The Washington herald., 1907-05-07
ILaStNight at the PIayhouSeS
The misunderstanding Of the sum
mer season of stock.

The COIumbia-opening Of the SUM
mer season of stock.
A large audience was attracted. TO the
Columbia Theater last night TO the open
ing of the summer stock season. The
stock company. known as the Columbia
Theater Company Is headed by Miss
Hnda spOng. well known and fayorably
liked in Washington. Other favorites
were in the east. Each of these was heart
MY aplauded as ne appeared and at
the conclusion of the second act. as a
sort Of welcome TO old favorites. punches
OF flowers were handed over the foot
lights.
The play chosen for the opening of the
season was a thyee-act comedy by Willis
Steele, entitled "The Firm OF Cunning
ham," 1t is a rather eieveriy constructed
three-act comedy, built. however along
conventional liEHs; not particularly in
! Iteresting in its working out marked only
here and there by briiiiancy Of dialogue;
and with hardly anything unusual in its
situations. What is unusual is the char
acter Of the leading woman in the play,
Dora Calvert played by Miss iilda Spong
She is a society woman, married 20 a
husband considerably Older than herself
and inclined 10 have her fling. Her ex-
travagances have led her TO need money
very badly and she takes to the races
the ponies" she calls them-as a last
resort
incidentally she has mild and not al
together harmless Irritation witt young
Give Cunningham. the son Of her hus-
bands partner. there has been a suspl-
CiOus kiss which a servant has reported,
and the husband IS returning home infu-
rated To avert suspicion Dora Calvert
insists that Give Cunningham shall be
engaged TO her sister Sarah Honiton, a
young girl fresh from Vassar. The COM
plicatious that ensue are endless and
funny and the humor Of the thing is
helped out In the second act by the fact
that Mrs Calverts servants, lacking their
wages, leave in a body, and Mrs Calvert,
woman OF resource. has 20 invent a story
to the effect that Mary Rooney the cook,
who is lying upstairs intoxicated, has
been stricken with the typhoid fever in
the third act, Of course. all the complica-
tions are Strengthened out, Mrs. Dora
Calvert has learned her lesson Give and
Sarah are married, and all ends as mer-
riiy as wedding bell.
Miss Hilda Spong In the part of Dora
Calvert, Of course attracted the most at
tention, and received the major part OF the
applause She has, however. played many
parts that suit her temperament much
better II would seem that this part,
with its hOrse-Tacing slang and the nerv-
BUSINESS attendant on ultra light comedy,
has scarce body enough 10 show Miss
Spong's marked capabilities AT their best.
Much, however. must be allowed for a
first performance. Very good work was
done by MI William J. Lamp, as Give
Cunningham, a part which he created.
The comedy hit Of the show was made in
the little bit Of horse-play in the part OF
Mary Rooney. admirably played by
Jeanette Elberts The David Cunning
ham OF Herbert Mckenzie was q steady
and conscientious piece Of work Walker
Howe was good as John Calvert The
ingeuue part Of Sarah Honiton, played by
Miss Dorothy Hammack, was disappoiut-
ing. as she neither looked nor acted
ingenue A rather clever piece Of char
acter acting was the Beamish Of Efiie
Darling.
The play was nicely staged. and on the
whole the performance ran very smooth
ly. Al any rate, 10 gave satisfaction 10
the large audience as was evidenced by
the frequent applause and curtain calls.
Next week the Columbia Theater stock
company viii present Diplomacy" with
Mr. Wilton Lackaye and Miss Charlotte
Walker added 10 the present cast.