The Washington times., 1906-09-18
ON PAROLE" SCORES
At THE NATIONAL
Miss Walker Makes De-
Cided Hit in New War
Play.

A picturesque and stirring play. en-
titled "On Parole" and redolent of near
by Virginia at the close of the civil war.
I was auspicioudy produced at the Ma
tional TheateI last night The drama
is the work of Louis Evan Shipman,
well known hs contributor to the mag
azines on theatrical subjects, and at the
( head Of the company were Miss Char
/ lotte Walker and Vincent SerranO. both
Of whom not only contributed to the
Iaurels OF the author, but manifestly
added to their own. In the light of the
first performance, ION Parole" gives
every promise OF being a substantial
and a permanent success.
| Hearty applause. many curtain calls.
lnsistent demands for a speech-happily,
not granted-and recurrent laughter. In
dicated that the audience gave the play
It's full favor.
Careless judgment viii rate "On Pa
role" a war play. But it is much more
than that.
It is. first. a delightful study in war
time atmosphere. Were there nothing
else to recommend II. the whlte-paneled
1 walls OF old PmCkney House on the
/ Rappahaunock, the feminine costumes
( Of delicate lawn and rich grosgrain
silk. the ample hoop-shrts. the freg
rant. Inac-hedged garden. and the per
sOnalities 10 which this background
l.belongs would give the drama an al
most irresistible charm Now ard then,
/ last night. the dialect waveTed and here
and there even Mr. Remington, who de-
| signed the costumes. crossed The recOl-
/ lection % ladies of the old South who
/ spoke as those having authority IN mat
/ ters of the crinOline and poke bonnet
/ But Miss Walker and an admirable
/ actor Of old mans role. Frank +.
! Aiken. centered the interest with an
| accent To delight the ear and kept the
/ picture true by giving its central
/ figures the very air Of Virginia gentle
/ breeding.
A Study of Emotions
/ Dramatically. the composition is
! distinct relief when weighed with other
plays II the same period. "Shenan-
! diah." with which II is likely 10 be
most compared, is more violent and the
other dramas OF this time are not only
more violent. but less interesting. The
flashing blade appears. Of course: there
/ are the inevitable dispatches. and one
Of the crises consists Of the inrueh Of
Confederate troops. But no one who
/ apart viii regard those elements as the
/ chief strength OF "On Parole" On the
/ contrary. the play IS distinctly a study
Of emotions, OF very beautiful emo
I tions.
The play is of tense interest With
the culmination OF the plot clearly in
| view, IL was curious 20 note that not
/ a single person left his seat last night
untll the curtain was down. But II II
can be done Without seeming b dis
parage the other three. special atten-
tion should be directed TO the first act.
/ II shines Apart from all the rest Of
/ the play il IS an admirable dramatic
/ stuCy-cFlsp. volatile, tense. and reVel-
IatOry Of personalities beyond many four
act plays. Admirable acting by Mr. Ser
TanO and the most pleasing assumption
/ of two characters by Miss Walker CON
-ributed no doubt 10 give il much Of its
!affect-but IL Is noteworthy for its au-
/ thorship we'll
washington viii ind special satisfac-
/ ton. IN Miss walkers acting Her study
/ in our stock companies. together with
/ last seasons experience in more than
I one important production, have matured
/ her art far. The giTlish beauty and
/ freshness OF interest which were. per
Ihaps. the chief causes OF her popularity
| in the days Of THE Crisis have not
still as charming as when we first made
! her acquaintance. But ner art has
grown until IL OVershadOws her D6psOn-
ality-and Miss Walker will be the last
/ 10 regret that that is so.
/ The others OF the company have more
/ 70 do 10 III themselves into their roles.
/ Mr.. SeTranO is dashing. as always and
| found much favor. Miss Aiethea Luce
/ and Miss Fay Wheeler wear counter
/ part costumes 10 that of Miss Walker
| and are attractive secondary figures. +
] Miss Helen Graham; Morgan Conan,
] remembered as the stubs Talmadge Of
! The College Widow +. Y. COnldn, +.
] =. Jackson, Frederick Forester, and
! Howard Pembroke all contribute mate
/ rally 10 the merit of the performance, /
! and MT. Forester presents IN the last
act a distinctive bit OF acting al a Con-
/ federate soldier on his way from Apo
mattoX which will live long "a the
memory.
Perhaps as good a key to the effect of
this play as can lie had is offered by
| the attitude of last nights audience
Old sentiments, dependent upon issues
settled long ago. evoked handCiapping [
tened in all parts OF the buildinE-nOu I
when the orch estra played the old songs
alone, but when the news came of Lee 8
surrender and the old master of Plnck-
ney House met his boy, home from the /
disbauded army of Northern Virginia
As for Dixie IL is hardly likely that
any OF the numerous greetings that -al- |
| lying song has received in Washington
since 1s64 was more tumultuous than that
which threatened 10 lift the roof after
the second act II is enough 10 realize !
how strong is the grip of this play on
the elemental emotions to consider that
this was the demonstration of an audi
ence nalf Northern in its sympathies
and wholly loyal