The Washington herald., 1907-10-22
The hIa-aRrldse.p

Guiding Mrs. kOoSeNeil anu q party saw
at the Columbia Theater last night, what
was practically the premiere OF a new
play by Alicia Ramsey, called Bridge.
II is presented by a fairly competent
company. headed by Herbert Kelcey and
Efhe Shannon, and is called, on the bills,
a society drama probably for want OF
a better name.
In very truth, Bridge" is. In fact a
sort Of melodrama-minus that relic of
melodrama at its best estate. which
heightened the effect of its situations
music. For this, at least. the audience
has cause TO be thankful. Bridge" is a
drama in four acts. The first act is
grewsomely impossible; the second lays
the vilainous plot; the third sees the
plot sprung and the innocent heroine VIC
tlmzed; the fourth act is explanatory.
and straightens everything up. with the
usual wedding bells in the dim distance
and the Duchess of St Keverne saying
BLESS you. my children" in a throaty
voice
There is nothing very new about it all;
the same old situations, the same false
accusations. the same love-making. the
same virtue rewarded. To say that the
play is good would be untrue; it violates
too often the canons Of dramatic art,
offends good taste and the mirror 1t
holds up TO nature must be one of those
mirrors OF a sort that hang over the
dressing tables Of cheap hotels, that re-
feet your face all distorted and awry.
There is very little about this play
that Is true TO life. In the hands OF
actors Of great merit il might, perhaps,
be made more convincing than it is; and
no one will accuse Mr. Herbert Kelcey
or Miss Enie shannon Of being actors
OF great merit. Miss Shannon wears
some very pretty gowns, charmingly: Mr..
Kelcey has nice stage presence and
wears his clothes we'll. but It is an aw-
ful joke to put Mr.. Kelcey to the task
OF portraying an English gentleman OF
family-even in portraying his vices he
is not convincing
II there was one person who carried
away the honors OF the acting IN
Bridge" II was Mrs Sol Smith as the
Duchess Of St Keverne. only unfortu-
nately the playwright has put her PLAY
in the twentieth century and has inter
polated a duchess Of the seventeenth
century. The character that Mrs. Sol
Smith presented would have passed ex-
cellently well for the Baroness Bernstein,
who II will be remembered. was Beatrix
Esmond run to seed: but she is quite i'm
possible in an English drawing-room OF
to-day. In the first ten minutes on the
stage the Duchess Of st. Keverne fred
of no less than ten "damns," every one
| Of which, Il must be admitted. got a
| laugh-about the only laughs in the whole
play. Still Mrs. Sol Smith is such a de-
hcious actress that she can inject life
into even such an impossible part as this;
but II must be- hard task.
The first act Of Bridge" introduces the
audience to the apartment OF Col. the
Hon. Francis Fielding. at Monte Carlo
The Hon. Francis has heart disease, and
he makes about nine different attempts
at dying during the course Of the act
They keep on pouring medicine into him
until the action OF the play can get start
ed. but he persists in dying at the end OF
first act To show you the quality OF the
play: He has been accused Of cheating
at cards in England, that is why he is ar
exile. He persists in maintaining his in
nocence, and when at last he comes TO die
ne manages 20 struggle to his feet. raise
his hands to his forehead in a salute, and
cry in a husky voice, Not guilty. ms
/ lord"
! The Hon. Francis has left his daugh-
I ter, Nora, TO the care of his sister. Lady
Mountstephen. and the next act opens il
/ England at the Mountstephen homie Here
/ the young doctor who helped the Hon
! Francis 10 die, and Lord Royle Fitz
imaurice-name in large letters on the bill
I because Mr. kelcey plays the part-hav,
fJilowed- They are all guests at III,
travagant and her lady aunt objects L
/ her dressmakin-g bills. Lord Royle Fitz
maurice induces her-poor innocent chllC
Ito accept a check for E1O0 from him
Then he squares things with the dress
maker, and gives her credit for ESQ.,
without Nora knowing anything about it
/ IL Is all this money that allows Nora
nicely played by Miss Shannon, TO weat
so many handsome gowns.
In the third act we find that Lor,
Royle Fitzmaurice is married TO Vanes
sa, Lady Norton, but that the marriag
has been concealed because Lord Royl
/ Fitzmaurice wants the duchess. his god
I 70 har 60 III.
1 Lady Norton is jealous. Nora, TO try an,
pay her bills, has taken to bridge, an
is finely successful at It. Vanessa sub
stitutes marked cards. accuses Nora o
cheating, and the thing looks so obvious
for stage purposes only-that Nora is Z
be turned out OF the house. OF course
Lord Fitzmaurice sees his chance. an
once more makes love to Nora, begginI
her to fly with him. But, no! In the frs
act, where he has proposed to her, sh
has said to him, "Ah, If 1t were only 70
week; but for a whole life" NOV
she mas shifted her point of view, an
when she refuses 10 60 with him, an
Lord Fitzmaurice, pulling down his cuff,
haughtily asks her where, then, she wi
go, she exclaims;
To the river, which is clean; to death, whic
is mercifll to hell which Is honest-to the street
Of London, rather than anywhere with you"
OF course. this leaves Lord Fitzmauric
nO,hing more TO say.
In the third act the whole plot IS ex
planned. Vanessa is found out. and the
Lord Royle Fitzmaurice comes forwar
and Confesses. The duchess forgive
Nora, and the young doctor being o
hand, they are at once engaged. Vaness
and Lord Royle Fitzmaurice stink ava
together-Lord Fitzmaurice almost stag
gering under the weight of his mani
confession-and the curtain goes dow
with the fat duchess distributing he
blessing and bursting into ducal tears.
Of course, this whole story is strained
hectic, unnatural. There is hardly a CON
plication during the whole drama wffc