The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-10-29

af%fectionate nearness to him. Simple,
kindly. funny ole man with the great big
heart and the sunny temper Mr.. Thomp-
son not acted but lived him again as he
has done these thousands OF times before
play itself may be land, in fact, 1t
ls) a thing of theatrical convention telling
u slight sentimental story In an artificial
way, its humor ofttimes crudely exagger-
ated, its pathos at times ~perilously near
bathos. But the character of Uncle Josh
is a living, human thing, and 1t is Uncle
Josh, Infinitely more than the play, that
matters. Mr.. Thompson's naturaDsm was
as sure and as true last night as 1t could
ever nave been. His humor was irresisti-
BILE. and the sweetness of soul with which
he invested Joshua was the expression
of innate character, and made the most
artifcially sentimental speeches ring true.
Mr.. Thompson has given our stage but this
one fine theatre portrait, but, in that
he has lone it a service of inestimabie
benehcence and the millions who have
laughed and wet with him have felt
that life has been the wholesomer and
sweeter for it.
Though a week or so ago he celebrated
his seventy-hfth anniversary, Mr.. Thomp-
son is as spry as ever. In his wrestling
with the parlor sofa in the second act,
his pugnacious encounter with the Harlem
SPIDER in the third and his prancing around
in the old-fashioned dances In the last act
he was lively and sprightly as a kitten.
For the rest, it was the same Old Home
stead.'' Despite the artihciality of incl
dent, the homely, bucollc atmosphere of
the play is real. It was pleasant to renew
acquaintances with Cy Prime and Seth
Perkins, who had their tiffs over Aunt
Matilda and "made up" as of old IN the
last act. Eb Ganzey's whistle was not
nearly SO funny as memory pictured, but
Fred Knapp made the character sufficiently
overgrown and gawkish. Happy Jack and
Ricketty Ann, the Hopkinses, of New York,
and Uncle Josh's boy Reuben, gone astray
In the metropolis, all seemed like old
friends. Horace Rushby was Cy Prime,
Charles H. Clark, Seth Perkins; Miss
Louisa Morse, Aunt Matilda, and Gus
Kammerlee, Henry Hopkins. The entire
cast was good, and included Mr.. Tbomp-
sons daughters, Miss Annie. as Mrs. Hop
kins, and Miss Venle, as Anna Maria
Murdoch.
The singing of the old songs by the
double quartet of farmhands was repeat
eddy encored. 1t was good singing, and no
wonder that the audience enjoyed it. The
Grace Church choir and organ in the
rendition of 1.-The Palms was effective,
and that, too, was warmly applauded.
1t is to be hoped and expected that New
arkers will seize upon the opportunity to
see THE Old Homestead this week in
large numbers. Mr.. Thompson's appear
ances on the stage are growing increasing
ly and regrettably rarer, and Of his pres
ent five weeks season Newark Is for
tunate indeed in getting Its share. -Four
wec.s were passed in New York, and
after next Saturday Mr.. Thompson Will
again go into retirement amid the New
Hampshire environment of which he has
so long given %playgoers such entertaining
glimpses.
This "a few statistics may not be amiss
ut this time) is the twenty-second season
of THE Old Homestead" and the thirty
third of Joshua Whitcomb. Mr.. Thomp-
son has been on the stage since 1850, when
he Joined Tryon's circus in Boston. He
was a super in Charlotte Cushman's COM
pany In the Howard Athenaeum, Boston,
for a time, and fonnd his first speaking
part in 1.-The French Spy" as Arasman
in Lowell, Mass. in 1852. At Harry Mar
tins Varieties, in Pittsburg. in 1875, he first
appeared as Uncle Joshua Whitcomb in
a one-act piece bearing the same name.
This piece was played Until 1883, when, in
collaboration with George w. Ryer, MI.
Thompson expanded 1t into "The Old
Homestead" the writing of the four-act
piece being completed in fifteen days. 1t
was first produced April, 1886, at the Bos-
ton Theatre, going from there to the Aca-
DENY of Music, New York, where it broke
all records with a three-years run.
II is estimated that Mr.. Thompson has
PLAYED Joshua Whitcomb $50 weeks. He
has never played to less than $1,000 a
night. which represents an earning eapa-
city>of S. O4, 600. His audiences have ag-
gregated nearly 1000, 600 people. The first
fifteen wears of the play Mr.. Thompson
is reported to have netted 100000 for
himself.