The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-03-07
An1usenents
LIll,.n Ru..elI at the srsna.

m role that placed her RI ner pest Lillian Russell, as young and vivacious and gracious and charming as ever she was, played in ''Wtldfire" at the Grand Friday night with the tender strength
 and faciie force that have always
 made for Miss Russell one might ra- tionaily. even if not correctly suspect: that the playwright had enough of
 respect for her intelligence and spirit of fairness to make 1t also for those who were to help her continue to de- light her never wearied patrons is an apparent truth.
 ceAter of tte story and the stage. she left room, as mad the playwright, for a troupe of importers who played with
 an even excellence. they composed constellation which only a star of Miss
 Russell's radiance could dim into the
 class of lesser msgnitudes. It was a play of pieasurably involved plot and
 characters of such individuality as to afford all in the cast opportunities to
 George Broadhurst and George V. Hobart are authors of the comedy. It's
 story. in brief. is of Mrs. Barringtong.
 very well until he dies, if one may be indulged for Hibefnian ciroumlocution: when he dies he Is very wicked indeed
 for he has owned a racing stable. Mrs.
 by the dreadful disclosure, takes the stable, the only propArty left by a
 supposedly rich decedent. and before she knows 1t becomes so fond of horses.
 most particularly of Firefly, and the
 way they run that she can hardly keep secret the fact of ownership, known only tc one Matt Donovan. trainer for
 the stable. Now Mir. Burlington had name, John Duffy, and when real
 John Duffy, bookmaker, gets in the
 running there Is the necessary tangie
 of the lietle threads that the master "a Nvf
 And as for the snarl the threads are
 woven into and as for the way that
 honor and good luck and that will
 Q the wisp. the light of love. which
 doth not always lead into the mire and bramble, at the last get the lines
 clear one of another-well,th that should
 be saved so that the story will not lose all its interest.
 But the play may be talked about.
 It Is comedy of three acts. 1t Is not horse play, which would be altogether too rompy for Miss Russell but a rac-
 lng comedy. The atmosphere of the track is there: trainer and tout. jockey and booky. crook and piker. wise guys and sweet young things. saddle and bit and bridie; dope and slang. the tumult and the shouting, the call of the herald.
 the tap of the bell; from the first the spectator-auditor is among people who love horses for themselves or for the
 horses or. for both. The dialogue is
 within the realms of wit, never near
 to dullness, always within the secur-
 ing. boundaries of huFnor and it's twin.
 pathos. Situations are, clever and
 dramatic; the scenery well planned and
 we'll made 7T
 It Is not great comedy. only a
 mighty pleasing one.
 So n all candor and kindness. it may
 be writ of Miss Russell. She is not a
 great actress. Perhaps she knows 1t.
 The role she played last night made moderate demands upon her for erflo- tionaI expression. But the demands and force that left with every person
 in the house the idea that if any more strength had been needed 1t would nave been readily supplied. And in her lighter scenes Miss Russell was 50 charming. A woman of the world, in the best sense of the phrase; a woman who loved life and knew it; who was SO gay and light of heart that she ap- peared heartless and yet was most kind; who tested because she might without hurt to those about her. and yet had the eye for pity. vivacious shrewd. almost spirituelle in coquetry that was iDstinctive. All of these qualities Miss Russell made her own with an ease that bespoke finished art as we'll as careful study. So, too, her facile but correct euunciation, her be- haYior upon the stage and her pres- once were indisputab1e signs of She trained actress.
 nt. Being beautiful seems to have become habit with her; she seems not to be able to get over it. She is charming toe. with a sort of jolly good fellow snip that dotracts not one whit from |
 Miss Russell was bandsomely l dressed. :, Ont Of the cast that assisted Miss first. dlminutive person playing | that pathetic but fascinating chaYac- ter, the lad of the turf. born old with | the wisdom that Is hardly more than shrewdness. yet for all that a child forever, Mir. Archie acted with an intI- | mate knowledge of the role and with convincing spiritedness that were ex- tremely clever. From the point of pub lie favor he was hardly second to the star.
 Herbert CorthelI also had a fine con ception of the part of Donovan and played it with admirable reserve and strength, never yielding to the temp tation of burlesque. Howard Gould played John Garrison with manly and spirited grace and Morgan Wallace, as Sanderson, character not greatly dis similar was gratefully competent. John D. O'Hara made delightful ,haracter of pr. Woodhurst, an old attacked with the bacillus mania. Norman Tharp ls Ralph was not so good. not making ID in histrionic talent for an inferior y, played with entire adequacy. Gil- 'ert Douglas did the character role" # BeFtie with delicious drollness. Harry c. Stafford as Chappie Raster Lcted with notably fine sympathy. and Frank Andrews as his valet, on the 'tage but briefly, gave evidence of liEh skill.
 Genevieve Cliff played the part of Myrtle with not too much strength hough she was quite adequate for the demands made upon her. Her voice Is rot good. Rosalie DeVaux had a sim lar role and played 1t competently Annie Buckley as Hortense. a negro maid. though she played with grace i'd spirit Is not conversant with negro lialeet and negro character and her york was therefore notably lacking In Itrength.
 George R Vending will lecture on stonewall Jackson" at the Grand Sat