The Washington times., 1907-09-17

!
Hon Miss Simpson. $500. anna Russell
Countess Warwick. .....-.-....-. Marie Hanna
The Hon. Mrs 7. p. Linothsen. Helen Singer
I ady Mary Fulton Amelia Bingham
Amelia Bingham's new play. "A Mod
ern Lady Godiva," by Frederic F.
! Schrader, formerly OF washington. and
Lloyd W. Bingham, which was seen in
Washington for the first time last night
al the Columbia. makes heavy demands
upon the emotional powers of the star
/ The play, which is in four acts, has two
intensely dramatic scenes, and there are
but few moments during the perform
ance when Miss Bingham is not upon
the stage.
Miss Bingham was heartily received
/ BY the audience, but It was evident that
/ the applause was given in q large meas
ure 70 the play itself
The pot OF "A Modern Lady Godiva"
/ is based upon the legend Of the savior
OF the town of Coventry Lady Mary
Fulton The heroine, IN order 10 save Der
husband. poses for an artist who is com
| missioued TO paint Lady GodiFa
Ride" The picture has been ordered Dy
q man who mas loved Lady Mary from
her RfrihOod. He has caused her nus
/ band 10 become a bankrupt IN order
that ne might win her when adNerslty
Should destroy her love for Sir Cnalles
/ Fulton. Tire painting is unveiled before
/ All stsSeInblage OF London society people,
Lazy Mary and Sir Charles being pres
| eut- Sir Charles Immediately suspects
/ Lady Mary Of having been TaiLniess 70
! him and he denOunces her. Lazy MARY
/ utterly crushed seeks her room only 10
/ find the man VINO had caused her down
! fall He pleads with her 70 come 70 nam
I Ia her misery that he alone loves her,
and that ne has caused all her
/ misery only that he might make
her more happy when she should
/ come 70 him. Lady Mary re1ecls MS
| proposal, and as she declares. that Ia
spite OF her husband injustice ana iaeh
1 az appreciation Of her great sacrinces Size
/ sim loves him and vii remain true 10
! him, Sir Charles enters the room I ne
/ lover cringes before TIE WTatn OF li!S
/ husband and begs for mercy. but MS
/ pleas fall upon deaf ears. EealistiS
/ struggIE ensiIes and the lover Is hurled
( TO the floor. As SIR Charles STANDS over
his victim ready TO take his NE, LAY
Mary inteTferes and the maj lapieao y
the reunited couple go
! performance IN her dramatic scenes o.
the third and fourth acts than II the
/ earlier part OF the play her Wotk II
the first act, which Is suppot "a 20 De
/ light and efervescent, is decidedly DIS
/ appointing. There Is a lack Of spontane-
{ ity in her gayety and her irish Wit IS
/ forced. The audience inyoluntarily signs
/ and wonders how long before the play
viii really begin In me second act
/ also while the theme IS interesting. the
/ environment being a dingy garrett In
which the husband and wife are living
/ In pOVerty the former being stricken
/ by a seemingly incurable malady. the
/ appeal is greatly marred BY the I'M
! possible acting Of Oscar Cray Briggs as
/ Trelawney, the artist In this act, also,
/ the AUTHORS have made one or Two de-
/ cIdedly annoying . blunders. For ex-
ample. Lady Mary Is told that her BUS
/ band must be taken TO the Isle OF wight
or the south of France within twenty
/ four hours, otherwise the physician
/ twill not be responsible for the cOnse-
] quences" The audience wonders II
{ Charles would die In the event that train
/ or steamer were an hour late. or the
/ schedule not exactly made 10 suit the
/ principals in the play! IN the same act
I Lady Mary tells the physician that she
/ could not go TO her friends fo- money
} because she had promised Sir Charles
/ when misfortune first came tilG his
/ former friends and associates SHOULD
/ never know OF his troubles" 1t seems
l inconsistent that Lady Mary would pre-
/ fer to pose as Lady GOdiya, rather than
/ break a foolish promise and secure
[ money TO save here husbands life.
| Since a superabundance Of expository
/ dialogue was wholly in keeping with the
/ spirit Of the play, why not have said
4 that all their friends had deserted them,
/ except Elgar Fitz-Vernon. who was in
/ America. and Col Charles Pendexter,
I who was in Africa?
4 The great scene in the third act was
/ admirably handled, but TIE situation OF
| a husband openly denour cling his wife
/ AMI entering upon a diatribe against
/ her humble birth and supposed infidenty
rather taxed the credulity OF the audit
/ ors. Such scenes in real life among
/ gentle fol- are enacted in the privacy
/ of the home. one can scarcely conceive
/ Of any contingency arising which would
/ cause the modern society man TO forget
/ himself so far as to assail openly the
/ woman who bears his name
! Miss Bingham's support was capa BILE
] ". /. Abingdon as Sir Charles Fulton
gave a careful, clear cut performance.
/ His work was sympathetic and forcefui-
/ John E. kellerd has done other things
| better than his Michael Harrington
/ EvCu his dolorous Sergeant In last year S
/ play, Taps" was more interesting
| than his lover of last night His one
! genuinely effective piece Of work was in
1 the ulea for mercy when confronted by
/ the outraged husband.
/ Frank Hollins gave a clever imDersOn-
/ alton as Elgar Fitz-Vernon and Jane
Gordon as Clara Fairfield, who played
/ cppcsite him. was equally interesting.
The play is magnihoently mounted.