The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1907-03-30

AS an Illustration Of Miss Ellen Terry
already thoroughly established versa
tllity, the double bill. Nance oldfeld"
and 1.-THE Good Hope" given at the
National last night ard to be repeated
tonight. may be regarded as dis
tinguisEed success. IN fact, Nance
OldheId" alone would accomplish that.
The part of Mistress Anne Oldheld is
one that Miss Terry long ago made
famous. AID the passing Of time seems
only TO have perfected her performance
of it. It probably congresses more
phases Of Miss Terry's art. comprising
IS il does exquisite high comedy, de-
Iiclous low comedy, and q crlef night
into heroic tragedy, into shorter llIHe
than anything she has ever done
II exhibits a fexibility. sureness, a
cIear-cut definiteness which even she
has never surpassed. It has recently
been done on this side by Virginia Har-
ned and by Henrietta CrCsman-who IS
more like Ellen Terry than any one elsa
on the stage today-and is fairly familiar
70 American audiences. Miss Terry
of It was long ago CHAR
acterlzed as the perfection # acting
and IT seems unnecessary TO add any
thing To that Ruige Harding played
an entirely conventional OldwOrthy pere,
and 0. P. Heggir an entirely colorless
Oldworthy fls. Miss Maud Stuart is
a eimperingly idiotic little Susan-but
as Susan is a simpering little idiot that
is quite as il should be.
The Good Hope" translated from the
Dutch Of Hermann Heigermann, IS one
of the many correct answers to the
time-worn question. when is play
not a play2'' Another. and synonymous,
answer might be, when it's a sermon
Which is not saying that it is not in
terestsng, for it Is; or not well worth
seeing. for. it is; or does Tot furnish
some opportunities for good acting, for
# does. 1t is simply Kingsleys' pathetic
Three Fishers" spun out TO four-act
drama It's theme is the old one:
so men must work, and women must
For there's little to earn. and many to
keep
Though the harbor bar be boaning."
As a play 1t is diffuse in construction,
disjOinted in action, a piling up Of dis
tresslhg detail. a somber photograph OF
a peculiarly dreaTy subject The first act
Is entirely unnecessary. Absolutely
nothing happens in IL Il is devoted
from curtain to curtain to the develop
ment Of atmosphere, And the at
mOSpheFe certainly IS developed
Really one wonders why Miss Terry
chose to do it. II gives her no Opportu-
nifty fer distinction; il can add nothing
10 her reputation. though 70 be sure one
may fairly ask If anything could; it
gives every member Of her company
more chance than herself.
Yet, as Kniertje, the Dutch peasant,
the hsnerman's widow. she certainly
persOnifics the stOlid resignation Of the
class. She voices pOignanJly the sOr-
row OF universal womauhood. Two pic
all who see the perfOrmance-the scene
Ia the second act, almost uubearabie in
its pathOs. where the old mother is
struggling between her contempt for the
coWdrdlce OF her son, whom she regard
as a man. and her love for her young
est, whom she cannot regard as any
tnlng but boy, and the deSOlaTe figure
that makes its final exit bereft of all
II had 70 tie 10 IN the world. its only
nope the promise of her sons son from
the niece whom her son had not time
70 marry accepting msekly the dole OF
CnaTlJy from the man Who has built his
fortune on the insurance realized from
the floating collins that have IA ken
FOR the rest OF the company the hest
work is done by Josephine Sheldon
VINO plays the niece, the sweetheart of
GeeTJ. the eldest SON the unwedde6
mother o. Geert's child, that is 10 come
INTO the world fatherless. The TWO sons
Barend and Geert, are really mastery
pieces or acting Anything more heart
breaking than David POweu's Barend.
the younger son, born with the fear Of
the sea IN his soul, dragged against his
vii 70 his doom, II has rarely been my
fortune to see.
IL was al least FIVE minutes before the
audlence recognized James Carew. the
Captain ETassbound of the beginning of
the Week-iu Geert- the elder son. The
mentS the mauneriSms appear. After
al. they are not such different parts
they are both CSEed bears. Iranned ny
circumstances, beWildeTed and only half
realizing. And GIr. Carew does them
Well He has very definite conception
OF me parts; and projects very definite
picture of the chara cters
stu harder IS IL 10 recognize three Of
BrasSbOUnd rascally followers in three
old Dutch geffers on the stage last
night Tom PaultOn. the Italian OF the
Shaw play, is Dante. GEORGE Elton tho
little gutIersnipe. becomes an
equally inimiUable Old Cabus from the
almshouse, and Frederick LLOYD is
scarcely recognizable as the old Kidding
beggar. The three are really wonders
OF realism, delicious in their EumOr eIO-
quent in their pathOs. Rudge Harding
doeS-and CVerdoes-the rascaIlv shin
owner. But il is the sort Of mart that
II is almost impossible not 10 OVerdO
BaeUTiCe Forbes Robertson gives a
rather cOlCrless performance Of the