The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-09-24
WAKEFIELD TRIUMPHS ACA
 IN "A GRAND, ARMY MAI
 Splendid Interpretation HWes' Bigelow in Belas| co.'s New Play.

David Warfieid has won anotherl
 umph and stepped one rung highet the ladder of success as an artist. has created a. living, lovabIe, real,
 which, part he appeared in "A Gl Army Man" for the first time atI
 Hyperion theater last evening. Tn \
 of the excellent acting of every n| Der of his supporting company,
 superb reality that Warfleld gaVl the honest, whole-souled Bigelow Il
 was David Warfleld, his acting, laisl
 rmph, and, back of him, the subtle| preciation of stage detail that has en the master presenter, Belasco.s ability to present the picture as bA tifully as 1t was done. It was the first night, but there an, absolute lack of anything even gestiye of a hitoh. It was ah if es member of the cast had in some become. imbued with the wond3 z stage presence and acting of the at their head. There were long yN
 between the acts. but then these seemed longer for the reason tha%
 audience wanted to see the man aga to be again with Wes' BigeloW. was this that proved the finish,
 greatness or Wardeld's work. It
 not the man himself that held theA
 dience EpR4lbOund by his acting.
 the character that lived there in Of It's very eyes.
 There was a finesse in Warneld'M M paetlon of the role that is hard td#
 scribe. 1t was the detakl-the ra#
 ot an eyebrow. the twinkle of. hid
 that made the finished work; tllat# 2 part Of the perfect whole It is aA 4A1n s., lst- pest, but ha roseto the greatest
 matio effort at the end of the se
 act when after learning that his a6 ed son Is 8 thief, and having stH nlm with whip, his great lovaI the boy overcomes all, and he forA
 nlin. It might have been easily
 done, but Warfleld's acting broueE
 up slowly and perfectly to a most E
 matic climax. MT. Warfleld has RE
 eeeded, he has triumphed again.
 After having been called befor&
 Iootlights repeatedly, MT. Warfielk
 the end of the third act, in an extIX1
 " nervous manner, thanked the S
 enee for its appreciation. The
 authors of the piece were then eS
 out, and MT, Belasco, after seyera
 pearances said: II wish to thank
 for all this. You have no idea pleased we all arc can only sayHA
 l have learned that a first niglE New Haven is a thing to be remert cd With a great deal of pleasure" Especial attention should also be x ed to the acting of Miss Marie Bat the role of Letita.' Wes' Bigee housekeeper, and of Miss Antoil Perry In the part of 'Hallie." Ind met was particularly charming iiI
 lnterpretation. of, the role given
 However, in justice to the work the mention of those two demandk
 recognition of the polished Worl
 each member of the cast.
 The story of "A Grand Army Ma that of an old soldier whose entiry
 is bound up in the boy of dead rade, whom he has adopted. Thds gambles away money given him banked by the post of which his i'd father is commander, in order to I his worth to Halle, the daughter q | judge whom his father has beateE office. There followed the serie events leading up to his discovery ] the intensely dramatic act in the I room, where, in spite of BigeH pleading the boy is sentenced to on by the father of his sweetlA Then follow his release from q and his forgiveness by the girl, } sired. Throughout the entire play
 runs a subtle vein of humor thai lieves the highly dramatic parts
 piece at just the psychological mo While, in order to bring the piece | in the prescribed time limit, 1t ID
 necessary to do some pruning. it
 be pity to take away one of the | that the trio of authors have l Warfeld and his compatriots. The staging was done by Be which would seem to be saying en
 The act in Bigelow's home was
 the most perfect pieces of stagd
 ting from every view point thai be Imagined The wealth of detaI | the harmony of the entire pictura 1 marvellous.
 Warfeld and Belasco have trlun agaln, and 1t is only to be hoped, 1 is to be expected, that as manyS 1 learn to know the sweet. lovable l Bigelow as worshipped that role i the great character actor nade fs l in the Music Maater.8