica, Eanes and
Sembrich tells him the truth and points
out that he can never, never marry her'
He agrees hat he can't ana JnouBn ne pro
teets that she has broke his heart ne coll
lects the Fragments and departs, quite. as
N the English nobility had never married
an actress and never could.
or course. IL turns out that It all isn't 80
but quite otherwise. II has been the work
al a bunchback whom Sonia has rescued
from prison in the prologue and who loves
her with doglike devotion and jealousy.
But YOU do not hate the hunchbaok. You
are sorry for him, just as the quotation from
Tennyson on the programme tells you you
ought to be.
The production was creditable and the
acting so good in spots as TO elicit applause
from an audience unmistakably bore d.
Arthur r. Lawrence rendered a comic
stage Frenchman with sacrificial devotion
Miss Alice Butler did her very good best
by a shadowy dowager. Norman Thsrp
played a vain and epigrammatical silly
ass as II it mattered. As the hunchback
Holbrook Blinn had moments mpresslvely
melodramatic.
The only real honors Of the evening,
however, rested with Fred Tyler, who was
cast as the chivalrous and devoted Lord
Arthur. He gave a performance that
would nave been a credit to any play and a
delight on any staRe-simple, UNAFFECTED
and full Of mellow sincerity.