The Washington herald., 1908-01-26

he had failed to realize the expectations
engendered by THE Heir of the Hoorali
and even "SaiOmy Jane. Several dis
missed the subject with a paragraph,
anxious to spare the authors feelings, no
doubt-a most rare occurrence. The Times
critic was conservative. He said. among
other things. that the scenes were rem
inlscenf OF innumerable comedy dramas,
and that .tbe play neither reflects life nor
proves to be any sort of adequate eriti-
cisln of it, And its qualities are those Of
musical show book rather than Of
comedy, which it purports to be Tho
acting Of William Farnum, William h.
Mack. Elita Proctor otis and Mary
Brady Is praised, but" the Times adds
TO consider any of the people with much
seriousness under the circumstances
would be both futile and unfair.
Enough 10 show that the laugh, as
they say. is on Armstrong. if he really
meant 70 be serious and administer q
crushing rebuke 20 his torment0rs II
will not hurS Armstrong much He IS
used 20 failures. He always rebounds
like a rubber ball And he Is too pic
turcsque character not 10 be missed
He will 20 diligently about writing an
other play. Given bottle Of ink, paper
and pen. and six days grace, and he is
likely TO astonish everybody with another
success.
At the Savoy Theater. 'The Man Of the
Hour" was replaced Monday night by a
rip-roaring farce from the French Of
/ Hennequin and Weber, entitled Twenty
Days I'm the Shade Now that actors
have taken a normal view Of the salary
/ question. It was comparatively easy for
! Charles Frohman 20 fill the cast with
the best players in their line that can
be had in America. Hence. a remark
able company. which did much 20 throw
/ the large fTst-night audience into con-
vulsions Of laughter.
! The farce deals with the same material
that all French farces deal in. A night
/ out for loving young husband, the
/ Comte De Mervllle, with the bosom friend
/ of the C0uutesse de Merville. To be sure
/ they only attend a performance Of the
/ Varieties But there happened to sit in
/ front Of them in the box two ladies' with
/ enormous hats decorated with sweeping
plumes. Hats and plumes Obscured the
view Of the stage. Henri 0e c0mtej pO-
/ litely demonstrated with the escort OF
the ladies' This pTecipitated disturb
ance in which Henri becomes involved
/ with ;he police.
When the comedy begins he has been
/ sentenced 10 twenty days In Jail for
/ striking q policeman Can YOU imagine
his plight? II his wife learns that Henri
was out with her friend and was arrest
/ cd for raising a disturbance. Ia c0mtesse
/ viii get a divorce. To avoid a scandal
/ he has recourse TO a ruse 1t is 70 en-
| gage PanthTUChe his old college chum
/ who Is a perfect pTOtean artist in Trig-
/ Cling his way through difficulties and
/ chrouically in need Of mOney-eugages
him 10 take his place In jail for a stipend
Of 24Go5 francs Meanwhile Henri and hi.
wife and his sister and mother-in-law de-
part for trip 10 Italy.
When they return. Pantruche has served
his time and is back But instead Of that
ending Henris troubles he finds that
they have just begun The Judge who
sentenced him and who is known as the
bully of the bench, is madiy in love Will
Henri well-preserved mOther-in-law
I PantrUChe has formed a speaking ac-
quaintance with shorty" a typical jail
bird He has invited shorty" in the
counts name. 10 visit him after his re-
lease. Nine Meran. tine cOmtesse's fn
timate friend. with whom Henri had hts
adventure in the box, has sent Pantruchs
quail and champagne, supposing him Il
BE- the count eXpiating his gallantry u
her. And thus one complication grow.
ont q another in the usual way OF farCes
/ shorty makes himself at home in the
counts house by representing himself q
be his lOHg-lOst f0ster-bfut1er and has
20 be taken in and provided for. Pan
truChe has fallen IN love with Nine
Meran and now begins to blackmail bis
/ friend the count The bully of the bench
comes on visit 10 see the mOtheT-in-
law Pautruche strikes a policeman ir
the street and Is again held as the Count
o. MerviIle What with "Saorty." Pan
truche. the judge. and Mime. Meran al
i'm the house. the count is continually be-
tween the devil and the deep sea. His
distractions are the usual manifestation.
Of the type employed IN such farces, bU
there are many new touches and ChaTac
ters. And notably those of shorty anC
Pan;ruCHe. the first played with remark
able skill by Dallas Wexford and the lat
ter most humoTOusly portrayed by Charlie.
Dickson. Richard Bennett who charm
ed everybody In The Lion and th'
Mouse. plays admirably the role o.
Henri Comtc de Meryillc Ernest Law
ford. until recently the pirate in "PeteI
Pan" was c0neenially cast as Chant8
|uelIe, an eccentric lawyer, who gets Henr
+ sentenced to Jail through his pleading
Pauline Frederick plays the comtesse au'
Jeffreys Lewis the m0ther-in-law. Other.
in the cast are Frank BuTbeck. who playi
the judge, Edwin NiCanGer and Viz
Etowe. as Two youthful lovers; Grac
Heyer. as Nine. Meran, and Fanni'
Hartz. who plays the maid. The piect
will probably be a winner