The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-11-14
THEATRES
Nfr. Skinner in dsThe Dmel,

T play ofN his polished and powerful | genius. this season q play O. Henri l Lavedan. The Duel" a lay without
 the he complex soul of a woman which ! struggles between an earthly end a
 religious love.
 ] two men who meet each Other with i weapons in their hands, Jut between I two men who struggle for the woman's I soul, moved as it Is now by rood and
 would save married woman rom her | uncontrollable love. which is not for i her husband, is pitted against his own
 brother. the lover. and he infnence
 There is no definite victory. The re e- 1 suit of the duel is in doubt. Fate ! steps in and removes the husband | CT if the duel went to the death. tho victor would be the heavenly or the ethereal lova.
 A great audience saw Mir. skinner at and the same doubt that enshrouded the ultimate outcome of the duel be- tween the priest and his brother who clothed the question Of the merit of lthe play as a surrounding for the 1 viriIe genius of Otis Skinner. It is a magnificent performance he gives. He playing the weak and lovable Prime Otto that Stevenson drew. or that fnaEhetic peasant Don Juan, he rep- resented in The Harvester" or tho Abbe Daniel exalted by strange and perfect fervor of faith. Whether the play reaches the heart of the public ! is not, after. all, so much q question Mir. skinner as the leading American actor. an honor which is freely ace corded him by a large portion of the theatre-going public. MT. Mansneld.S . private opinion to the contrary not
 MT. skinfef'a position is enhanced by this masterly presentation of the religSSSIs ssalG . ,arr sssn If the 1sIS PHy above the heads of large portion of the American theatre goers. The lines of the play Are singularly beautiful.
 s Fsse pae S sraa anR it's af poftrsya Y 0f 6f tha m unrest and disquiet of 2 discontente0 womanI soul; struggling, between could not bs Otherwise than bit 'preachy" If 1t fails of reaching gen erai appreciation 1t will be due, to ps 5RS f s SfsnS' of of t tS dssate sabt ness of three souls, that of q man moved by compelling uassiont 4 priest nplifted by the Esrv,cr of hls whose religious faith keeps her iron. the brink of sin on which she tetters during the play s.o .Ao ao.o-,h.. wbeTi. in one of her neurdtic bursts she cries: T am tossed between an earth ly and q heavenly love" She Is the ic triangle. the unhappiiy married wife. the unweleome husbSnd and the in- sistent lover One apex of the tri- angle. the unwelcone husband never He Is one of the forces in the play lir~ til the news Is brought on the Stage that he Is suddenly dead by fall from Ef. E.ttk ha ge fThA lover is 4 famous specialist, an unbe- liever. who VIII go to any ends to win the object of his love and who is only tells him: 'I am seeking the salvation of the soul, you the capture of body" Rut whether the public does and remarkable literary beauty cannot
 MT. Skinner gave new reasons last night why he should be eSnsldered Daniel lived. breathed, struggled and suffered on the stage. He was. more than the creation of the players art. art. before the audience, with a sudden gasp, realized the religious passion and fervof that can move the zealot to any useItlpess, the devotion of a man or faith, came suddenly to their apprecia- ton and understanding. The priest t was before e,,I ihe J,d bage fhe man befe as ,n
 
 terpreted to them things they had never before known
 The robes of the priest might muf- he the grace of Mir. Skinners move ments, grace which has helped him in his tonR way to his present place of fame, but the magnificent voice with it's unsurpassed range over every Key of passion swept over the lntelitgent admiration of hls audience. The Abbs Daniel is a new badge of distinction to the star. who has grown great in his art through toll and intelligence.
 The company is a small one. There are only four principal parts, the two participants in the duel. the prize and the good Bishop who helped the Abhe in his fight
 The unhappy cause of 1t all, the Miss Keith WakemGn strong and beautiful woman, who reached the greatest heights of emotion and pas- Sion and who was so successful in tent to descend to a lower level in the Ouieter moments. And this is the only just criticism that can be directed against her excellent presentation Of the strange woman over whom the
 Waiter Hitchcock, as Dr, Mercy, was quite capable but he suffered in the inevitable comparison with the star. A most effective. piece was the portrayal He is quite worthy q place in the sup port of MT Skinner The play was admirably staged and the fine audience enjoyed every bit oT
 Amelia Bingham in. The Lilac Room" comes to the Theatre Thurs day night.
 "Tevers and IMRaticA." |" | The worth of Lovers and Lunatics'' evidently travelled over Montgomery | a fter the first performance at the Bi