The sun., 1907-08-21
Mr., WILSON'S new FARCE
nUUEN kNIGH rs WE'RE bold
AMUSES MANY.

s,.r s.oes 10 sleep to Dream of Life I'm the
TwrIsth century Then He wakes Up
and cures the Leading Lady oT FIT NJ
sentiment Role suited 60 His Talents.
Vrancis Wilson appeared at the Carr ick
Tbea,re last night as the chief parsonage
N farce by Charles NARROW entitled
when Knights We're Bold" The record
NAV begin with the statement that the
r,, slight and fanciful as IL proved to he.
neased the audience. and with good reason.
for IL was commendable bit OF foolery.
The ancient and honorable objection that
i, contained nothing new is easily raised
against IL. but ss a rule the tn estregoing
r1blic ia amused by the things which amused
M forefathers and that is a fact upon which
managers build fond hopee.
The author Of When Knights We're
Rold probably read Mark Twain's account
of the experiences Of Yankee at the court
Of Arthur and mayhap he saw perform
snces Of The Road to Yesterday" Mr..
KirlinS has harped upon the same string
in a minor mode in his Puck Of Pooks
Hill and Mr. Bellamy made another var
iation in his Looking Backward" II is
IN old theme and yet a captivating one.
lived at least little while in some other
age than his own?
Il was Cossius who swore that he said
-an elder. not a better MIR. Marlow's
farce il a cheering illustration Of the truth
nat tho good old times Of romance. Of Sir
.isc and his White Company. Of Richard
md Ivanhoe. were not as comfortable or as
sensible IA the times Of Edward the Peace
maker and Wilson the funmaker. OF course
you can't get back into yesterday except in
fond memories or in a nightmare.
Given n naughty lady who yearns for days
vhen knights were bold and who is loved
by a jolly. careless, fun loving young
Tnglshman Of to-day. whom she will not
have because he is not heroic. and you come
70 a situation calling for the administration
of a mild restorative TO the young woman's
reason.
II is mighty easy when you have the
trick Of the plsysmith's trade. All you
have 10 do is to put the young Englishman
to sleep and let him dream that he is back
IN the twelfth century clad in a dinner
Jacket and with just one cigarette left in his
case. You have to provide fat lot Of an
csstors. Of course, so as to get all the other
people in the play back into the same CEN
tury and show folk how they would have
lived and moved and had their being in
'the good old times"
The next thing to do is to wake the young
Englishmsn up and let him conceive the
brilliant scheme of continuing to conduct
himself ss he had to in the dream, even to
welding a two handed sword and talking
blank verse. III that does not bring the
leading lady to her senses and rake her fit "A
Tag TO the play. nothing will. However.
his plan was found successful by Mr..
NARROW and the farce came to a delightful
conclusion at a ressor ably early hour
II need hardly be added that the role
Of Sir Guy de We're fits Fir. Wilson perfectly.
i enables him TO do all the funny thin gs
he used to do in comic opera and 10 add
lot that would not have gone well in music
land without the aid Of slippery day stairs
and a chorus. 1t is equally Unnecessary
10 add at this late day that Mr.. Wilson is a
capital actor. whose ability TO amuse in a
rafting farce is even better than that which
re displayed when hampered by the pain
fil calls to song He delighted his audience
last night and he ought to continue to give
E.easure in this same role for many nights
10 come.
lne nlefnDers Oh tne company dseocldteu
With Mr.. Wilson are sufficiently clever to
'reat their parts without any disturbance
# the general purpose of the play. but it
would be base fiattery to say that any one of
hem offered anything Of special distinction.
except perhaps Pauline Frederick, who was
good TO look at and who had the requisite
amount Of frigidity in her style. There
ras dismal chorus which strove to sing
some hunting music at the end of the first
ac' and the beginning OF the second. but
maybe il will discover the pitch by to- night.