Los Angeles herald., 1906-03-02
HAPPY PLAY IS
THE CHAIRMAN
ONLY ONE EARRING NOTE IN
PERFORMANCE
Capable Company Presents Best of
George AIDES Comedies to
a Fair Sized Audi
ence

A cruel, disappointing false note is
struck in the third act of the County
Chairman" Ones hopes are raised to
high pitch by the brilliant dialogue
and trenchant wit of the first two acts
and also by the first part of the third,
but the anti-climax which closes that
section of the play completely kills the
illusion and the rest.
A picture of strong character is
shown in the Honorable Jim Hackett,
personated by Theodore Babcock, one
whose heart is soft at times to the
meltir e point but who can hate with
fine vlgor.
An image of a person who for twenty
years has relentlessly pursued mean,
sour tempered man who had deeply
wronged him, and then when at last,
after the twenty years quest after re-
venge Is at an end, and the man whom
he hates is completely in his power
The Chairman gives up his revenge
when the woman he once loved asks
him to spare the man whom he hates.
With strong mind, virile hate
must be a stronger passion than an
intense love. 1t is not in a man of the
type delineated by Babcock to cast his
opportunity for sweet revenge aside
when he is asked to do SO by the wo-
man whom he once loved, but who was
won treacherously by the man whom
he would ruin.
An opportunity for a splendid finale
to the third act was lost when Elias
Rigby, the opposition candidate to the
County Chairmans partner, was al
lowed to conclude his campaign after
the knowledge that he was a thief of
the property of an orphan was I'M
covered by The Honorable Jim.
II, IL. a1-a I
most ideally portrayed by Theodore
Babcock, who carried out the illusion of
bigness in every way. The quizzical,
shrewd, kindly politician was show n
with all his delicious humor When he
made the statement that politics can
not be compared to a sewing bee at
Aunt Mays nor a game of ring
around the rosy" at the kindergarten,
he made hit.
The Support
The won't You Come and Spoon
With Me" manner of Lorena Watkins
owner of the village millinery store,
was fetching, and with it she secured a
drummer. She experienced slight
difficulty in remembering the name of
her fiance, but then when one meets
$50 many of these travelling gentlemen"
one cannot be expected to remember
their names
Lieu DIS lllOiu w HeGltIg
the victorious candidate, was fair. His
speech to the assembled voters of the
county at the end of the second act
was impassioned to the limits of fer
vency.
The rival editors of the opposition
sheets of the village were played by
George r. Caine and Edward German,
and both were good Sassafras Living
ston, the touch of color of the little
town, was fine. George Thatcher was
good in that role. AS the lazy old negro
with a penchant for naming his child
after the candidate who was momen-
tarily in the lead. he was prime fav-
orite with the rather scanty first night
audience.
Kathlene Mcdonnell as Lucy Rigby
the daughter of the thief who is the
opposition candidate to her lover. was
vivacious and was made love to de-
lightfully by her finally, victorious
lover.
Charles A. Burke as the Oldest in
habitant was good and the manner
isns of a droolng, toothless old gran
Their were correctly initiated.
The "County Chairman" is most de-
cidedly worth while and the master
hand of George AIDE is evident in every
place but the fatal flaw in the third
act.