Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-06
At the Theaters


'The n~eiuvenattOn of Aunt Mary" at
the Boy
May Robson and company in the new
Rejuvenatlon OF Aunt Mary. by Annie
Warner; under direction of l.. S. Sin. The
cast:
John Watkins, jr., Denham, Jack
Bettey Burnett, Burnett's sister. -
Glover. jacks cbum, Walter if RoSiter
Lucinda, Aunt Mary's property body
Joshua, Aunt Mary's hired meh.''..s"
Robert burnett, Jacks chum..'~y...~.
Mitchell. Jacks chum. -, Paul Decker
Mrs. Daisy Mullins, a villager, ,"a.,....
Thompson
Mr.. stebblns, Aunt Mary's lawyer. 80
..."...".""...".,".. Lester Wallace
James, the Burnett's butler .t...........,
The Girl from Kalamazoo. LILLIAN Westner
Annie Warner performed e reat service
for mankind when sire gave this world Of
sorrow and sordid interest Aunt Mary Wat
kins, the Rejuvenated. Aunt Mary. unre-
~juvenated, is able to provide the average
audience the promised laugh a line for one
act. but the process by which the old lady.
big at heart, but soured by disappointment
In love, has the acrimony renovated out Of
her soul by a group Of college boys, a buoy
ant, resourceful girl and a series Of un-
promising but really fruitful circumstances
furnishes refreshing fun enough to make a
weary, toll-worn soul look up and rejoice
in the mere fact of existence. Character
interpretations are apt to be overdone, but
In the hands of May Robson, Aunt Mary
Watkins becomes one of those vinegared
old maids we nave all known at some time
In our lives. That the character secured a
firm grip on the audience at the Boyd last
night was clear from the Involuntary re-
sponsiveness it showed from the time the
curtain rose until the new Aunt Mary
stepped out Just before the curtain dropped
on the last act and announced her belief
In the innate goodness of mankind.
There is not much to the story told by
the pley. 1t is merely the medium through
which we are shown the one dominating
character. The follies of Aunt Mary's be-
loved nephew furnish the basis of most of
the scenes. A threatened breach Of prom
Use suit Is the final straw, and at the close
of the first act Miss Watkins dlslnherits
Jack Denham and he returns to the city
to live temporarily with his friends. In the
second act a letter intended to bring only
- ~ u ~ Ah6 Aunt a ~
the city for her first visit in twenty-five
years. Jacks college friends and his sweet
heart %contrive to show aunty the time of
her life and before her three weeks VISIT Is
ended she is completely and satisfactorily
rejuvenated. when ! die want to be
buried from a roof garden is the request
she makes of her astounded country
friends.
Jack clears himself of all but a few inno-
cent follies and in the new light she has
received Aunt Mary overlooks these and
the usual happy ending comes at last.
Many pages might be written of the way
In which May Robson accomplishes every
little detail In the unfolding of the char
acter of Aunt Mary. In fact, II would be
a long story, for she does not depend or
one or even a few elements of interpreta.
ton. The eyes which snap in the first act
twinkle in the last, and the transition 4
so natural and smooth there is no shock
When the softening influence of the mem.
DRY of her old love almost melts the hard
casing that has bound her soul for years
and she has to counteract the effect by a
sudden burst of temper to maintain contro'
of herself, the versatility of Miss Robson,
art is best Illustrated. In all the amusing
and absurd incidents in which the PLAY
abounds she is compellingly true to life.
An important part in the cast falls to tn,
lot of Mr.. Jack Storey, who has the rol,
Of Jack Denham, the nephew, whose It'll,
lapses from the narrow path leads up t.
the principal situations in the play. Mr.
Storey is well fitted by nature for the par
of a young college man and he carries 4
through with a fidelity born Of sympathy
and a thorough understanding of the rol,
- AAgVVNAA- NJ
untold value in setting the atmospher,
to the various scenes. His college maj
is one OF the kind one meets and loves II
spite OF his youthful follies.
The minor characters are almost all In In,
hands of real artists. Messers Boulter
Decker and Herblin, who take the part o
Jacks college friends, give a remarkabl!
true and refreshing Interpretation Of tina
interesting class of young men. Miss Blov
as Betty Burnett, Jacks sweetheart. ha
every qualification of the part and hadles /
with skill. Miss Nina Saville as Lucinda
Aunt Mary's old house servant has a com
edy part from which she extracts all tn
essence with unusual cleverness.
Walter Boulter. who was with the Wood
ward Stock company at the Boyd durin,
the summer, Joined the COMPANY in Omahi
and took the part of Glover, Jacks chum
playing II with much credit to himself an,
the company. He was recognized by hi
old admirers and given evidence of thei
recognition on several occasions.
The engagement will conclude wit
Wednesday evenings performance. with
matinee Wednesday.
"The Devil" at the BurwOod.
The RuruyoOd Stool rDvanaaV, a.. stDA
Devil a modern drama in three acts
from the Hungarian by Ferenc Molnar
under direction OF Frank Bacon. TIL