The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-06-01
Columbia Company Makes
Decided Hit in The
Prince Chap
Work of Orme Caldara
Stamps Him as a Cap
able Actor.

Some tine soon We hope 70 have a
personal wcrd with the press agent
who STYLED Mr.. Orme CaIdara peach
blossom" unless Mr.. Caldara has seen
him first.
Perhaps this newcomer in the ranks
of the Columbia players may be
matinee idoI-from ecstatic giggies on
many SIDES last evening escape seems
dificuit-but he is more than that, He
has invested the role of The Prince
Char" highly susceptible to peaches and
cream effects. with a manly dignity
yery. nearly approaching tho lnpersopa-
ton that brought cyril Scott fame.
This is a week of personal triumphs
at the Columbia Theater. The Peple
play is one of the most execting yet
produced BY the Columbia players and
it is prominently their best achieve
nent In point Of individual acting.
Story Is Simple
The story Is quickly told, and some
say it is not a very good play on that
account. prince Chap protects
homeless waif forced upon him by her
neither in her dying moments. The child
arouses Jealousy and doubt in the mind
Of Princess Alice" TO be. and she
breaks with her prince. But the prince
finds in his adopted child more than the
princess could give, and thirteen years
after he took her into his care he mar
ries her.
That Is all of the story. But t is
enough TO afford nearly a dozen people
opportunities for genuine acting.
Mr. Caldara has also been heralded as
being an adept at loVe-making- He
stood nearly every other test among the
requirements eff an actor last evening
IN lie ak F.
LASTLY than he met other demands he
must be q Inchinvar of unusual gifts.
His methods are natural and his por-
trayal was painstaking without the stiff
ness that sometimes marks stock
company 3 production.
so have three people cast as a grow
ing child at the ages OF I'VE, eleven, and
eighteen is likely to spoil the Illusion.
Bat the work of little Miss Helen
Brown. of Miss Ruth ChattertOu, and
of Miss Julia Dean blended 50 Wen that
the transition seemed most natural.
Miss Brown and Miss Chatterton made
the way very easy for Miss Julia Dean 5
frnpersoaation of the girl b. ossominE
into womanhood. Though on the stage
only for the last act. this capable ac-
tress substantially added to the laurels
already hers for her engagement here.
Furnishes Comedy
Miss Phoebe Fuckers, like most maids
Of all work, was. a parsonage of con-
sideTa bic importance, and in furnishing
comedy Miss Ethel Wright made her
! presence felt.
AS Claudia's mother, Miss Catherin
Z. Hayes achieved a capable bit Of act
4 ing while she was on the stage IN the
/ first act Alexander Frank ida yed the
part of Marcus Runion SO we'll that hs
almost justified the playwright for hav'
ing him on the stage very much Longer
/ that the play warrants. Another well
! drawn character representation fell Il
/ Everett ButteFfield as Jack Rodney
! Earl OF Huntington
/ one of the features that goes to raise
| the Columbia players above the stocl
| company standard is the attention giveT
/ 20 details OF scenery under the stag
/ direction of Frederick Thomson. The
| only glaring fault last evening was the
/ long waits between acts, which seemed
| ineXcusable since there was but on
change Of scenery. The peTfOrms nee
was so good that 1t did not need this
/ touch Of realism 10 carry the audienct
/ across two periods OF six and sever
| years, respectively.
J. r. HILDEBRAND.