The sun., 1908-04-07
CYRIL SCOTT IN UNIFORM
HE'S NEARLY A MILITARY NAN
IN "THE ROYAL MOUNTED"

In Play OF the Canadian Northwest BY the
De MILES lie Succeeds In Getting Out
Of Himself and Int Hls Part, ThAt Of
an EnEaging Young Irish OmeeT.
Al the Garrick Theatre last evening Cyril
SCOTT made laudable attempt TO make At
least a personal escape from the plague OF
personality from which the American stage
has long been and still is suffering. That
is 10 say he attempted TO enact a character
and not Cyril Scott. Such an attempt
would be commendable because Of lts COM
parative novelty II for no other reason.
But there are other reasons for commend
Ing II,
A considerable time ago, when Mr.. Scott
was content to draw a good salary Tor
exhibiting his very amisble personality
In musical comedy, he used 10 sing song
in which he frequently remarked: Il
want 10 Join the mili-tary-ary-ay.' He
didn't quite do Il last evening. He did
join the mounted police Of Canada In THE
Royal Mounted a play Of which CeOil B.
and William G. de Mile arc Jointly the
authors.
In this piece Mr.. Scott appears as an
engaging young Irish officer who Is sent
into the hills TO capture a murderer. He
there meets the girl OF his heart, Her
heart and the murderer he likewise en-
snares. And who is the murderer? The
astuto and experienced theatregoer will
already have guessed that he is none other
than the girls own brother.
So once more the hero stands betwixt
what the Singer Of home and mother bal
lads calls love and dooty," But he lie
getting a triAe used to il and doesn't take
Il as hardly as Of old. And that Is why.
no doubt, that Lieut.. O'Byrne Of the Royal
Mounted made no undue fuss about 1t
last night but simply let the murderer
60 and started back TO 60 10 jail himself.
OF course. the murdered man was a
mighty rotten sort and vas killed while
attacking the girl. Also It turned out that
as he was an outlaw with price upon his
head IL wasn't murder 10 kill him; in fact,
II was a civic duty, which let everybody
out Of trouble in time for the final curtain
at II.
And did Lisu. O'BWRe get the girl after
alll--Ah, but the Irish have the way with
theml
Mr.. Scott's performance Of the principal
character was attractively conceived and
deftly executed. II he was not precisely
thrilling In his moments melodramatic
perhaps II wasn't altogether his fault.
His comedy was always diverting and
occasionally a trihe more than that, and
he had quite the most alluring and au-
thsntic brogue that has walked the stage
hereabouts in long, long time.
The principal actor had some competent
assistants and others unworthy Of that
description. They included Charles Lane
as the murderer who turned out 10 be a
public spirited citizen Clara Blandich a.
the girl in chief; Charles Lamb, who said
never a word about roast pig or tailors;
Ethel Wright, Elvood Bostwick, and Harry
Powell
As play "The Royal Mounted" is jus,
one Of those things II gives every evidences
OF having been written around the principal
character, which is . circumstance almost
invariably inimioal tp art, II IA % In this
case. And at the end Of the third oct there
is a long debate between the hunter and
the hunted. each with his hand on a re-
volver, and you wonder and wonder Why
nobody shoots, They arc mighty careless
with firearms all through the piece. as a
matter Of fact,
And my what hardy people they are
In the Canadian Northwest Maybe the
snow is deep on the hills nobody minds the
cold In the least and the women 60 COM
fortably about bareheaded, in low shoes
and with their sleeves TO their elbows. In
some quarters an impression prevails that
all you need 10 create an illusion is players,
scenery and footlights. II this is 90 "The
Royal Mounted is fine piece Of stage
craft.
But Cyril Scott is worth while anyhow