Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-10


Detective Barnes. ............ Reginald Parry
Policeman Callahan. ......... Frank Brink
Time, 10 p. m. Place, Mr.. Comstock 5
apartment
BY w. HERBERT BLAKE
Why not an American grand opera
plot, music and atmosphere? How
often the question has been asked, and
then answered painstakingly in the
negative, with specified obstacles.
Well, here we have one, in one act,
with a plausible historic setting.
logically tragic climax and an impress
sive. if not particularly brilliant, score.
Where? Why, in vaudeville. of course,
where all the strange and glorious
dramatic innovations seem nowadays
to find a fostering shelter.
I suppose some auditors in the Or
pheum gallery yesterday afternoon
were surprised to find 1.-The Patriot so
similar to the sort of thing they have
always liked in vaudeville-a touch OF
sentiment, a dab of history hint or
melodrama and patriotic finale. Ana
this was grand opera! Well. Well!
Perhaps Faust" and "Otello' may not
be so bad, after all!
Well, it was not very like the club
sandwiches of operate airs which we
are accustomed to in vaudeville. 1t
It told a simple, heroic story of the
daughter of a Tory farmer who saved
the life of George Washington by CIV
ing him her room to sleep in while her
father plotted his murder, and who
then permitted her own parent to stab
her as she awaited the blow in the
room prepared for the guest. That is
ALL except the climax, in which the
diving girl staggers into the room In
- i,I "a
fellow Tories are greeting the appear
ance of the American general and,
after singing the opening bars OF
America" falls dead before it is fin
ished. Call 1t an anachronism If you
will, it is no worse than dozens to be
found in the classics of literature,
from Walter Scott's novels down. And
it was tremendously effective yester-
day
The music Of "The Patriot" is ac-
ceptable and dignihed. without being
particularly distinctive. All the voices
in the cast are fitted to their respective
tasks, although a brace of discords In
the opening quartet threatened disas-
ter for a time. There is natural and
a rather happy blend of " America" ana
"God Save the King" in the seXtet Sc
lection, and the recitative, in the main.
is simple and effective.
Miss Frederick has a shrin voice or
surprising sweetness when put to the
test of the higher notes, and her acting
befitted her character. Mr.. May bore
a noticeable, If not an overpowering,
resemblance to the Father of His
Country, and has the strongest and
most resonant voice of any In the cast
OF the others, Mr.. Schuster, playing the
father who sacrifices hospitality to his
Tory principles, lacks versatility In the
depletion of emotion, especially at the
conclusion in which his facial express
sion was anything but that of the
startled and conscience-smitten slayer
of his child.
The principals evidently have been
carefully drilled, and the general ef-
feet is interesting as we'll as histor-
ically instructive. A little more genu-
inc melody in the score with a real
chorus to furnish musical background
and the impression would be greatly
enhanced. The popular success was
unquestionable yesterday.
Miss Charlotte Parry, the human
stock company, concluded the bill with
an amazing exhibition of protean act
ing in seven different characters, two
of which she repeated, changing at top
speed and under the most difficult
possible circumstances. | should be
better able to descant on the physical
marvel of her frequent transformations
if her acting in each character had not
so claimed my admiration that at
times l forgot all about the actress.
The plot of THE COmstock Mystery"
concerns the unraveling of a murder,
in which Miss Parry impersonates sus-
peCt after suspect, her only assistants
being two men who play detective
and a policeman, respectively, and her
own Womans wit. The denOuement
shows a crippled boy falsely accusing
T., cf FIf or n u ic
ter, who has slain her betrayer, and
the detective craftily playing the love
of each against the other until the girl
breaks down and cOnfesses to save her
brother. Both cripple and girl are
played by Miss Parry with almost
kaleidoscope rapidity-just how fast
you would not believe if I told you.
The result is a tense. gripping Visu-
alization of a detective story. with
sound and rational development and
very real tragedy at its close. Besides
Miss Parry's incredible work word of
mention is due Mr.. Parrys detective,
who was professionally Unconditional,
but by no means heartless in his ap-
parently callous devotion to duty-a
true type, if possibly somewhat rare,
Another new act Of which the crowd
apparently could not get enough was
presented by the three Leightons, in
"A One Night Stand in Minstrelsy." 1t
was clever, wholesome comedy, com
bined with several good musical num-
bers, and deserved its success. Miss
Selma Braatz-a wisp of a girl-jug-
gled all sorts Of things with a fair per-
centage of success, which seemed to
satisfy everybody but herself She
seemed to take il so to heart when she
failed that one felt sorry for her. Her
assistant did a few diverting things
with smoke saturated soap bubbles,
and the act was generally unique and
creditable. The three sisters Athletas,
graceful, shapely acrobats, continue
their interesting act. and the other
holdovers are LOnde and Tilly, Arm
path Napanees"
THE Warrens Of Virginia" opened its
second week last night to another sold
out house and was received with en-