The Washington herald., 1907-03-30
DOUBLE BILL AT NATIONAL
Ellen Terry and Company in Two
Fine Plays Last Night.

Fine Plays Last Night.
In spite of the fact that it was Good
Friiay night, there was a large audience
at she New National Theater last night
TO see Miss Ellen Terry and her fine com
pany in their change of bin from Captain
Brassbound's Conversion" Miss Terry
presented a double bill. Nance oldfeid.
q one-aot comedy, and "The Good Hope,
a four-act tragedy. The comedy came
first.
AS Nance Oidheld, Miss Terry presents
herself In an accustomed aspeeti gay,
/ liightsome. OF changeable mood; eonsum-
mate actress. In way. the comedy re-
lsenlbles David Garrick"-the theme is
about the same. only In this case young
gentleman has fallen in love with the
charming actress. and it is her business
10 disinusionize him Miss Terry plays
the part OF Nance Oldfield, and she plays
liz so charmingly that there Is no wonder
/ that she eaptivates both young 0idworthy
land his c0untrided father, who has never
seen a play. In keeping her promise 10
the elder Oldworthy. she determines to
disgust the son. and when she acts tor
them, she pretends that 1t is only COM
mercialism that prompts her. She speaks
1.-THE lines OF Ophelia when she sees Tybalt s
ghost with marvellous effect Of tragedy,
and then kills It all by laughing: You
see 1t IS only buslness-those lines mean
/ eighteen pence TO me" The comedy was
delightful
The second part Of the bin was Tine
Good Hope" translated by Christopher
/ ST. Johns. from the Dutch Of HeiJermans.
/ This Dutch dramatist Is OF the school OF
a II. a. - los
! tragedies that has ever been seen on the
American stage.
| The story Is one OF gloom, absolutely
unrelieved. There is nothing strained or
unnatural about it; it is a sere and yell
/ low picture Of life, but life IN its very
worst phases! It is so beautifully acted
/ by Miss Terry and her company that the
/ truths OF 1t bit home, and in several Of
! the scenes last night the audience was
moved 90 tears.
Miss TerTys work as Kniertje. the wild
ow who sends her sons 10 their death, was
admirable In every respect, though In this
/ play she is less the star than she would
I be in a play by an American author.
That is one beauty OF Heijermans' work
/ that 1t is the play he Is thinking OF. and
/ not the people who are 10 play IT. Every
/ character in this drama has something
/ essential 90 do; all help in carrying the
grim tragedy to its bitter and soul-stir-
/ ring climax.
/ Miss Suzanne Sheldon as Joe, the niece
/ Of the widow, has a part which calls for
the exercise Of the greatest skill. and Miss
( Sheldon played 1t so that the sorrows CT
] this poor. trusting fishermaiden wrung
the hearts Of all who heard her. In the
/ second and third acts especially she dis
played great power. and her fright at the
( old woman > stories in the third act was
wonderfully depicted.
Mr.. James Carew does excellent work in
the first and second acts as Geert-much
better than he did in Captain Brass
/ bounds Conversion" bur this play is trUeE
I to human nature than that. David Pow
I ell as Barend also did c0mmendable work.
as did Miss Beatrice Forbes Robertson as
/ Clementine, and George Ingieton as the
shipwright
But the whole company was adequate
to the demands made upon il. and the re-
suit was play finely presented, couyinc-
ing real and nightly impressive. The
play was staged with considerable skill.
and some Of its groupings, with the art
| Of the interiors shown. were as fine as
Z paintings by the old Dutch masters AS
a mere amusement The Good Hope"
could ask for few friends. as a fine pie
I ture of the sorrows that human nature is
/ called on 10 undergo. it is deserving OF
/ the highest praise