Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1908-12-19
1.-THE DEVIL" PROVED
VERY FASCINATING
MOInar'S Great Play an
Artistic Delight.

There was something very attract
i've about the impersonation of the
nameSake of the play The Devil
which was presented Thursday night
at the opera house to a fair sized au--
dience. Some who had come prepar-
ed to be shocked did not get a full
run for their money. Only one in
cident was open to criticism in the
staging
Nothing especially startling APP
peared in the make up of the leading
character, but as the original had
not been seen by any of the audience
OF last night, it was impossible to
draw satisfactory comparisons with
the real and the imitation, except to
say that his satanic majesty as
portrayed did not measure up to the
requirements of the copy book.
In the role played by the Devil
there was fascination which caused
one to at times forget-as it was
doubtless intended-the personality
of the character His cynical summing
up of the foibles and weaknesses OF
the human race were at times most
amusing and at others almost uncan-
ny in their accuracy The best of
the bons-mots had been polished and
worked over until they sparkled like
well-cut diamond Then the ability
to penetrate every secret, see through
every disguise of the mind or heart
was in itself enough to hold the in
terest, even in a more stupid drama.
In the plot of the play there is
something of the repulsive, vet this
was almost lost sight of in the hyp-
motto spell which was cast over the
audience by the environments of the
occasion. The central piece is the
1 revival of the flames Of an old
love between a married woman and
her former sweetheart, to which re-
suit the Devil contributes in large
measure. In this he is supposed, in
the allegorical sense in which his
| part is to be taken, to represent the
voice of the Tempter who gets a
l hearing in the heart of every man
| and woman-almost-b whose evil
suggestions it is the duty of the truly
! good to stifle. AS the Devil summed
| up his true self, putting his finger or
/ the head of the man and woman, 80
am from nowhere and go nowhere
| am here BY dallying with the TEN
i pier the Evil One triumphed at the
| last, and the two-the woman anC
| the artist,-yielded themselves t.
/ the allurements of an unlawful love
| AS for the work of the company, i
was without a flaw, Campbell Coli.
| an, as the Devil, was a fit emissary
Of the realms of darkness in the cir
Gle of society in which he was ap
| pointed to move. He was masterfu
and suave, bending others to hi:
| will by his suggestions or by his Elk
| ercise of the powers of darkness. Hi.
worldwide knowledge of course gave
him an advantage, and enabled hin
at times to thus carry the day wheI
other means failed Kari Mailer
the artist, was played by Richard
Thornton in an acceptable manner
except that his voice is too nasa
and harsh. Miss Block, as Olga Hoff
man, the bankers wife and the TEN
pied woman, successfully portrayed
the emotions which would be sup
posed to naturally accompany vari
Gus stages of departure from tn
conventional life. Other character
did their work smoothly and con
attributed their full share to the sue
cess of the performance
1t is safe to say that Americas ha
never witnessed more finishes
production than that of Thursda
night 1t was an artistic treat, il
which the details which might hav
|. / been Objectionable were so glosse'
over as to be entirely inoffensive.
| But this is the way with The Devil