The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-10-04
Anusen1ents
.srhe nondnan.n

To write successful melodrama re-
 quires the enthusiasm of youth and
 high spirits. coupled with juvenile
 perspective on life. For this reason
 Hall Gains "The Bondman." which was
 presented at the Montgomery Theatre
 last night, does not appeal to the ma
 jority theatre patron. But for the sea-
 soned life philosopher, seeking new
 shocks for his theories, 1t has reached
 the flood tide mark of melodrama.
 When "The Bondman" was introduced
 for the first time to an American audi
 ence at St. Louis it made distinct
 hit, and the concensus of criticism was
 that sponsored by three high priests
 of melodrama. Hall Cain, author; Will
 Ham A. Brady, producer, and Wilton Lackaye, player, this was to have been
 expected" It was freely speculated as
 to whether or not this play. sponsored by these three. Mahatanas of the melo- drama in their own particular way. would be "startling' success of the season It will seem rather presufnp- tious for the verdict to come from one night stand audience and a layman critic that the play will never attain 6 startling" success in America.
 MT. Iackaye was true to that artis- tic school which made him successful as 'svengali." which earned fer him
 the title of rch-melodramatist of the
 IIhpy tIa. IF WAb the CClQ cut, 0eau-
 ly seriousness of character moulded
 in stone. It had not the romanticism
 that will make a part popular further
 than It's artistic attafnments. He made
 Jason a being of vital, living flesh and
 blood of the Hall Cain type. He was
 here the man. the actor, the artist and
 conjurer of human interest which is
 vitally necessary in more than one scene in this play. But with all the v.a f.,pa al ~A un falxr uad hx. author and actor, does Jason appeal to the multitude?
 No.
 Then, again. a great artistic triumph is sacrificed to commercialism.
 Those who failed to see The Bond man." have something to regret other than that of letting an opportunity of seeing such an eminent deiineator of the modern melodrama, as Mir. Lackaye is, escape them A triumph for Mr. LackAye means not so much to him as before he earned his place among the foremost of America's ar lists
 But the triumph was not his alone, aud perchance, there were many who observed the progress of the play studiously who believe that even his great talent and artistic rendition of the leading role was haloed by the deep. discerning portrayal of Greeba by Miss Elsie Ferguson. Here was art that did not force itself upon you So simple in the first intense act that one was almost forced to pity her weakness, her provinciality. As the wool of the weird fabric of Gains mas terpiece grew. the, at first, unob- trueive strand of romance spread. un- der Miss Ferguson's delightful acting, into a phantasm of beautiful colorlng' even, with the riotous col bring of the sulphur mine tragedy.
 If Miss Ferguson has appeared m this country before with any olstinc' success, it escapes us more's the pity: She has not, as yet. been accorded Inc applause to which she Is justly entitled. But there Is no chance that she will not come into her own. TO look upon her is a delight, to wit ness the slow development or her emo tions is "a teaching never to be for- gotten, and to hear her reading IS beyond the common enjoyment Ex- even, cannota take away the charm of her playing:
 The audience. which was smaller than the merit of the play warranted. hv reason of the warm evening, was to climaxes, but seemed rather reluctant to applaud the more delicate interpretations. For instance the avowal of Greeba to Jason when her every emotion belied Der woros' and told of her faithfulness to Michaei'
 And there was in a measure. 1ustl- fication for this variance of mood: lt has been Justly charged that Ihe Bondman" which is in four acts, sags in the middle. It has a strongly beau tiful first act, an ct promising great success, so promising that the small audience clamored for curtain speech even at this early juncture. 10 nnAlttX Of the nlay suffers somewhat, yet still war rants a belief In its power to compel victory. At the close of this act when Jason, his love rejected by Greeoa' re- news his oath of vengeance against Michael Sunlocks. his half brother whom Greeba loves all indications pointed to tremendously apsorphs story still to follow
 And the story is there all right, on- ly in the third act Hall Caine so un- saturates his stage in mel odrama that the audience recoils somewhat from the shock. The scene ise the convict sulphur mine Is sheer, lss, unabashed melodrama of the sVrt that demands an utter surrender to the superficial and artificial long apprenticeship in thrilling, at the nreak of stage machinery's wheels to make it a go.
 The darkened stage, gradually light ening, the sulphurous smoke. the lu- rid lightning flashes, the doleful pro- cessIonal entrance of the convicts. their Eroans and cries of suffering, the emphasized and exaggerated cru city of the guards and governor, the arrival of the story at that point of poignancy where one brother Is com handed to apply the whip of discipli- nary punishment to another, the reru- sal and revolt, the condemnation Of both. to the hazardous task of open Ing a new mine by explosion, the blow ing up of the whole shebang, the en- suing rescue of Michael by Jasop- there's melodrama by the bucketful for you! The house applauded the close of this act
 But 1t was clearly a case of peril ousIv dramatic stroke" sandwiched between better things, because the fourth act, which brings the story to it's close, undeniably regained for The the hold on the audiences favor which had been won In the first act.
 It is in the fourth act that the Jason of MT. Lackaye attains its full Tgu Anta nCf-