Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-01
THE CAST

Duchess of Portsmouth. .Maude Gilbert
Nell Gwyn ............'' ni'hene
HH HE Burbank players return this
week to costume comedy, William
- Desmond Ringing 1t as that merry
monarch, the Second Charles or Eng
land; A. Byron Beasley masqueradlng
as the duke of Buckingham, and others
of the company being variously dis
posed as divers members of the nobility;
Blanche Hall is that fascinating and
arch actress. Nell Gwyn, while Maude
Gilbert has donned the garb and accent
of the French born duchess of Ports
mouth.
The play is mistress Nell" accred-
tied on the program to George e. Ha-
zleton. 1t was presented few years
ago in the east by Henrietta Cros-
man and was largely responsible for
several other Nell Gwyn plays which
followed in rapid succession, though
with a somewhat less gratifying recep-
ton at the hands of the theater-going
public.
Mistress Nell'' is comedy of love
in which the politics of the time plays
q considerable part. There is much talk
of Louis ambitions, the Louis to which
reference is had being the then king
of France, to his campaign against the
Dutch and to his designs against Lux
embourg. Naturally these questions of
state which vexed ministries of the
long ago have little present day in
terest. However, they serve to give
point to the rivalry of that saucy
wench. "sweet Nell of old Drury," and
the scheming duchess of Portsmouth
for the kingly favor; and they provide
a somewhat unimportant plot skeleton
upon which to hang the love comedy.
William Desmond is debonair
monarch, with all of the merry Charles
lively appreciation of fair femininity;
and Blanche Hall Is dainty and
roguish Nell Gwyn, particularly
piquant and charming in the doublet
and hose which she dons for her mas
querade at the duchess ball in the
fourth act. A. Byron Beasley plays the
plotting duke of Buckingham noble
man whose gallantries are consistently
subordinated to his ambitions. Harry
Mestayer is Jack Hart, actor-manager
of the theater at which Nell Gwyn is
playing. Elsie Esmond is an orange
girl.
The comedy is in five acts. 1t has
been we'll staged and the costumes are
both elaborate and in good taste.
"How Baxter Butted In," the current
attraction at the Los Angeles theater,
is a bucolic melodrama, already famil-
lar to many local theater-goers through
previous presentations in this city. The
company concerned in the present re-
vival includes a number of players
prominent In the Ulrich organization
which recently closed at the Grand
opera house, among them George
clancy, Arthur Hill, Frank Richardson,
Earl Gardiner, Myrtle Selwyn and Lulu
Warrenton.
New scenery has been built for the
production and the play will be sent
on tour following the close of the local
engagement next Saturday night. How
Baxter Butted In was witnessed by
fair sized audience at the Los Angeles
theater last night, which testified to Its
appreciation by enthusiastic applause.
Sedley Brown, formerly stage director
for the Dick Ferris company at the
Auditorium theater, has been engaged
in a similar capacity by Mortimer
Dodge for the stock company with
which he will open the new Valencia
theater in San Francisco next August.
Carrie Clarke Warde, in private life
Mrs Brown. has been engaged to play
the character roles in the same organi-
cation.
John Cort has secured from Lew
Fields the production and road rights
to 'It Happened in Nordland," which
Fields used in the east last season. and
will bring the piece to the coast, Los
Angeles being on the list of cities to
be visited.
After numerous postponements, due
to the length of the run of 1.-THE Girl
of the Golden West" Before and
After" will be presented at the Belasco
theater tonight, with Joseph Galbraith
in the leading role.
William Collier opens weeks en-
gagement at the Mason tonight, pre-
senting a comedy in which he has met
with pronounced success in the east,
Caught in the Rain"
Changes of bill are announced for
the Orpheum and Fischer's matinee
performances today, and at the Empire
and Unique theateres tonight. At the
Theater Royal the second edition of
1.-The Girl with the Golden Vest" will
occupy the stage.