The sun., 1907-11-13
AUNT NARY COMES TO TOWN
SOFT SHELLED CRABS AND RAG
TINE ROLL BACK TEE YEARS.

nAlss May Robson Plays the ReJuVenated
Dame At tho Garden Theatre I'm stage
Version OR Anne warmers story Nnd
Makes for Much Jointly ana laughter.
Miss May Robson. in spit curIs and India
Ahawls. came back to town last night and
played the title part at the Garden Theatre
in The Rejuvenation OF Aunt Mary, a
merry farce made by Anne Warner from her
own story Of the same name.
friendly audience greeted her and
greeted the embarrassed author when she
too came before the curtain. But their
greetings were more than perSunctOTy, for
the star and the little farce suOCeeded in
furnishing a deal Of wholesome fun and the
house was continually in merry mood.
After the last few weeks il is good to sit
in c and 5 and not feel like the village
undertaken. IL is good to record a success
IL only n mild one. IL only that Of a none too
polished actress in a none too probable
farce. Here's to Aunt Mary; may she grow
younger and younger!
Aunt MGry's home in supposed to be in
New England. that long suffering section
Of America where. as every theatregoer
knows. everybody talks bad grammar
through his nose. The programme tellsyou
it's in New England; and when AuRt Mary
cries. What, take a warm bath? Why, it's
only Thursday" you know the programme
tells the truth. Aunt Mary pets Ruth. her
cat. and wonders why it's 30 soothin' TO
pat cat when you amt never bin married.
To Mrs. Ddisv Mullins she cries. Il told
you not to marry that man when Civ
you yer weddin' dress!---which suggests
that other lady who. 10 prove her faith.
told the mountain behind her house To
remove itself in the night and in the morn
ing, seeing il still there. exclaimed. We'll
/ knew it would bel"
In spite of her rather rude and vOcferous
style of acting. Miss Robson made the
most Of all such observations as these.
The superficial bad temper and crIlsty, dry.
half unconscious humor of Aunt Mary
she suggested with precision and effective
ness. And when AUNT Mary reented and
followed her nephew whom she had dis
inherited for a supposed scapegoa0 to
New York. where she was plunged into n
whirl OF gayety. Miss Robson ate her first
spider on a spring mattress as she called
a soft shelled crab. and drank her first
champagne with comical repugnance, Civ
ing way TO even more comical delight. She
was a very Josh WhitcOmb in petticoats.
1t was in the suggesting Of Aunt M0ry's
softer side that Miss Robson's rather striJ-
ent methods failed to be effective. She
is too sure Of herself and of her purposes
not to make any part ineligible in design
and in a measure successful. But she lacks
the delicacy and feeling to slip from laughter
TO tears and back again. as Warfield does
50 wonderfully and so artlessly.
There is a sense OF effort in her transit
TONS and 80 a sense of hardness. Of arti-
ficiality in her denotements Of the softer
emotions. Nor was Miss Warner always
able to smooth the way for her, being still
a little stiff and clumsy in play construction.
Yet. when all is said. the farce is a merry
one. brimming with obvious fun and touched
here and there with shrewd observations
Of humor. Even at the Garden Theatre il
ought to enjoy bit of a run.