Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-24
week with special Christmas matinee
and the usual Saturday afternoon per-
formance
FINE RACING PLAY Is
NEW FERRIS OFFERING

They're off! And the great crowd al
the race track. crowding to the rail be-
tween the paddock gates and the judges
stand cheered themselves hoarse as with
straining eyes and frantic waving OF
hands and umbrellas. handkerchiefs and
field-glasses, they watched the running OF
"The Grand National"
1.-The Duke leadsl' mo, Baccarat has
him headed" Look. The Dukes coming
again,-they're even.-the purple and
black is ahead again,-he wins.-he
win,-three cheers for the favorite,-
The Duke winsr'
And with the winning of this famous
event. the troubles of THE Prodigal
Daughter" and her friends and relatives
proceeded at once to adjust themselves
The wrongs were righted, and three pairs
Of happy lovers formed a pretty picture
for the final curtain of the Ferris Christ
mas Offering at the theater beautiful,
which opened for the week last night.
1t isn't a highly moral story. 1.-THE
Prodigal Daughter" but it's an exciting.
entertaining melodrama, with the race
scene as the main feature, and the rest
of the play but serving as introduction tc
HIT.
| The author of the play whom ever he
may be-his name does not appear on
the program) has combined dozen we'll
worn dramatic situations, and from them
has concocted very entertaining
Great Racing Effect
Excellent as has been the work of the
Ferris company in general. the snappy.
bright enthusiastic way in which they
pulled their extra helpers through that
two minute race, surpassed even their
best previous efforts. The start" was
made in front of the judges stand at
the back of the stage Three real live
horses flashed across the stage and their
galloping hoof-beats pounded the turf
most realistically. AS they rounded "the
quarter" the actors followed them with
strained attention, facing off stage left.
At the half they faced the audience and
watched the back of the house, and so
on until the finish. when. as they looked
off right. it seemed just the thing for
the horses to dash into view, THE Duke"
leading by neck.
1t was realism. cleverly staged and
cleverly portrayed. The actors. Manager
Dick Ferris and Director Sedley Brown.
are to be congratulated upon the excel
lence of the effect produced.
AS for the play itself. little need be said.
1t introduced Miss Florence Stone as the
fearful and jwronged heroine of melo-
drama and gave Joseph Kilgour the part
of cad through which he labored man.
fully. gaining sympathy for himself by
sheer force of his personality and acting,
not through the lines.
Also 1t served to present a new mem
Der of the company, Hugh Allen, in q
trying role of which, all things consid-
cred. he acquitted himself with great
credit. The part, that of rascally Jew
was overly long and trickey of speech
Also Mr.. Allen had but short half week
in which to prepare himself. Barring
slight hesitancy as to his lines. easily
excusable on this score, he was quite the
character.
Miss Eleanor Montell gave a we'll stud
led characterization of the Quaker maid
who married rake" to reform him
and was herself changed to a more leni'
ent view of life and it's follies. Frank
Beamish as a stable hand had two gooC
scenes in which he contributed some ex
cellent work. while Harry Duggan as ths
traditional villain and Harry Won Meter
as the usual faithful friend" were al
that could be asked George Drury Hart
as the devil-may-care Lord Banbury was
quite at home
| The play is well mounted and should re-
ceive generous patronage.