The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-07

IN THE MOUNTAIN CLIMBER"
A FARCE FROM THE GERMAN.

Gagged I'm the Adaptation and Played Horse
With by the Actor, but Irreslstibly
Funny-Mr. wilson 40 an Artistic
Cllmber-May Robson Wins Favor.
There can be no doubt that Francis Wilson
and his company scored a laughing hit
last night at the Criterion, and IL Is equally
certain that they did 80 at the expense Of
the material they were working with. The
original Of "The Mountain Climber lie der
Hochtourist, q farce by the authors Of Are
You q Mason" Kraatz and Neal, which
was one Of the successes Of last year at the
Irving Place.
1t is not a work OF any great originality,
being a rehash Of characters and situa-
ions handed down, at the briefest esti-
mate; from the school Of German farce
which was made known TO the American
public In the adaptations Of Augustin DAILY.
! But i in . its , ! kind in d. it h had 6. E certain rs had les GIT r ICY !.
by the German company, with at least one
eye to charao ter and probability. And
played so it had a vein OF humor that was
quite irresistible.
1t pleased the nameless adapters OF the
play-there are traces in it Of both an Eng
lish and an American hand-to transpose
it into the region Of the merest tomfoolery.
And it pleased Mr.. Wilson to act It In the
broadcast spirit of .horseplay. First and
last it was the kind Of thing that, feebly
But when this has been said it must be
added that what pleased adepters an
actors also pleased the audience, for
the preposterous hodge podge was very
cleverly adapted to the scoring Of theatrio
romped through 1t with an inexhaustible
fund Of elementary but Individually comic
spirits.
Tho story is Of a city merchant, Sibsev,
who cloaks his amatory excursions to Paris
escapes as an Alpine climber, writing his
wife eloquent descriptions Of his exploits,
cribbed from tho book OF q celebrated
m~ountaineer.. The good lady, enamored
Of heroism, has the letters printed ae a
BIZ birthday surprise RI sH for him ID ana IN o organizes 4bss
she and her equally hero w~orshipping
daughters may witness his feats with their
own eyes.
The fun turns on Sibsev'a exploits n
he does by speeding his suit with his
daughter, and in scaling the Hellengaatz
while comfortably tucked in his bed.
He succeeds to q marvel, and the piece
ends with his family beseechipg him to
undertake no more such adventures. while
an Alpine club is s%erenading him in the
garden.
The curtains Of the three acts are Of a
monumental absurdity of humor that eludes
description. The house fairly roared at
them. And throughout Mr.. Wilson Is the
source of inoessant breezes Of comioality.
In his accesses Of trepidation he falls over
chairs and benches, scales ladders and plays
hide and seek about the furniture, And
with the return of the courage Of his men
dacity-h always does return-he struts
and bullyrags like a bantam.
In the humble phrase Of the Rialto, he
mugs the part without limit; but withal he
Is drolly, sympathetically charming, as only
he can be. For, elementary as are his
methods. he has an amiability in his
eccentricities, a plaintive, whimsical cast
the scope of mere clowning, Somehow.
one scarcely knows how-his is a spirit OF
rare and penetrating charm,
And yet-In his curtain speech he said
that he was still ambitious. The remark
apologize. The undeniabIe fact is that
first and last he sacrifices the character he
should interpret to his OWE personality.
II the ambitions he referred TO are artistic,
they are on the level Of those Of the hero
of the play. AS an Alpine climber Of the
legitimate, in short, he Is just a bit Of a
farce.
The opportunities Of his company are
wofully sacrificed by the curtailing hands
Of the adapters. or the Tyrolean milkmaid
in breeches very little is left. Her appear
ance in the last act, which gave Fraulein
Hedwig Won Ostermann the opportunity to
sing deliciously improper little songs, is
dispensed with altogether. But Miss Angela
Keir made what is to be made of the scenes
of peasant jealousy in the mountains.
In the part of the genuine Alpine climber
Mr.. William LEVERS displays a handsome
figure and a personality that should be
much more sympathetic with better lines
to speak. In the part Of the guide, Stpp,
in love with S,bsey's romantic daughter,
Mr. n iris am A T1n az r1np haa nna or tyVn