The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-11-26
MADE A HIT.
''The Man From Home" a De-
lightful Play.
Brim Full of Wholesome Amer
lean Spirit.
ARE FAMILIAR TYPES.
haracterS Are in No Sense New
to Sta gedOm.
Production to Be Given This
Afternoon and Evening.

No wonder 1.-THE Man From Home"
the most successful American play of
! last season, measured by the box office
receipts, ran over three hundred
nights in Chicago and, is going big. in
New York where it opened this fall.
1t is the sort of play sure to be popu-
lar with an American audience. The
eagle screams in it from start to
finish, and it makes the same sort of
sentimental appeal which contributed
so largely to the success of the novels
of Booth Harrington and Harry Leon
Wilson who collaborated in it's author
ship. The theme of the play is
positively hackneyed. its characters
in all their essentials, are the familiar
types of the one-two-three melo-
drama. The play is not subtle. Be
fore the end of the second act the
audience is in the confidence of the
authors and the denouement is
obvious almost from the beginning.
But in spite of all this the. play is
effective, and take it from one who
went to the theater last night full of
prejudice and determined to criticise
the piece, 1.-THE Man From Home"
will get to you, and if you don't want
to be carried off your feet, if you
don't want delicious lump in your
throat and a luxurious tear in your
eye, if you don't want to spoil your
gloves applauding situations which
have nothing newer to commend them
than the trite device of virtue
triumphing over vice by the usual i'm
probable methods, you would better
stay away from the Grand tonight.
And. at that, the company which
is presenting the play in Topeka is not
first class, although Henry Hall in the
leading role Is a good actor and shows
a masterful grasp of the character of
Daniel VOORHEES, Pike, member of
the legislature and lawyer from
r.r~- IL FTNl-. 7
by William Hodge who is still play
ing it in New York, might easily be
ruined by exaggeration but Mr.. Halls
clear conception and clever handling
of the role saves it from the slightest
suggestion of burlesque. Daniel
Voorhees, Pike is really a most lifelike
bit of portraiture and although many
critics have found the character over
drawn, none familiar with western
types should object to the play on this
score. IF not typical American"
Pike sis at least typical western
country lawyer and member of the
legislature" He recalls many Kan
sas men well known in politics,
for instance, w. R.;Stubbs of Law
renee, governor elect, who is easily
realized in the role of a barbarian
from The States, in "furrin parts,'' de-
lighting in the role and enjoying every
shock his crudities of speech, man
ner and idea, might give to the flower
we'll described in the play by the
Grand Duke who calls 1.-THE Man
From Home" a delightful egoist-
too we'll contented with himself to
pretend to be anything else"
This role of the Grand Duke, is, next
to that of the Man From Home him
self, the most grateful in the play and
is exceptionally well acted by Charles
D. Herman, who gives an extraordinary
expression of the popular, conception of
an eccentric and democratieally inclin-
ed member of the royal family travelling
incognito through Europe. Ivan F.
Simpson as the Hohora BILE Almerio ST.
Aubyn, does the some old titled British
er in the same old milky way but that
is not his fault for Mr.. Harrington
and Mr.. Wilson have drawn the same
young "bally ass" in this role whom
we have grown so used to seeing por-
trayed in American plays as the typical
fortune hunting English nobleman.
The weakest member of the com
pany is, unfortunately, pretty little
Miss Rosina Hendey as Ethel Granger
Simpson, the American girl. Miss Hen
ley looks the role to the life and in
the first three acts. where she has
nothing to do but be her own sweet
and charming self she manages very
we'll but in. the last act when she
gets her opportunity she is pitifully in
adequate and the finale which is said
to be most effective in the original
production, is spoiled on this account
much personal allowance must be made
for her but the management should
really provide more capable actress to
support Mr.. Halls fine efforts. Miss
Henley is the daughter of Miss Helen |
Bertram, a beautiful and accomplished
actress, who has been in Topeka a |
number of times. and who is a cousin
of Mrs G. ]. Mulvane Miss Bertram
came down from St. Paul where she is
with a stock company this season, to !
spend Thanksgiving with her daughter
and they are both guests of the Null |
vanes. Topeka has additional interest
in the Man From Home because one of
its authors, Harry Leon Wilson used
to live here. Mr.. Wilson was a stenog-
rapher in the office of the late A. L.
Williams, the general attorney for the
Union Pacific Is years or so ago, and
was studying law but afterwards gave
IN this profession for literature in
which he has achieved a considerable
success.