Los Angeles herald., 1907-05-27
LADY OF QUALITY
LACKS IN vERVE
PLAY HAS TOO MUCH TALK AND
NOT ENOUGH ACTION
Burbankers In the Main Do II Well,
but Fall Down at the Climax.
Mestayer's Return an occa-
sion for Joy

"a Lady of Quality" which the Bur-
bankers put on yesterday, is not a
strange play to Los Angeles. It has
been done here before, and in the
main it has merit enough to justify it's
repetition. Founded on Mrs. Burnett's
novel of the same name, it's most con-
spicuous faults are it's lack of con-
secutivity, which makes it episodical,
and its talkiness, required by the yards
of explanation, which in turn are neces-
STATED by the complexity of the story.
This story is simply enough told in
the book, but when translated to
stage 1t becomes more involved and
hence requires more unwinding by
means of conversations and set
speeches. Thus the play suffers from
prosody and what action there is too
often broken into bits by the verbal
interludes. Still, it affords many pret-
ty stage pictures, and the costumes and
manners Of the day give it a pictur-
esque cast that is pleasing.
Whether as Clio Wildairs, Miss Hall
attempts too much or whether by some
slip she missed the mark at the critical
moment last night, the writer is una
BILE to say, but the fact remains that
when the climax came in act Nv, Miss
Hall, in the parlance of the day,
wasn't there" This climax requires
much stress and considerable Mysteries.
a large amount of feminine horrors
and a modicum of melodrama. Miss
Hall in the earlier acts was quite up
to the mark, but when this crux of the
play arrived, she wasn't. The audi
ence noted the fluke in amaze; 1t is
not accustomed to see It's favorites
fail, and that Miss Hall did so, even
charitable Sunday nighters had to adj
init. Others who have done this role
have been big women, with large re-
serve force, and while they have been
strenuous in the earlier episodes, have
had power enough saved up for the
storm of passion and wrath which cul-
inmates in murder, to carry them
through. Miss Hall is small, a bundle
of nervous force, and slight; doubtless
she expended too much energy pre-
vious to this climax, for when 1T came
she neither displayed the anger that
would induce a woman to do even an
accidental murder, nor did she show
the physical prowess required to strike
dead a strong man with riding whip.
Harry Mestayer, who came back after
a months rest, really carried off the
honors of the play. AS John Oxon, he
was the arch villain to perfection
sneering, cynical, polished and ironical,
he was a delightful creature, very
lovable rake and very likable flouter
of women and honor and all else de-
cent. 1t was finished bit of work,
and all were sorry that he was slaugh-
tered in act w, and could be seen no
more. OF course, he was welcomed
demonstratively
William Desmond was rather obliter-
ated in the part of the Duke of Or
monde, but, was particularly good in
his love scenes. H. j. CHM shone
brilliantly as Sir Christopher, the coun-
try lout made lord; Arthur Rutledge,
John Burton, Gerald Harcourt, Fred
Gilbert, new conner, H. S. Duffield,
Willie Marks, Gavin Young, Robert
Homans, all portrayed lords with more
or less of the true atmosphere, and
Henry Stockbridge forsook the FOOLS
cap for the monks cape. OF the
women, Maude Gilbert, as Lady Tan
tillion, was bright as usual, while Ell
sic Esmond as Anne Wildairs was too
weepy some thought. The costumes
and mountings were decidedly good.