Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-23
THE CAST

THE CAST
| Tony Observation-Disclosures. Harry Won Metel
Dick Winter. .........s..... Harry l.. Frazer
Tom Gates. ...............K Kendall Weston
ICarios houerlgo. ..'.....,.. Nelson LeaHltl
ROBERT MOTION. ............. Arthur Hill
Capt. Lopas. ................... Earl Gardner
| fedro '''..''''....... Charles u. tracy
Nolan. ....................E r. George Clancy
| Daisy Lane. ......... Miss Myrtle Selwyn
| Grace Morton. 49,. Miss Florence Barker
| Annette lie Blanc. Miss Lillian Hayward
Mother Forigo. Miss Lule Warrenton
Doretta ............ Miss Winifred West
| III HE air was sibilant with Kisses at
the Grand yesterday and Lillian
Hayward was happy. For the first
| time this season she has a real villain
ess to depict, and it suits her right down
to the ground. Arrayed in gorgeous
gowns she strides through the ten
long scenes of "Tony the Bootblack," +"
spreading woe and misery in her trail,
the while the gallery makes more noise
than all the serpents banished from
Ireland on the 18th of st. Patrick's. 1t
is worth the price of admission just to
see Lip revel in that villainess' role
and to watch the demonstrations she
calls forth.
But there are other features to Tony.
One is Harry Won Meter, the debon-
naire and gallant, playing a bootblack
and actually shining shoes-Harry, who
will not even knot his own necktie,
and who requires valet TO hand him
his scarfpin! He does a pretty good
shine, too-or else Myrtle Selwyn wears
patent feathers and dusts them well
before he manipulates the cloth.
A third good feature is George Clan
cey as the unctuous Bowery police
man. OF course no such cop ever trod
the devious ways of that famous thor
oughfare, but then think how fine 1t
would be if one did! That's what Clan
cy makes one wish, and his delightful
brogue is exhibited to the best advan-
tage In a comedy role which he never
overdoes.
Yesterday also recorded the introduc-
tion of the new heavy" Kendall Wes-
ton, once juvenile man with Booth and
Barrett. AS Tom West the arch VIII
lain. he ably contrasts with Miss Hay
ward and is quite certain soon to share
in her Kisses.
A LadyIke Detective
Old friends are many in the cast in
familiar disguises. Myrtle Selwyn as
the feminine detective, Daisy Lane, is
on the dot as usual just when most
needed to unravel the plot, and does
it to perfection. Nelson Leavitt is a
most villainous Italian Black Hand
chief. Arthur Hill as Robert Morton,
the rich banker the kidnapping of
whose children furnishes the motif for
the play, is conventional, which per-
haps is all that ought to be expected,
and Florence Barker as his daughter,
whose stealing leads to the many COM
plications and thrilling escapes, is a
poor and prosecuted girl of the sort
~ 90 IL
bred melodrama. Harry Frazer has to
wade through the stage conception of a
newspaper man, which is punishment
dire. but he does the best he can with
it. The balance of the players fill the
parts given them to the full and the
scenery, always a necessarily import
ant feature, is admirably worked cut
and handled.
AS for the play itself, it is based on
the alleged doings of the Black Hand
which, as no one knows just what the
Black Hand is or does anyhow, may
be termed plausible, If nothing more.
Tony has been stolen in Italy from
his real father, Morton, and reared as
a bootblack. His sister is stolen in
act | and it takes nine more scenes
for Tony and his friends to restore her
and himself TO Morton's fold again.
How this is accomplished it isn't fair
to prospective attendants to tell. How
ever, it is well and only simply justice
to compliment the imagination of one
John Oliver, who is blamed for writ
ing the play.
oliver Morosco has substituted Hoyt's
"A Trip to Chinatown" for the same
playwright's "A Bunch of Keys" which
had been announced for early presen-
tation. "A Trip to Chinatown" was
Hoyt's most successful farce. 1t Will
be seen at the Burbank week after
next, and in all probability A. Byron
Beasley will play the hypochondriac,
while Blanche Hall will appear as the
lively young widow. There will be
chorus of pretty girls and the new
Morosco- -Montrose song, written for "A
Bunch of Keys" viii be used In the
Chinatown play. 1t is called My
American Girl" For next week the
BuAbank offers a big revival OF
pho"
The Mason will be dark tonight, the
engagement of "Brewster's Millions
opening tomorrow evening. This COM
edy has had tremendous success IN
the east and abroad, but has never yet
been seen in Los Angeles
The Belasco offers tonight the first
local presentation of Charming Pol
locks dramatization of 1.-The Secret
Orchard" written by Agnes and Eyer
ton Castle. The play was one OF the
current seasons offerings in New YORK
city and Los Angeles will be one or
the few cities outside of the extreme
east to see it this year
The opening bill of the Edgar rem
pie Opera company at the Auditorium
April will be "'rhe Filibuster, par
ticularly appropriate, as two or lts
three acts are laid in California IL
opens in San Francisco, the first scene