The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1907-01-28

Sdlomy Jane ndS registered MT
OF such proportions that the crowd
at the box office clamoring for seats
far in advance is already large and
OF such eagerness as to indicate that
the demand for this newest Robson
drama will be both imperative and
long continued The story OF the
play is based upon some of the Bret
Harte sketches, and a number of the
characters first made famous by that
gifted romanticist are revived in the
flesh in this instance. We have in
addition TO "Salomy Jane such per-
sonages as Colonel Starbottle, Yuba
Bill, Jack Hamlin and several more,
for the most part capitally played by
the actors into whose hands they
have been given. Miss Robson's per-
Sonation of the heroine is the incar-
nation of sweet simplicity and will be
highly valued as an addition to the
long list of ro,es she has so charm
ingly invested. Ralph Delmore|
makes a rough and ready Yuba Bill,
an ideal stage driver of the early Cal
| ifornia days. Reuben Fax is droll
and peppery Colonel Starbottle, whose
fighting blood is perpetually up, and
so on all down .the line. Mr.. Arm
strong. the dramatist, has caught the
full spirit of the Harte creations,
and Liebler & company have vastly
helped in the net result by furnish
ing stage production that is alto
gether typical in a material sense and
atmosphere in an impalpable but
none the Jess convincing way.
e. H. Sothern and julia Marlowe,
at the Lyric theater, have entered
upon what VIII entirely without ques-
ton prove to be one of the very
great engagements of the season in
New York. They began boldly
enough by announcing that their cur
Itain would rise promptly at 1880 p.
m. during the time allotted to John
the Baptist" an hour>when that fash
ionable part Of New York from which
The 50ttiii si liz Ma love following is
Largely drawn is Just partaking Of
the first or second course of its pro-
longed and functional dinner. other
managers have found it hard enough
in all conscience to induce patrons
from the 400 to come sauntering into,
the playhouse as early as twenty
minutes after eight, and many of
them in point of fact don't get there
until close upon 8 o'clock. / rather
fancy, therefore, that for the course
of the John the Baptist run the au-
ditorium of the Lyric will be rather
sparsely settled each night until the
lplay is well under way Mr.. Sothern
is not an imposing figure to the eye
as the ultimately l1eadless name
character of this rather highfalutin
lplay. The first impression he leaves
upon the spectator is that he is in
rore and circumstantial need of a
shave and haircut Indeed, the par
oxysmal warnings of the bewitching
Salome for this frowsy and ultra-virt-
uous male person is one of the things
no man of reasoning mind may sue
cessfully explain OF course Mr.
Sothern plays the part with dominat-
ing intelligence, and his fine individ-
ual personality penetrates after a
while through his tonsorical Wild
ness that furnishes the most startling
feature of his makeup. But John
the Baptist is long drawn out and
tiresome in spite of Mr. Sothern's art
and the highly trained witchery of
Miss Marlowe's graceful presence.
The play deserves a place in the back
row of the repertoire, and it viii
probably recede to that point in due
course.
At the Grand Opera House we
have Coming Thro' the Rye" which
has been developed into a first rate
success since its original presenta-
tion in New York at tho Herald
Square theater months ago, when
the critics regarded it with manifest
ldisdain. In the interval it has toured
the country at large, and mas been
Thoroughly reshaped until it goes
with all the vim and vigor usually
expressed by the colloquial term gin
ser" Coming Thro' the Rye" has
unquestionably won the high esteem
of the large audiences that have at
tended its progress at the Grand OPP
era House thus far in the single week
of its stay on that stage.
Round faced, round eyed and pc
tlte Paula Edwards has been "doing
things at her old professional
home, the Casino. during the past
two or three weeks, with the must
cal comedy called "The Princess Beg
gar especially constructed for her
use. Miss Edwardes was one of the