The Washington times., 1908-09-22
Thomas A. Wise and Doug
las Fairbanks Score in the
New Brady Play.
Drama of Washington Polit-
ical Life Appeals to First
Night Audience.

With Washington as the locale Har-
rison Rhodes has constructed an ex-
cellent play Of political life IN which
William A. Brady is starring Thomas
A Wise and Douglas Fairbanks. and
which had its premier presentation last
evening at the New National Theater.
IL is one Of the few plays that success
fully holds the mirror up 10 tie official
set in the Capital. That ti4e pay viii
succeed was more than assured BY the
tumultuous applause Of the -owded
house last evening. OF course. As is the
case with almost all first performances.
there are many rough crudities in the
action Of the play which must be worn
off. but the plot is good. the characters
are human, ana they grip the audience
from the first
The interest is aroused before the
Hrst act is well started. and IS main
tanned until The drop OF the nnal cur.
tain. The only feature that tended 70
mar the otherwise excellent play was
the fact that the stakes FOR which the
daughter, the son, and future son-In-
law proposed TO sell the new Senator
from Mississippi was OnlT So, 000-S25. 600
for the daughter. and a ike amount for
the son II seems inCredulOGs that
Senator or rather several Senator'S
should make such a fuss over so small
an amount. II should be remedied by
The dramaJIst into a figure worth while
1t might just as well be $4,000. or even
10000, and these figures Will lend a
color 10 the plot and be worth the con-
slderation Of a United States Senator.
A virile Play.
Aside rom this one dra wback, the
play could hardly be improved upon.
IL is virile from the rise Of the curtain:
the lines are clever. and the action
snappy ell the way through. II is an
American play for American people,
ana no~oue With real red blood in his
Veins can sit through q performance
without becoming impressed with the
play and its interpreters.
For years EtT. Wise has been appear
ing IN plays and musical comedies that
presented one star or another. He has
Helped them make good on more than
one occasion. He has always been help
ing somebody else and in this respect
he is not unlike JOnn Mason IN The
Witching Hour" or George Ar,:ss IN
The Devil But at last he seems 10
be furnished with a vehicle that Will
send him a long ways on the road to
ward that elusive state known as a
hrst magnitude theatrical star. L
this. however, ne must share honOrs
with Douglas Fairbanks. who gives a
very vivid Interpretation OF a New York
newspaper reporter. one who becomes a
secretary 10 Senator on very 81 OFT
notice.
The play is typical Of Washington
IL
makes of Senator IAangdOn a real
Southern gentleman OF the old school
In face and figure ne is admirably
adapted 10 the character. and he in
fuses II with the necessary all fell
low we'll met and chivaIrous spirit
that IS one OF the characteristics CT the
SOUtnerner- MI Wise has been given
many clever lines and comedy situa-
tons by the dramltSt and IL cannot
be said that he does not take fun ad-
vantage Of each and every opportunity
In short, he IS clever actor N a role
that fits him like a glove
Mr. Fairbanks Clever.
Mr. Fairbanks has d part that IS more
difficult It IS far easier TO play the
part Of an easy-gOing, middie-aged
Southern Senator than 10 portray a real
live newspaper man, even though he
alIerWaT1 becomes a secretary 70 the
Senator from Mississippi. As Bud
Haines, MI Fairbanlz makes a most
excellent impression he has a clear
conception of the role and interDrets
il with a visor that IS characteristic OF
his work. It is one OF the best things
he has done on the stage.
One Of the most interesting and hui
man characters is that portrayed BY
Miss Lola May, as Hope LangdOn. the
younger daughter Of the Senator. Hers
is a sweet, lOvable character, and she
does full justice to II. One cannot help
but feel that the playwright has not
given her enough TO do. The audience
would like to see more Of her work
As an ingenue she is decidedly clever.
and, IN addition, she looks the part Of
a young daughter Of a statesman.
Washington and its affairs are not
local. and consequently any play that
pCrtrays II as a Gentleman From
Mississippi does is bound 10 succeed.
1t IS a play that the country can wei
come with open arms, because IL tells
the story Of politics in the Capital with
out gloss. It is real and II enthralls
1t has a love current that Will appeal.
and with these ingredients It cannot
fail J. R p