The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-12-04
fAMUsEM,ENTSss'

Metropolitan-"She Stops to Conquer"
The hrn1or Of 4'gentle Oliver" Cold
smiths comedy-the only successful one
he ever wrote-is dependent upon no
circumstance Of time. or custom.-r.Acted
In any language and in any costumes, it
would" still be. g yWellspring of pure. fun.
Some analyst has cataloged all dramatic
motives under four Neutrality-suspicious.
hunger, love and death. The action of
She Stops to Conquer" like that of
many another comedy. is. based upon a.!
tangle of identity. The characters are
mostly. playing at cross purposes, Seither
from ignorance or design while the ,au-
dience, knowing the real truth. OF the
matter, derives Sreat :. enjoyment from
the varying effects produced on the char
acters by a series Of misunderstanding
While the eighteenth century manners
and clothes lend to all this an atmos-
phere of their. own the action would be
quite as funny If the men smoked Gig
ars. instead Of taking snuff. and the
women wore Marcel waves instead Of
ringlets..s The saline thing is true Of
Sheridan's contemporaneous comedy
The School for Scandal,'' and in this
fact may be discerned the reason why all
the mass OF sentimental and mawkish
comedy, such as was fashionable when
Goldsmith=came with his genuine comedy
to clear the air, nothing has survived
While the Goldsmith and Sheridan come
dies viii live as long as the English
The pro uctfon Of t'she stoops to Con-
quer' last night was unfortunately
marred by two eleventh-hour changes in
the cast. =, Miss Ellis Jeffreys, who was
to have played Miss Hardcastle, was de-
tanned In Chicago by an attack of neu-
raigla, and Herbert Sheath, her husband
who plays Hastings, stayed with her
They left for Minneapolis yesterday and
VIII appear in an the other performances
but for last night Virginia Russell. Miss
:Jenreys' understudy, was the Miss Hard
castle, and Emmett Whitney essayed the
role of Hastings. While Miss Russell
who had in other seasons played the role
IN support 81, Mr.. Crane, seemed self
possessed, 1t 8was impossible for her to
lllumlne 1the role with that archness and
coquetry which are quite Indispensable.
Nor did she succeed in delivering her
lines so as to make them ineligible at
all times. MI. Whitney was afflicted
Win a pardonable hesitancy which made
ease and naturalness impossible.
Yet, In spite Of these untoward circ11m
stances, the production was delightful.
William II. Crane brought to his imper-
sonatlon OF Mr.. Hardcastle the sure
touch OF an art ripened by many years
or success in "a wide range of comedy
roles. He has several mannerisms that
would serve to identify him, no matter
what the disguise of the character he as
sumed, put in @the delicate standings of
the r1ch humor with. which he depicted
the petooled old gentleman he is unsur-
passed. It is a just and very human pic
ture or an. elderly country gentleman.
torn Dy an Indignation that battles with
the instinct of hospitality
Inc Tony Jumpkin of George Giddens
Will be thought by many the finest bit
OF work aoHered by the all -star cast. The
boisterous kiddishness Of his Tony is
Just touched with "a malice that makes
the youth true to life. The boy enioys
his own mischief so thoroly and PLAYS
his FRANKS with such ebullier1t relish thai
IN spite Of hisatiunWorthiness he never
loses our sympathies. A third portrait
well Worthysof these. two is that furnished
OF the vain and flighty Mrs Hardca stle
by Fanny Addison Pitt Her .hysterical
iaments over the loss Of. the jewels and
her t1morous antics in the garden were
delicious Walter Hale makes q very
handsome young Marlowe and, moreover.
plays the alternately bashful and bold
| lover with suGh Sslicety Of discretion as
70 make this .nasculine paradox seem
quite possible and consistent. Margaret
pale as..Miss Neville displays a girlish
naEefe that becomes engagingly loyden-
ssn N her encounters with Tony and
prefssi " eoqacttish IN her scenes with
Hastings. OF the other characters, 1t is