The Washington herald., 1907-01-08
Mr.. f. =. willard Makes n Profound
Impression in "COI. NeveOme."

Before a large and rarely appreciative
audience at the National Theater last
night, Mr.. +. s. Willard and his company
began weeks engagement in play
whose leading character affords the dis
tinguished English actor pre-eminent
scope for the sterling qualities Of his art
and his temperament.
In the role Of Col. Thomas Newcome.
perhaps the finest character ever drawn
by the master pen Of Thaekeray, Mr.. VIII
lard attains new heights Of dramatic in
tensity and sounds new depths of pathos.
In his repertoire he has no other part OF
the pure classic simplicity of this new
role. none that so fully brings out all the
fine things of which he is capable and en-
ables him TO weave over an audience by
methods that seem the abandonment Of
art the strong spell of his essentially
sane and v!rile genius.
II is an almost homely portrayal in its
unaffected naturalness, entirely devoid
throughout Of a suggestion of the theatri
cal or the hysterical He produces his ef-
fects alike Of heroic courage and unself-
ishness and pathos that is at times poign-
ant in its intensity without calling to
his aid even the admissible tricks Of his
triOnic exaggeration. He is almost Sc
verely natural, yet his work is profoundly
moving and convincing. and drew from
his audience last night evidences Of deep
emotion that must have been in the last
degree gratifying to an artist Of even bis
long experience and worldwide fame.
At the close Of the second act, and again
as the curtain fell on his surreptitious de-
pature for Grey Friars, broken, impover-
ished and scared to the soul by bitter
humiliation, at the end of the first scene
OF the fourth act the curtain had 10 be
rung up again and again to allow the
audience TO express in prolonged applause
the depth Of its appreciation
The play deals with the later period Of
Col Newcome's life. and is necessarily
episode in character But the work of
the dramatist Mr. Michael Morton. has
been well done. and the effect is far less
open to criticism on the score Of omis-
sions Of essentials than might be ex-
pected. considering the length Of the
famous story from which il is derived
The first act moves slowly and serves
merely TO introduce the principal charac-
ters-Lord Farintosh. Sir Barnes, Give,
Rosey. Mrs. Mckenzie. and Bayham. It
is "A gathering Of the Bohemian friends
of the colonel and Give. The colonel
is finally induced to sing, and Lord Farm
tosh ridicules him This provokes Give
20 throw a glass OF wine in his lordship's
face. The colonel forgetting the insult
to himself. forces Give 10 apologize to
his guest.
The second act is the ball at Lady Fare
HAMS where the colonel meets again, af-
ter so many years the sweetheart Of his
youth, Nine. de FIorac. and where Ethel
Is publicly betrOthed 20 Farintosh. This
act winds up with the coloneTs strikingly
effective denunciation Of Sir Barnes, a
finely dramatic piece Of work.
The third act shows the wedding Of
Rosey and Give and ends with the failure
/ OF the bank and the utter ruin Of the
colonel and those most dear TO him.
In the fourth act comes his wretched
/ life with Mrs. Mckenzie. now turned
/ terri CANT; his humiliation beyond en-
/ durance. and his secret wandering away
1 back to the school Of his youth, where
/ it all ends with his death IN one Of the
AAiSt GleADi4tlle t0t4tli4ilE StFl4tS LlittA
/ be imagined. This is a slight departure
| from the original story. but admissible
/ for the purposes ~ the stage
/ Through these scenes the interest Of the
play has steadily intensified. until at the
hnal climax Mr. Willard has his audience
/ under his spell 10 a degree that is seldom
attained; that can scarcely be attained
/ by methods that are less simple, direct
and powerful in their appeal TO the ele-
mental in human nature
Mr.. Willard has with him several ac.
| tors and actresses Of unusual merit. who
/ like himself. catch the keynote Of unaf.
/ fected natuTalness and simplicity that
/ exhale from the leading character and
/ make so essential "a part Of the play Mr.
Santer as Give Mr.. Homewood as BAY
/ ham, Miss Rose BaUdet as Lady Kew
Miss Marie Linden as Nine. de FIorac
/ Miss Joan Blair as Mrs Mckenzie. and
/ Miss Gladys Granger as Rosey. all civ,
! excellent pOrtrayals. deserving Of NOR,
notice than can be given them here Mis-.
. Alice LonnOn, the Ethel, is a charming
/ young actress of the most delicate typ.
( OF beauty. who played her part with grea
sweetness and quiet dignity.
The same play Will be repeated thi.
evening and at the Wednesday matinee.