Omaha daily bee., 1907-04-22

Slt-by -the-t1re, comedy IN three acts,
by J. M. Barrie; at the Boyd theater.
The cast:
Colonel Grey. recently Of the East India
army service. ;..;;......: Mr.. Eric Blind
on at the theater...... Miss Viola Knott
Cosmo Grey too big to be kissed even
I by MS tather........... MT, Ernest Truet
Stephen Rollo, the man in the case, an
innocent but troubled victim ..........
Mr.. Robinson Newbold
Leonora Dunbar, the alder and abettor
of Amys romantic notions.........
........................ Miss Grace Gibbons
Nurse, with a proprietary affection for
her charges Miss Codrington Webber
Richardson who aspires to be 'loidy'
f.anny, maid ............ Miss Molly Diskin
Mrs. Grey, who is under her daughters
chaperonage. ..........M Miss Roselle Knott
This unique comedy by ]. NJ. Barrie with
Miss Knott In the role of Alice Grey at
tracted small audience at the Boyd last
night. Those who did witness IL we're
generous with their applause and enjoyed
to the fullest the originality of Barrie's
creation. Alice Sit blythe Fire" is Eng
lish to the core and is constructed upon
conditions that could only exist in sur
roundlngs typically English It Is full Of
intensely comical, not to say ridiculous,
situations very cleverly contrived Miss
Knott in the title role gave a fairly salts
factory Interpretation Of Alice Grey and her
support was generally fair.
The story OF the play is based upon the
return Of Colonel Grey and his wife, Alice.
to their family in England after a long
. absence in India, where Alice has been the
belle OF the post at which her husband was
stationed She is all but a stranger to her
three children, Cosmo, of boarding school
age; Amy, just entering the matinee-hero-
worshipng age, and the baby, years old
Amy's ideas Of life are drawn from her
matinee experiences, and when she dis
covers what she supposes is discreditable
AFFAIR between her mother and Stephen
Rollo, an old friend of the family she goes
to his room, matinee style. to secure the
| tel-tale letters she feels sure must have
passed between her mother and Rollo She
Is discovered there under the suspicious
circumstances by her father and mother
and in attempting to shield her mother
from exposure Of the fancied love AFFAIR
complexities things generally and brings
about all sorts Of ridiculous situations Her
parents learn the true state Of affairs after
suspecting their daughter and Rollo, and
TO the end keep up the farce and the cur
tain drops on Amy triumphant in the belief
she has done a noble work in preventing
{ the disrupting of the family. Alice, how
ever, realizes the responsibilities of mother
hood and resolves thenceforth to renounce
gaiety and be Alice Sit-by-the- Fire.
The really serious situations In the play
are so overshadowed by the righteousness
of mys Illusions and her romantic meth.
DDS Of attempting to untangle thin0s the
way they are untangled on the stage that
IT is hard for the audience to get into full
sympathy with the scenes in which Alice's
love for her children and her almost tragic
efforts to win their confidence predominant
Otherwise the NAV e IN, apta TIT
1t will be given again this evening.
Orchard CarveI" Mt the Burwood.
Another play of We ancient times. some
thing of the kind in which the company
scored such a success last week, ia the
offering OF the Woodward Stock company
at the Burwood theater for this week
'RIchard Carvel," in four acts, has some
very stirring scenes, an intense love course
SIS was characteristic OF Revolutionary
days, and the way the members OF the
! company take hold to portray exact CON
ditions and passions does them a great
deal of credit. The ring Of swords as they
clash in duel the fervent appeal Of the
lover to his lady the courtly manners and
grand ways take the audience back over
all the years to strange scenes and Gus
toms in so clever a manner that the
sympathetic interest is at every moment
plainly evident.
The pretty danes were Miss Pettes as
Dorothy Manners, over whom blood flows
and men fight; Miss Maycliff as Betty Tay-
Tor, and Miss Martin Patty Swain. The
beauty OF the women was the boast OF the
age and has been since and these re-
flected such an impression In their dainty
colonial costumes.
Richard Carvel is played by Albert Nor
rison in a way that thoroughly shows the
spirit of those fiery youths in their hates
and loves, and his boon companion in time
of distress Captain John Paul Jones, falls
TO John Davies. The famous old sea
fighter is there with the fire and noise
which made II possible for him to COW
his enemies on water. Others who should
be equally praised for their work are
David NJ. Hartford as Grafton Carvel and
the duke OF Chartersea; John L. Todd as
Horace walpole and Mr.. Allen Lloyd
Thompson as Goble the inn keeper, and
much talent was shown by every other
member Of the cast.
The theater was filled for the opening
performance and a notable matter in con-
nection with the production was that in
spite OF a positive announcement in a
Sunday paper that Mr.. Todd and Mr..
the Woodward Stock company, these two
| gentlemen were in the cast as usual.
Manager Burgess stated II they have any
intention OF leaving they have not thus
! far made II known.
Vaudeville at the Orpheum.
! American people are quick to appreciate
| real excellence in any line OF human
] activity IT, as charged by several visitors
] who have sailed across the ocean blue,
taken ride around Gotham in the rub
! ber-neck," Americans are over-indulgent.
| they cannot be charged with lacking
/ spontaneity in recognizing those who can
| do any particular thing better than any
body else. This foreword has particular
reference TO the reception given yesterday
afternoon and evening in the Orpheum 10
/ The Four Fords and J. j. Morton. the
/ former being the best dancers IN their class
that shave been seen here since they last
| appeared. and Mr.. Morton being a premier
as a monologue artist. These two acts head
this weeks Orpheum bill, which on the
whole Is one Of general merit.
Mr.. Morton tells stories in a simple man
ner without having 10 resort to anything
that savors Of the risque. He appears
| uyffhnut rnaEeun and has a sfvIa distinctly