The Washington herald., 1907-01-13
ON THE GOTHAM STAGE
Clara BIoodsood in The Truth and Blanche Walsh in The
Straight Road"-Two New Fitch Plays

Mrs. Lindon has put on the track Of her
husband, and traps hts playful little wife
IN an untruth and then another that he
Is startled out OF his state OF compia-
cency. Then she Is ready u tell the
truth. the whole truth, and nothing but
the truth. But It Is a case Of shouting
wolf once too often The truth is too
matter Of fact to be reccnciled with the
reports Of the detectives, and after
scene Of the utmost decorum. seasoned
with spring shower OF tears on Beckys
part, husband and wife separate.
She goes 10 her father IN a Baltimore
fat This father Is an unctuous type Of
shabby gentiIity, who mas been supported
oy his son-in-law, with such aid and as
sistance as has been rendered in that d.
rection by his sentimental landlady. She
has an inordinate ambition 10 form a
higher social alliance, and is willing 10
risk her money On It. These two charac-
tiers. played by William b. Mack and
Zelda Sears. furnish j delightful. species
Of comedy.
BECKY meets with slight sympathy at
the hands OF her father. He has a pro-
phetie vision Of losing his pension if she
leaves Warder, but 20 his credit be f.
sald ne Is also animated By a nobler mo-
tive He relates to his daughter the his
tory Of his own unhappiness. growing
out Of his weakness for twisting the
truth, plainly tells her that she inherited
her talent FOR inventing white lies from
him, and insists that she shall 90 back
TO her broken shrine before II is too late
rs IL MS own case. Then, with that sub
HIne GIT for mendacity which he has
Just deplored. he sends a wire 10 his SON
in-laW that Becky is dying.
" aTder comes Doste haste to BaltimorA
learns that he has been fooled. and is
about 70 resent the imposition by bsJlio-
erent demonstration. when Becky vino
IS entirely innocent Of her fathers rusa
and mas taken a serious vow never never
10 speak an untruth again, repudiates the
deception, and Is folded 10 her husbands
breast
In some particulars this is one Of the
best plays Fitch has written. If il had
one really big scene il might be consig-
cred his best. Say what Won will an
audience will have its sensibIIties stirred
oy a heroic moment The interest here
is uniform and rises at no staea n a
strong climax But the story is admire
oly told. the characters are well drawn.
the humor is unctuous, and much Of the
nanby-pamby element Characteristic az
the author IS gratefully absent. The me,
are yiri!c and the women charac.eris+t,
Of the scale that is applied 20 them. They
are soberly interesting because Of their
normandy. In way the piece Is q spIeD-
dld object lesson, and the incidents are
taken from life. Miss Bioodgood strikes
a nice key Ia Becky. 1t is q refined ami
Nvacious representation without bair
maWhsh-' .at Of "a sympathetic wou4 a
OF the fas ionable world. frivolous ON
uous. but always piquant-incaDauIe #
profound doional feeling. bu, charm
hs'y pGthtu TIC IN Ter suppressed glief-
sIleI not wholly without lis volatile and
eHeTyescent quality. Moreover. the Dl ~
IS vel presented by the supporting com
pany.
Paula Edwardes began an enga cement
at the Casino Monday evening in The
Prircess BeggaT,' which was seen in
washington last year. Her reception was
fiattering. ard her work s. mectin- wifi,
approval Eleanor Robson closed IN "-rra
Girl Who Has Everything" al the Lin
erty' on Friday night, and Saturday even
ing viii make a production of a new
play, written especially for her biz PatI
Armstrong, author of The Heir of IN.
Hoorah.' The new vehicle is -Salenv
Jdne.' based upon Il number OF sketches
by Bret Harte, but especially upoD
''Salemy James Kiss" Several features
new to the New York public are promised
The plays that hold over are ..Tbs
Hypocrites' at the Hudson. The Rose
OF the Ranch" at the Belasco. Tho
Lion and the Mouse at the Lvceun
The Great Divide" at the Princess. THE
Ihree OF Us at the Madison SQUARE
MaUoe Adams at the Empire, The Man
CT the Hour" at the Savoy. Blanche
Bates IS in the second week Of her four
weeks stay IN BelasCo's Girl Of the Cold
en- West She Will shortly be seen ia
Washington
benefit is under way for the relief OF
Frank c. Bangs, the veteran actor. now
seventy-three years old, with a sister
eighty years old, with her two children
dependent upon him. His case has a SEN
imentai interest for Washingtonians.
Bangs served in the Confederate army.
and after the war played regularly in a
Washington stock company. For some
time It was impossible for him to appear
on the stage without being greeted bv a
hostile demonstration In the audience. and
frequently attempts were made to hoot
him In scene Of Importance one night
Gen. Grant occupied a box al the thea
ter, and when the din began as Bangs
appeared, Grant on learning the cause.
rose to his feet and applauded the actor
with marked approval That put a
quietus on all further demonstrations. and
Bangs was allowed 20 continue with the
company without being insulted In after
years he played with Booth and Daven-
port and was one of the triple-star ALL
ance that presented Julius Caesar from
New York TO San Francisco.
FRED. +. sCHRADER.
Up the Nile with Burton Holmes,
This evening, AZ the Columbia Tbeater.
Mr.. Burton Holmes will give the second
in his double series Of finely illustrated
travel-talks, the subject being: The Nile.
the Egypt of Yesterday" a sequel to the
lecture of last Sunday evening. In marked
contrast, however, 10 Cairo" the travel
ogue on the Nile deals with Egypt away
from large cities and cosmopolitan influ-
ences. In this travelogue. Mr. Holmes
takes his fellov-tTaveIers on his private