Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-02
Belasco.

The absurdities of life are said to have
been fresh upon the memory of Richard
brlnsiey Sheridan when, many years ago,
he gave to the world his famous old COM
edy, THE Rivals" which was presented to
a washington audience at the Belasco The
alter last night by the Edwin Arden COM
pany Sheridan was twenty years of age
when he eloped with Elizabeth Linley, ex-
actly as Lydia Langush in the play, hoped
to fly with her Beverly. The author was
twenty-one when he fought two ridiculous
duels, which were no doubt In his mind
when he invented the inimitabN scenes in
the fifth act of the play. AS Sheridan ex-
pressed 1t, he had suffered inexpressible
torments.' and had INDUCED in sheets of
uninteligible rhapsody" In his brief career
ne had met with sufficient pretension and
incongruity and fashionable futter to fit
out dozen Mrs. Malaprops.
So THE Rivals presents many traces
of the conditions and of the adventures Of
Of another century, and one that, like rare
wine, seems to grow more mellow and ex
hiarating with age. Those who had wit
messed the presentation of the play thirty
or forty years ago could not fail to note
the different Interpretation given 1t by the
twentieth century actors. The slender,
fussy Mrs. Malaprop. with her corkscrew
ringlets. who represented a familiar char
more modernity but her misuse Of the
English language. or the butchery Of
Words the early critics of the play
termed it, was cleverly given by Miss Alice
Butler. For many years sheridan's Mrs.
Malaprop furnished a seemingly endless
supply Of quips and jokes for the news
papers and magazines, and even in the
present time an occasional Malaprop pun
crops out.
THE Rivals has been termed look
ing-backward play and certainly the
splendid Interpretation Of the part of Sir
Anthony Absolute, as given by Mr.. Ed
ward Ellis last evening. bears out the
definition. In his crustiness, i'll humor
and the suffusing rage he is wont to fly
into the slightest provocation, Mr..
Ellis seemed to give the character the
realism that was intended by Sheridan.
Mr. Edwin Fowler as Sir Lucius O'Trig-
ger also gave what was said to have been
a near representation Of the authors con-
ception. 1t was this character 1t is said,
which caused the play to be given harsh
treatment" when it was presented at the
Covent Garden Theater, London, January
II. 1775. The low comedy part of Faux
land as given by Mr.. Samuel Klawans,
was in line with the old-fashoned rendi-
ton of The Rivals"
Mr. Edwin Arden as Bob Acres gave a
modernized version of that unique char
acter considerably at variance with the
characteristics of the Acres of Joseph JEFF
ferson and other old-line actors.
The Capt. Absolute of Mr.. Charles Ham
mond; Lydia Languish, the old-fashioned
maiden with alleged romantic ideas and
utSlIeS ny MISS Amy INiCdiu anu TIC iiiioi
parts, taken by Mr.. H. w. Parker, Mr..
Charles Arthur and Miss Jessie Glendin
ming, were acceptable.
The duelng scene was replete with an
cient absurdities which marked so many
of the affairs of honor long ago, and when
Mrs. Malaprop admitted that Capt. Abb
solute was the pineapple of politeness"
the laughter continued several moments.
The Rivals presented by the Arden
company proved to be refreshingly remi-
niscent, at any rate, and there were num-
Der of encores.