The Washington times., 1907-03-26
Enthusiastic Reception
Given to Noted Actress
on Her Return to
the Capital.

It was a rousing greeting. equal parts
affection and admiration, which a
crowded and fashionable audience hand
ed oc-oss the National footlights 20 Ell
len Terry-"dear Ellen Terry last
night. And * was the same dear Ellen
Terry that acknowledged the welcome
the most consummate actress, the most
lovable woman that the Engiish-speak-
ing stage of the last quarter Of "a cen
fury has known.
The play. Captain BrassbOund's Con-
version" doesn't amount 10 much It
is the fimslest OF farces, the literary
form which George Bernard Shaw has
chosen to give 10 his fouting Of British
forms of justice and legal procedure. It IS
frankly prep0sJerous, but as most Of the
audience already knew, through familiar
ity with it between covers, wIttiIy audaci-
ous' and audaciously witty. II bristles
with Shawlsms. and like most Shaw plays
il IS different" the difference in This
instance consisting In the absence Of
women-with the one excepuon-from
the cast. and the elimination of the sup
posedIy necessary love interest" from
the story.
The part. though II is a delightful
comedy part. as il comes To us infused
with Miss Terry's personality. really
amounts. so far as action goes. 10 very
Httle-a high spirited. wayward woman
Of erratic, gypsy-like spirit, sweetly
careless demeanor. perverselv sane, fun
OF womanly caprice and womanly hum
or But one felt after all, this is not
acting, this is just Miss Terry" Per
sonaIly. I have always felt that. When
as a school girl. ! was taken to see
Miss Terry as Beatrice in Much Ado.
I SAFE. 10 myself. she must be Just that
delightful sort Of woman" Since then
have seen her i'm many widely differ
ing. but always charming. parts. and d.
ways the same conviction mas peen
borne in upon me- .,..-
There has been but one thing TINS
winter TO me anywhere near so ENJOY
able as Miss Terry'S captain Brass-
bounds Conversion" and that was Mrs
Fiske's New York Idea Lahd lh.tl lie
former case the play and the company
contributed more TO the pleasure IMAM
in the present instance. Ie 90 II JUS
tice Miss Terrys support is pretty
good. though il is not so superlatiVeiy
GOOD as Mrs F'iskes. James CdTeW Is
splendidly qualified physically, Tor the
fierceIy sullen Brassbound par L manu-
some but ioyless,' Shaw describes MN
interesting, even attractive but not
friendly" He Is all that, and he IS
whole lot better actor than he used 10
be The harsh monotony OF lne voice u
perhaps a bit unnecessarily malnJameu,
the Sullenness is a bit too violent; but
on the whole he fairly realizes the part
of BrassbOund. George Elton WINS oe-
served applause for capital character
work as Felix DrinkWateT. the scum OF
London drifted on some errauc toe 70
MoeadOr Frederick Lloyd, as RedbroOk,
son of right reverend dean O. some
thing or Otuer, tramp OF BelIleiIdIii5
breeding made. after Miss Terry the
biggest hit with me. He dOesn speak
a dozen times, but his pantoIhsl lIlle or
Rudge Harding. as Sir Howard Hallam,
i'm whom the British Justiciary is per-
sonifed and fouted, does gOod WORK.
w T Lowell rather overdoes Lhe tWauS
Of the American oIlcer, anu me- S,.1b,,
citation loses in distinctness thereby.
There are too parties of Arabs on tne
stage who are most satisfying IN their
handsome bronze immOblllty ana plCluf-
esuueness. The sitJings are admlTable-
But after all, why discuss the sup
mort? IT is unobtrusively excellent, but
it is Miss Terry who really counts.
She is the same radiant creature she
was when she first came over-frank'
little (oh, q very littleD older, out meet
ing the years with characteristic pom
homie which does not even trouble 10
disguise the fact OF their passage her
worst enemy-if she has one-WOuld
find no pleasure in telling Miss teFfy
she IS Older-she so obviously doesh L
care.
And why should she, when she still
brings to her work that gracious charm,
that Joyous vitality. that ahounding
humOr: above all, that blitne indi-
viduality that won her years ago even
more than cOnsummate arr, and Will
bring her. whenever she &C 4 be per-
suaded to visit us, the same joyous tn
mutt Of welcome that was lers last
night2 NJ. Med.