Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-17
REPEATS HER
OLD SUCCESS
miss BUsLEY RETURNS TO THE
MAsoN
RIDES BACK an THE BISHOPS
CARRIAGE"
PLAY Is a Dramatic Adaptation by
Charming Pollock Of Miss Miriam
Micheison's Story Similarly
Named
NY sIDLE LAWRENCE

NY SIDLE LAWRENCE
Mice Jessie Busley returned to the
Mason last night in the play she pre-
sented at that house last season, Cham
ming Pollock's dramatization OF Miriam
Michelson's novel, I'm the Bishops Car
rage" Save for the characters of Nance
Olden and Tom Dorgan, Mr.. Pollock s
work seems to be more an adaptation
than a dramatization. He has taken nu-
merous liberties with the story, but lib
critics which appear to have been justi-
fed in view of the preferences Of cur,
rent day theater-goers
The play, however, retains with fidelity
the character of Nance, and as 1t. was
Nance who made the book a success so
1t Is Nance that makes the drama worth
the playing. A curious personality hers;
strong, as girl with her experience
must needs be: inconsistent at times
perhaps that is the woman of it-and
with an astygmatic view of life which
even her two years of regeneration fail
to correct
Nance is introduced first as an exceed
ingly bold and audacious thief, the "paP'
of crook whose only redeeming trait
is his past loyalty to herself. She steals,
as she herself explains, sometimes for
Tom, sometimes for the love of the
game, but always with the recollection
that her first theft was committed so
she might eat when she needed food.
The Plays Motif
She is detected in thievery by William
Latimer, criminal lawyer, whose hobby
is the reclamation of criminals. He COM
pels her to restore her plunder, but lets
her go. Before her exit, however, there
is a brief colloquy that embodies the
motif of the play.
II wonder" ruminates the attorney
''what a man like me could do for a
girl like your
Reform her, retorts Nance with a
sneering laugh "Teach her how to get
diamonds honestly"
''Or go without them,' he answers.
Then Nance jumps into the waiting au-
tomoble.
''Where to, lady7" asks the chauffeur.
'Where you damn please" she replies
and the curtain falls.
This is the first act, and the succeed
ing acts are concerned in working Out
Latimer's answer to his self-propounded
problem. He does not each the girl to
go without diamonds but he shows heI
way to earn them honestly, as mimic
on the vaudeville stage. In SO doing he
falls in love with his pupil, and though
the course of his love runs much less
smoothly than the cushion-tir carriage
of his friend the bishop, in the end ht
wins her for his wife. This Is not ac.
cording to the book, but they manage
such things differently on the stage.
To Mr.. Pollock more than to Mis-.
Nicholson is due the credit for making
Nance's transformation assume the guis
of reality. Her philosophy in the earlie
acts is summed up briefly. 1t is this;
p. Everybody Has Graft"
Everybody has graft; and it
everybodys graft to get all he can an
keep. out of jail"
Ultimately she discovers that honest
is the best policy; which perhaps in
wolves no very radical change from tina
first viewpoint after all.
There are big truths In the play, truth
that strike straight TO the heart of tn
modern social system. Yet Mr.. Polloc
is too clever man to preach. He in
dicates conditions, eptomizes them in a.
epigram, and wisely permits his audienc
to do it's own thinking,
In the character of Ramsay, also, MI
Pollock has departed from the book
Ramsay is made typical rounder, bu
without the usual exaggeration, H
never comes upon the stage sober, ye
his inebriety is not burlesqued. In tn
second act someone mentions the nam
Nance Olden." Ramsay hears 1t an
begins to sing: 1T was not the same ii
the olden days. He is still singing a
he goes off me stage.
AS 1t is written the part might easll,
be made offensive, but Mr.. George Rich
ards keeps it we'll within bounds. Hi
foolery with a seltzer siphon and lam
chimney which he has mistaken for ;
glass is excelentiy managed and nj
own appreciation of the joke when it l
explained to him is very natural
Miss BusIey's Fine Work !.
AS for Miss Busley, her Nance remain
finely conceived and finely presented
character. So much has been said an
written of her work In this role that ther
seems little need to repeat the praise
Perhaps the cleverest thing she does !
tha. sneering laugh, frequently used i
the earlier acts; the least artistic, ne
malicious jabs at her hat when matter
fail to move to her liking. woman
even if she is a thief, does not treat
hat so despitefully.
Mr. Hallet Thompson as Latimer give
consistently even performance OF tn
part. He never reaches any marked ex
celence, but neither does he fall beloy
certain level The Tom Dorgan o
Harry English is a clever piece of work
Mrs. George Barnum, wife of the forme
stage director of the Belasco theatel
plays Latimers s mother, but the role give
her little to do. AS for the others, the
do not much matter Nance Olden, Lati
mer and Dorgan make the play, wit
Ramsay thrown in for good measure
Miss Busey and her company renal
at the Mason for only half the week. TIL
play makes no great pretensions' but