The Washington times., 1907-03-12

WIN much in II that is so good one
cannot but feel sorry that any of II is
so bad as some parts of I'm the Bishops
carnage" which opened at the Co
luinpla last night The play is a
dramauzaton by Claiming Pollock. OK
miriam Michelsons lively little book Of
season or two back-and not a par
ticularly good one. The book was so
crammed fun of incident and action.
that the dramatizer evidently felt that
ne could not possibly get it all in But
remembering the book. there really
seems TO be no excuse for a play that
drags badly in places.
Be 1t said at once these are not the
places that Miss Jessie Busley occu-
pies as Nance OIden. Miss Busley
whose work in minor paris has given
much promise Of what she would do
when her chance come, and who en-
deared herself TO Washington audiences
first in one and then in another of the
two stock companies that were here last
summer more than made good. now that
she has returned at the head Of her
company.
The book was so tremendously popu-
lar that II Is scarcely necessary 20 say
that the play is distinctly a melodrama
Of the "Rafles. - Sherlock Holmes" or
Leah Kleschna" type. 1t is a capital
entertainment. with two or three scent S
calculated TO stir the blood of the most
faded theatergOer and with some
sketches Of good comedy IN between.
The play is based on the reformation Of
Nance Olden. Nan, the Nipper."
clever girl crook who learned 10 steal
when she was a child in the custody Of
the Children's SOciety-"The Cruelty"
she calls it. She stole at first because
she had to, and afterward for the ex-
element Of the thing. and for loyalty
70 Tom Dorgan, who always stood by
her" She is rescued. put on the vaude-
vile stage. and eventually married by
William Lattimer, a philanthrOpic young
lawyer.
Miss Busley succeeds in making her
Nance Olden a most human and con-
vinclng person. exactly the nlorine Of
the book. She rings true, not only in
arst acts, but in the womanIy awaken
first acts, but in the womenly awaken
ing In the end. Probably the best thing
in the play is the second act climax. in
which Nance and Dorgan are discoy-
cred rObbing Lattimer's apartments,
though the climax OF the third act,
when DOrgan returns. having broken
jail. and Nance finds that she has out
grown him, is almost equally effective
DOrgan is Capitally played by James
hedne. as fine burglar as ever used
a blackjack and a dark lantern. From
not particularly convincing beginning
as burglar-butleT, his work improves
right along until. as the ESCAPED con-
vict, he is decidedly at his best Lat
timer. played by Byron Douglass. is
one Of the weak spots. He Is OF the too
good-to-be-true type, and, unfortunate
", entirely too good 10 be humanity in
teresting. II / were Nance, / should
have stuck 20 my burglar.
Sam Reed does Ramsey. the bibulOus.
particularly well. but there are so many
good DRINKS on the stage these days
that one begins 70 wonder If 10 IS not
merely a case Of nature coming 10 the
surface. It is really the bOOZiest part
that has been played here for some
tlme-frOm curtain TO curtain Ramsey
doesn't draw a sober breath. Stin Alr.
Reed does him very well, very well, In
deed.
There are two good bits-Rose
Etynge's Mrs. Lattimer. the philauthrO-
pist's mother, and Edward joys re-
porter That Rose Etynge should shine
was TO be expected. She IS "A veteran
Of many seasons, and naturally distinct
" superior 70 her surroundings in
small part. As for Ernest Joy-he's
new 20 me, but he played ii newspaper
man in the last act in a way 20 make
the newspaper men in the audience sit
up and take notice. And that is not
often done. VI. Med.