The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-17
ADJUSTMENTS.
The Man on the Box.

Tomorrow night the Baldwin Melville company will begin a prolonged engage ment at the Bijou theatre which is des- tined to last through the larger part of the summer. The vehicle chosen for the opening week is Grace Livingston Furniss' dramatization of Harold Nc Graths famous novel, "The Man on the Box" The play is a delightful comedy hubbling over with wit and humor and embodying some charming love passages. The book has enjoyed wide popularity and has been read by thousands of people It Is still one of the most popular of the contemporaneous novels. It is said that Grace Livingston Furnss has suc- ceeded in writing captivating play from the book The stage version has all the verve and brililancy of MT. McGraths story without overlooking any of the more important details
 In brief the plot of the story is essen tially romantic and so daring that it inn mediately arouses the lveliest interest. Young Lieutenant Worburton, lately re- signed from the United States army, takes the family coachmans place ''on the box for a lark and drives to an embassy ball in Washington where he expects to get his sister and carry her home. The young coachman takes aboard several ladies whom he thinks belong to his family and starts on the way back. In spirit of mischief he indulges in some spectacular driving and as a result is arrested. The carriage, the driver and the occupants are all taken to the police station where the young lieutenant is as- tonished to find that he has not been driving friends or relatives at all but per sons who are total strangers. In such an embarrassing plight, he declines to re- veal his identity and is locked up for the night in cell.
 The next morning the fairest of the young lieutenants passengers arrives at the police station, pays his fine and sets him free. The yong lady suspects that the lieutenant is more than he pretends to be but he insists that he is only a servant, so she hires him as her butler and coachman. The two young people fall in love and the bogus butler has some trying experiences trying to live up to his disguise. His pretty tormentor tries him with a variety of tests but he holds him own against her arts, to the intense delight of the audience The lines are extremely bright and witty and the situa lions exhilarating. Of course the ending is a conventionally happy ono, which leaves everybody in a fine humor.
 Walter S. Baldwin, under whose personal direction the play will be presented, and Jake N els, owner of the Wells circuit of theatres, have spared no pains or eX- pense in providing a strong company and a flrst-class production They promise surprisingly good attraction at the usual Bijou prices.
 The Baldwin Melville company is widely known in the south and has maintained it's high standard of excellence for num- Der of years
 The cast of characters for 'rhe Man on the Box" will be as follows: Lieut.. Robert Worburton, Edward OConner; MT. Charles Henderson, G. A. Forbes; Col. George Annesley, l.. O. Hart; Count Kar- loff, w. H. Murdoch; Col Frank Ra- leigh, William Delmar; Magistrate Watts, Frank Harris Clerk of the Court, Walter S. Baldwin; Pierre, Joseph A. Echezabal; Officer Cassidy, J. c. Benton Officer OBrien, H. c. Miller Miss Betty Annes- ley, Miss Jane Wheatley; Mrs. Conway, Miss Ada Gleason; Miss Nancy Worbur- ton, Miss Ruth Creighton.