The San Francisco call., 1908-11-18
By Walter Anthony

Between "Oliver Twist and I'm the
Bishops Carriage" stands the play
Leah Kleschna." The themes of all
three are feminine; their heroes are
heroines, so to say, and thieves OF
the three sories that of Leah
Kleschna" is best-on the stage. 1t
lacks the horrors of it's inspiration,
oliver Twist" and it lacks the incon-
sistencies and improbabilfties of it's
successor, In the Bishop 81 Carriage"
That is the way the Alcazar stock COM
pany plays the piece and makes an
individual and collective hit.
The story is splendid one. You do
not know what is going to happen next,
but when it happens it is due and the
circumstances are usually stirring and
exciting. 1t is a logical narrative. the
particulars of which need not be told
here. Broadly stated, it concerns a girl,
Leah, daughter of a notorious but as
yet undetected criminal, Kleschna, who
revolts when she is caught in the act
of robbing the home. of the man for
whom she has conceived a secret affec-
tion since the time. he had leaped into
a sinking boat and had saved its oc-
cupants-herself and her father in
cluded-from the waves.
Into the scene of the second act
for the criminal are placed theatrically
into the mouth of Paul SyIvaine who
was to have been the victim of the
girls theft and who discovers her at
his safe with his Jewels in her hand.
He talks her out of it and into honesty.
1t is not a difficult task, for as he is
the man she has adored in secret her
heart leads her head and she reforms,
even accepting the sacrifice of her lfb-
erty as the cost. They are discovered
by the profiigate Raoul brother of the
girl Claire, whom Sylvaine is about to
marry. Raoul, not knowing the char
acter of Leah. has fallen in love with
her, and when he finds her in the room
of Sylvaine is filled win a jealousy
which is maddened with absinthe. So
Raoul steals the jewels and incrimi-
mates the girl. The reWainder of the
play is devoted to the task of discov-
ering the criminal, whether it be Leah
or Raoul. The girl wins in the end
and marries, it is intimated, the man
who saved her from life of crime by
his supreme, if somewhat QuiXotic,
confidence in human nature.
The bare telling of the story-at
least as 1 have done it-gives little
idea of the force of the climax which
it's tangled motives bring about in the
fourth act. There Miss Vaughan and
the companions of that episode re-
ceived 4 curtain calls. And it was
Tuesday evening.
Miss Vaughan is confirming the orig
inal impression which she created. She
has power and force and she excels her
predecessor in the role-Mrs. Fiske-
at least in this-she can be understood.
Every word is prettily or solemnly pro-
duced, and her facial play discloses the
depth of the sentiment which the word
gives utterance to- Her assumption of
the role of Leah could scarcely be ex-
celled in stock and if she should have
five weeks of rehearsals instead of
only one there is no telling to what
heights of realism her playing might
lead to. Pretty strong praise? She de-
serves every bit of it.
Howard Hickman was another big
hit Since he played The Devil" he
seems to have expanded in villainy. and
his portrayal of the absinthe soaked
Raoul was complete and to the last
CULVER and incoherent mutter He was.
abject, pitiable and palsied in the third
act, where his sin found him out Ern-
est Glendinning made a reasonable
character out of Sehram Kleschna's pal
and thug, and Kleschna, in VIII r.
Walling's capable hands, was the best
thing he has done that have seen.
Altogether, the stock production of
Leah Kleschna' should be seen by
lovers of good drama and by those who
enjoy story we'll told behind the foot
ings. as usual, deserve more notice
than they will get. They were excel
lent and beautiful.
n