The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-12-01

sodes, half real, half faFcicsl. that breHh6ed
from curtain TO curtain the flavor OF a
personality, the delightful personality OF
MIR. AIDE. u was filed with sly bits OF oh
sefvatiou. humorous turns Of speech. raCy
philosophy. II deserved 10 live, and u
does live in the memory OF some who Jaw
IL, some who have already forgotten, say.
The Man Of the Hour. " which ism I'D Sound
year a. the Savoy. And now comes The
Toy Maker Of Nuremberg" a little fabric
of quaint, fantastic fancy, a Barric-ike
dream play not without 4 touch Of Stock
toms child stories. Its humoT IL sly and
elusive. its pathOs GmpcrFectly realized by
the actorsl is gentle and lovely.
H. has the simple. ~melodious, old worldly
grace Of that Andante from tho Surprise
Sympbony-or 30 you fancy when you
hear them together. Il il. in short. a little
play breathing the favor Of q charming
personality. 10 personality h such a
drug on the market7 Has II lost then ito
supremacy in srta when earth's last pic
ture is painted" perhaps IL will be found
to be the one thing that really matters.
Better one Toy Maker Of Nuremberg
with its great clock face peering In at the
window like q vision out OF the dreams OF
childhood. and its sweet. fantastic grace.
than q score Of machine made dramas,
though they tear the passions to tatters
and settle all tho old problems OF this prob
Iematic old planet and bury the box Office
tills In a sea Of ~greenbaCks. Therp In more
worth in IL. more hope. u Is from such
personalities an its author-men with a
message Of their own-that the real things
come. They pushthe world along to some
thing new and better.
Digby Bell 10 playing Shore Acres
through the country, in theatres not always
OF the first class. but apparently 10 audi
ences Of profitable size. Not many plays
live fifteen ear on their merits without
the help of a popular player whose name
gets associated with the leading part. This
drama Of the late James A. Herne perhaps
deserves the title that has been conferred
upon it, -the first American classic" Ger
tainly Mr.. Herne was a playwright in adj
vance Of his day. and the persistent success
OF -Shore Acres suggests the question
whether his fine drama -Grifith Davenport"
could not now be revived with the success
thai was before denied il. At any rate 10
should be published and made available TO
students OF the stage in America. -Shore
Acres" was played in Boston last week.
and H. r. Parker of the Boston Trdnscript.
whose Judgments may always be relied on,
has this to say Of Mr.. Bells performance
in Mr.. Herne's role, and Of the other
players:
Berry himself bad little less flavor and
illusion in the person Of Mr.. Digby Bell
than he used to have in Mr.. Herne's own.
Long years OF habit make most Of US asso-
ciate Mr.. Bell with the low comedians
parts Of operetta and musical plays. and
now and then the mark Of them 10 still on
him. He was. however, a trained and able
actor OF more human. better defined and
graver characters before he disported him.
self in musical pieces. Two or three years
ago he re~called-almost to a new genera
tion-hs talents AZ a straight comedian
in The Education Of Mr.. Pipp.' and now
as Mcdaniel Berry he is proving his spti-
tude for a part that asks a far finer sense
and denotement Of character than did hat
dramatized figure from a Gibson picture
book. With scarcely an exception. all the
players-and among them was the younger
Of Mr.. Herne's daughtsrs-acted their parts
with illusion which was the surer for their
regard for the quiet key and the homely
atmosphere Of the piece. No less true TO
both in background and detail was Mr..
Galloway's stage management. Altogether
the performance was surprisingly persua-
sive." WALTER p. EATON.