The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-28
EVERY HAND ON SYLYIA'S NECK
CHOKED AND CBOKED, SHE STAYS
on DECK.
IN ThaIia's Han, the wInsomo Dame starts
the Meiodrammer Game-FrOm Now
Right On for Many Nights she'll Prove
That virtue Always Gets ITS Rights.

That virtue Always Gets ITS Rights,
tie turbine yachts to a bunch Of bananas
that /. the prominent emotional actress
Miss Edythe Rowand had had n hunch
nhout how she was going TO have 1t put
oil over her as Sylvia Crane. the Girl from
The East in the new mellowdramma "A Race
Across the Continent" she'd have driven
a truck for the coming season rather than
take the Job. "A Race Across the Cont
nent " with It's initial presentation at the
ITALIA Theatre on the Bowery yesterday
afternoon, marked the opening Of the perse-
cuted heroine cunning season.
The dramatist, John Oliver according
10 the programme, starts heroine SyhiG
wearing furs in Alaska in the first Of the
fifteen or twenty scenes. shoves her on her
way to New York to inherit the million
dollars left to her in the Will. and has her
almost killed in every randmcnahy town
along the route. All the cast and the plot
velp piteously after her. As there aren't
enough towns between Nome and Broad
way in which to fit all the scenes the play
wright has to ring in q ballon In the last
half Of the second section of he third act
and sends the cast and plot up in the balloon
Above the Clouds.
Students of the drama will get a surprise
when they are told that John Oliver" ia
really Owen Davis-so the box office man
said yesterday. Owen, as every one knows.
wrote Nellie, the Beautiful Cloak Modul.'
He's a graduate of Harvard College. The
playwright has so many whispering whirl-
wind dramas on the AL Woods's circuit that
he has to write some Of them under a NOM
de-skyrocket to keep from being over
crowded with fame. About 800 years
hence there are bound to be Davis-oliver
controversies like the Shakespeare-Bacon
rackets held to-day.
This Sylvia girl got up in the Klondike in
the first scene of the first act yesterday
afternoon wearing pretty good Grand
street furs for such a day. but with not a
thing TO protect her fair hands from the
biting bitterness but eight dymon rings.
Hardly had she got out to the warmth
of the spotlight when a lowbrow with a
mean disposition named Tom DorroI had
her in his power. He almost choked the
lines out Of her, and never was there a
meaner or a more uncalled for deed done.
But this bit of action let an audience Ia
filed every seat and box and stood four
deep everywhere else know Immediately
that Svlrid was the heroine and that she
was going to get hers.
Villain Tom Darroi had a heartless she
running mate named Biondy OF the kLondite,
who was Just as no good as Tom and then
some. Blondy wore short skirted buckskin
b%uffalobills and a sombrero, but what else
could you expect? Then there was Frisco
hid, another hireling. who carried on devil
ish Vaccinations against Sylvia and Hero
Rector Bdydrd - first name pronounced
~Rectdh-whiie the rest OF the villains were
recovering from being all shot up in the
various scenes.
- L-lg--
After everybody took turns choking
Sylvia they put the fair girl up at auction
in kiOndikC Jim's place to sell her, BODY
and soul The reason Sylvia had come
70 the klondike was that she was looking
for her brother, who had disappeared from
New York. Naturally as soon as he had
disappeared from the purlieus OF society
in this town the fair girl beat IL for Alaska,
because that is as far as you can go, The
brothers. name was William Crane, but
as he gets plugged with lead early in the
show and perishes, forget him. There's
trouble enough following the plot as IL is.
The fur coat on Sylvia was really worth
more money than Sylvia was gong Tor at
auction, when in stepped Hero Rectal. He
bought her at what many considered a fair
price, merely TO save her immortal soul.
And SO all the cast went with the plot to the
Exterior OF Cabin, Dawson Trail, for the
next scene. 1t was now learned that sure
enough Sylvia had been right in coming
to the klondyke to look for her lost brother
William. William arrives on the second
rtGht JuSJ III hliiV ~ hhAbo oyANAot WV aus
gone into the cabin.
Villains coming! Here's the low Tom
Ddrroi, shopping around again and with
him is the Blondy girl. They tell Sylvia's
brother that the cabin, into which Sylrid
and Hero Rectdh have just gone, is the
lowest resort in Alaska when II isn't anything
Of the sort. It's the nome Of Mrs. Baum-
bach, a respectable German woman who
doesn't do anything except furnish the
light comedy OF the show. But Sylvia's
brother has so little sense that no let's the
he and she villains convince him to try TO
get Hero Rectdh to the door and shoot him.
BLondy knocks at the door while Brother
William, armed with a part OF the armory
Of the plot, awaits the hero to plunk him.
.Ten Rectdh a lady wisheA to see him.
says Blondy sweetly-,and OIL the false
voice of her!-when the German woman
opens the door. Hal Hal Hal You
couldn't blame the audience for laughing
scornfully when a girl like BLondy called
The funny German woman got back
at Blondy all right. IF you're a lady,
YOU sheckasses, ITs glad I'm only a vomans,
said Mrs. Baumbach, who was quick at
repartee. The orchestra changed gears
stepped Hero Rectah. You the wretch
who bought my sister to room her body
and soul, " says Sylvid's brother, who has
fallen for the stall handed him by the viii
and there's Sylvia in a red satin gown.
no, he saved muh, y Sylvia contends. Fire
upon him, coward. urge the villains. NO
SAYS the brother, who believes Sgtria's
woids. Then | will. " roar both villains.
then so will |, Wells Syria, who fortunately
* now armed. With all these guns aimed
II was time to climb under the parquetty
Goats. but luckily the curtain dropped ana
prevented trouble.
When the next scene shifts to the interior
Of the German woman's cabin LoUver
wilson Of New York walks down stage TO
join the plot. He has come to Alaska to
find Sg'rid to tell her that she must be In
New York by November 81 at the Second
Nashnal Bank to claim her million, or other
Wise, the Will says, the money goes 70 char
ny Villain Tom Ddrroi gets BLondy to
impersonate SytiI and get the Papers,
and just so there will not be any slipup in
tho game the villains shoot Syirid's brother
William when he butts into the cabin before
the lawyer arrives. Now to get the Papers
Of Identification from his PROSTATE formI
Lawyer comingl The lawyer also falls
for the villains wiles and parts with the
WI. OF something inst "a good. Already |