Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-18
THE LOVE ROUTE
A TELLING PLAY
STOCK CHARACTERS, BUT NEW
SURROUNDINGS
Pretty Love Story, with Strong situa-
tions, Gives Drama High Lights.
sub-Plot Also Carries One
Well Along

Many years ago in Europe there were
travelling .showmen who carried boxes oi
visited they would set up these dolls and
present any kind of play the public
wanted, All their characters were stock
characters" and from them they WrunB
tears or laughs as they wished.
In way this is what Edward Peples
has done in THE Love Route" the in
iasco stock company last night. Peples
has used stock charaters but he has
woven them into setting that is novel,
new and thrilling. The thrills come from
about all the passions human being can
have-love, hate, the ludicrous, the. sad
and the drollness of western. cowboys.
that pleases the gallery and human sym
pathy that is real.
The plot is woven around the. effort of
q man to break 2 Womanss Ts VIII harn IN oFdnp obp
Ashby, loves Allene Houston, who has y
heart for love and heart for hate, He
has determined to make name & for him m,
asked to build railroad through her
ranch The dying wish Of her ,,5h father WAS was
own his land. She is true daughter OF
theI south who loves, fair. play and she
fights her lover fairly. She drives, the
away, and was. against him with every
conceivable device SO that he cannot
build the road. But at last the crucial
by her foreman. In his delirium Ashby
cries for the girl he loves. The woman in
her heart reasserts itself and she builds
the road which he is unable to do. 1t is
the most interesting unfolding of plot
that one can imagine.
AS a play the dialogue is clear, lively
| and progressive and the many characters
are given life by the appropriateness Of
| the language they use. The sad parts are
few but they are tull of human interest
and the best side of the opposing forces.
"a yof nd he hro erif arl pf
| in good form.
Episodes. that are entertaining are
| very funny. The way the iliterate men
stumble over the words of their pledge
| shows degree of skill on the part of
credit. A very charming sub-piot is
portrayed in an amusing manner by
Richard Vivian and Marion Berg Miss
Bergs shootin iron isthe limit. nit It is i
| doubtful If a similar pistol can be found
in Los Angeles.
But in spite of all its merits the play
has false atmosphere when considered
as an artistic production. OF course
| the cowboys wear belts and boots and
guns. but who ever saw a real cowboy
one side of his body way below his
hips? For those who have never seen
the real thing" the western life pictur-
| ed is ideal but for the other class there
is something lacking which only the
smell OF sage brush can give. The at
mosphere of the love scenes is good, for
| everyone knows that the Belasco leads
| are experts in that line.
! There is one thing in the play which
| is perfect. That is the stage business
| and management. There are few thea
| ters which can boast of such smooth
easy working stage affairs When Ho-
bart Bosworth starts in to picture g
railroad on the stage he does it. Thai
is, he did last night. 1t was not over
| done. and to say that is to say good
deal, for often those things can be
made ridiculous by feeble attempts tc
| initiate them
There Is something more worthy OF
| the highest commendation. 1T is the
| violin Solo given between acts II and
| III by Victor l.. Schertzinger 1t does
not take one with a musical education
to appreciate the sweetn ess of his notes
The audience last night called him back
as many times as he would come and
| then wanted more.
I To say Miss Albertson is the real
| thing" as western and southern girl
would be to describe her in the words of
the cowboys who loved her. Lewis
Stone as the engineer, John Ashby. iss
| his habitutal reserve and at times livens
up to an unusual degree. The rest of
| the company gave their usual efficient
| support to the leading players.