Los Angeles herald., 1908-07-28

IL scented at the Mason last night
by Miss Robson and a supporting COM
pany of rather indifferent ability, IS
not a comedy, as the program asserts,
but a farce, and 1t Is played In the
farcical fashion. Thus we laugh at Aunt
Mary oftener than we laugh with ner.
We are amused at her foibles, but we
feel little sympathy for the old lady
whose rejuvenation leads her into such
eccentric grotesqueries as the use or
a bed for an automobile and a BABY
carriage for a tea wagon.
In Anne Warmers story Aunt Mary
was a loVable character; in the farce
she is most often ridiculous. The au-
thor of the story eonfesses to having
written the play and complains that 1t
was rewritten after she was through
with 1t. Thus 1t becomes somewhat diff
heult to place the blame as between
Mrs. Warner and her unwelcomed and
unnamed collaboration Their united ef-
forts, however have resulted In maxi
ing a rather silly farce out of material
which would seem to have offered pos
sibilities for much better things.
Evidently the play has been tailored
to pattern. 1t was written for Miss
Robson and rewritten around Miss
Robson; and it all fits beautifully.
There are serious moments in the farce,
but most of them have scant excuse for
being. However, they occur with such
precision that they lose much of the
effect which might have been gained
otherwise.
Many Clever Touches
However, 1.-THE Rejuvenation of Aunt
Mary" is funny, broadly, farcically
funny. It sketches a funny story ana
1t caricatures personality of ample
humorous attributes. There are clever
touches, many Of them, both In the
character itself and In its presentation
by Miss Robson. The dialogue, too,
provides numerous causes for laughter,
apart from the eccentricities of action
and acting. l venture to say that II
YOU have not read Mrs Warmers story
YOU will find the farce vastly divert
ing. II YOU have read 1t, your appre-
citation of the stage Aunt Mary Will be
tempered with regret that in the book
Aunt Mary has not been treated with
the respect BETTING her years and her
character.
A consideration of last nights acting
must concern itself almost exclusively
with Miss Robson's Interpretation OF
the country aunt who renews her youth
during a. three weeks visit to New
York and who remains young even
after her return to her country home.
Numerous changes have been made In
the cast WlInlH In0 I1OI low NCOhSS
and without having seen the earlier
performances of the farce / yet will
hazard the opinion that these changes
have not been for the better. There
are one or two good bits, notably the
Lucinda of Nina Saville. The other
members of the supporting company
seldom rise above a dead level oil
nediocrity. Most of them mistake a
boisterous habit of speech for comedy
| fault by the way from which the star
herself is not wholly free.
Miss Robson's Acting
Miss Robson's acting is curiously un-
/ even, We are given occasional mo-
ments of delightful humor. Then the
player again descends to caricature
| Her tenderness for her nephew is made
verv real and the transition from grave
to gay is accomplished pleasingly. But
| it doesn't stop there. Through gayety
| to antic buffoonery Miss Dobson drags
| moor Aunt Mary until the result is alike
iudicrous and deplorable. There are
| many expert touches-Aunt Mary's firsi
| anpreciation Of the toothsome quail.
| ties of a soft-shelled crab is one OF
| thena-but on the whole 1t is a. cartoon
Miss Robson shows rather than a por-
| trait.
continues at the Mason through the
week. 1t Is funny. The pity of it Is
that it is not funnier.
With all due Difference to the hu.
mans concerned. the most remarkable
act upon the Orpheum program this
week is provided by erals balloons
their stunts are both amusing anc
amazing. One of them, Diavolena
| loops the loop on a tiny tricycle. ant
/ accomplishes the feat as though he en-
foyed it. Elsewhere in the performance
j of these animal athletes 1t isn't Sc
| much what they do as the intelligent
wav they do it, They don't talk back
they don't fight, they just pay atten.
ton to business and do what they arr
4 told to dc easily quietly and withoui
fuss.
Handkerchief No. To-" a one-9c
comedy presented by Fred Bond, Ere
mont Benton and their company, is Z