The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-22

the most daring achievements ever seen
 and one that requires two clever athletic
 actors to accomplish.
 The cast to be seen here will include
 Joseph Whitehead as Con Kidder; Neil
 McNeil, as Kid Connor; w. H. Brown,
 Harry Carter, Milton Dawson, Freder-
 ick McGee Maurice Iavigne, Charles
 Hopkins and the Misses Anna McNabb,
 Marguerite Fry. Sadie Kirby, Edmace de
 Dreux and chorus of 50, including a
 special orchestra of picked musicians.
 Traitor" Better Than "Ciansman." Here is what the Norfolk Landmark
 said Of "rhe Traitor" which comes to
 the Jefferson theatre Wednesday and
 Thursday nights and Thanksgiving day matinee:
 The well known novel entitled "The Traitor,'' by Thomas Dixon, Jr., will always doubtless cause differences of
 opinion among critics as to it's merits, but of the dramatization nothing can be said except in it's praise. There can be { no doubt of it's excellent quality, perfect proprety and entire merit. To put 1t briefly, the play ini every way Is in1meas- urably superior to the novel which sug
 gested it. While all the main incidents
 of the novel are retained, there is added
 a comedy element absent in that produc- tion which is not only a relief to the strain of feeling, but is in itself emil nently pleasing. In other ways the cream of the novels sentiment is retained in the play and the less attractive element is discarded "The Traitor is called a dramatic se- quel to "The Clansman,'' and 1t closes , series of historical studies of "The
 Tragedy of the South," known as Re construction" and is a much pleasanter play than "The Clansman." As MT. Dix on says, While the negro problem is an important element of the new play. it is not troated with the direct and painful
 realism found necessary in The Clans
 man."
 In '"rhe Traitor .'the negro furnishes local color, comedy, atmosphere and the
 political motives upon which the plot
 moves" The principal interest of ''The Traitor is found in the historical accu-
 racy Of it's characters, its scenes of up- heaval and revolution and the grip Of { thrilling and beautiful love story. The negro in "The Traitor furnishes the comedy scenes only.
 The novel has been a good foundation but the superstructure of the play is, af-
 ter all, the real point of interest. As Hamlet said, The plays the thing" and it far surpasses the novel in interest. in- tensity and power. As dramatic story
 'The Traitor is far more effective than "The Clansman," and everybody wants to see it.
 "The Traitor was dramatized by Channing Pollock and Thomas Dixon, and was put on for the first time on any stage at the Academy of Music last night under the personal direction of George .H. Brennan, before large audience, and was an instantaneous success.
 The audience was not only large, but 1t was enthusiastic, and particularly so in the great trial scene where John Gra- ham, the ex-chief of the Ku Klux Klan, was put on trial for his life, for the all legged murder of John Butler, of the U. S. court. The entire cast, with one or two exceptions, was strong.
 John Maurice Sullivan as Steve Hoyle, chief of the new Klan, gave a strong impersonation of that character, and al- though his part was villainous one, he showed up grandly, and established him self an artist in that kind of work MT. Sullivan has fine voice and his stage bearing was excellent. John T. Doyle as Dan Wiley, moun- taineer, was great especially in the trial