Los Angeles herald., 1909-11-22
BY w. HERBERT BLAKE


BY w. HERBERT BLAKE
"In Old kentucky" that familiar
story of fierce hates and fiercer loves,
assisted by a real pickaninny band,
gave Majestic theater patrons vel
come change from musical comedy
farce last night. The bridge across the
chasm, the horse race, and the even
tual foiling of a plump and beWhls-
kered villain; all were there in their
proper places, and all contributed to
as sound and serviceable a popular
melodrama as the native stage mas
seen these seventeen years.
The company presenting this best
known play of c. T. Dazey includes
one ripe old actor, Burt @; Clark'
whose work shows the friendly famil-
iarity of old habit. AS the Kentucky
colonel, whose ready wit is eager for
service in courtship, gaming or con-
Viviality, this veteran player aHords
us a picturesque and well-rounded
character, well worth meeting. or the
rest of the company, Frank Dayton
fills the part of a rich young turfman
gracefully, but speaks his lines at
times with a mechanical sameness,
which is doubtless the penalty of long
playing in the same role. Joseph Slay-
tor is a villain who cannot hide the
fact His beard is even more suspl-
oious than his way of pulling 1t, ana
his superficial assurance does not de-
ceive the gallery in the least. Kisses
were heard in vigorous volume for the
first time in many weeks at the Ma
jestic, especially in the moments when
the crafty fellow overreached himself
and fell into his own trap.
Miss Mildred Johnson played Madge
Briefly, the. mountain heroine, and did
we'll in her more impassioned moments.
Barry Maxwell, as a negro servant of
the old regime, showed a good comedy
method, and the smaller parts, in the
main, were adequately handled
The one marked weakness in the act
ing. already indicated, was the ten
dency toward perfunctoriness in situa-
tions often played. This was more
noticeable in the earlier acts before the
white heat of the action warmed both
players and audience.
The negro band, under the command
of Master John Powell. gave occa-
sional interludes of sound, sometimes
musical and always cheerful. They are
strong lunged youths who enjoy them
selves on the stage and lend interest
ing realism to a we'll worn stage set
ting. They amused us by amusing
themselves, which made for mutual
sympathy.
"The Dairy Farm" which the Bur
bank stock company yesterday revived
for its weekly offering, is a series of
episodes rather than play. The link
of connecting interest between them
sometimes is obscured by the incidental
comedy The principal charm of the
piece is its rural atmosphere, which re-
lieves Eleanor Merrons sometimes te-
dious story and characterization. The
scene is small northern town and the
time just before the Civil War.
The story is told along lines which
must converge into melodrama sooner
or later. The climax comes with the
murder of a treacherous old skinflint
by the negro whom he betrayed into
the hands of his southern masters while
pretending to assist the blacks escape.
The nephew of the slain man is accused
OF the killing. the supposed motive
being the victims opposition to his
love making. The playwright has a.
hard time persuading us of the plausi-
bility of this suspicion The denoue-
ment pairs off the mutual happy
couples and very nearly elects Fremont
president, judging from the enthusiasm
for his cause which is shown.
The Characterization is so broad as
to forbid much subtlety of portrayal.
Miss Taylor makes a captivating Mrs.
Malaprop up to date who butchers Eng
lish with blissful self confidence. Mr..
Marks made real a Grass old country
man suffering from an ingrowing par
simony that starves even his sense of
humor. As an unreletning uncle whose
preference for selecting his nephew's
future wife complexities matters, Mr..
Burton strove conscientiously to be Sc
vere He achieved dignity, but We
wished him back in a farcical role as
ardently as he probably did himslef.
Mr., Mestayer gave us a cross roads
philosopher of almost doddering amia
bility but with a talent for crisp, keen
epigram on occasion.
Mr.. Beasley and Miss Hall played
the hero and heroine, whose principal
affiliation with the plot is the elope-
ment which makes them man and wife.
Neither of these characters is drawn
with any great discrimination by the
playwright. Except for the hero's
ringing stump-speech. the actor who
impersonates him has a rather empty
honor. Miss buffet was a spontaneous
and winsome village hoyden and other
roles were capably filled by Miss Royce
Mr. Gilbert, Mr.. Hartford and Mr.
Duffield. Henry Stockbridge sang
some melodious old-fashioned non
sense so seriously that we took his
word for 1t.
A dragging action mars "The Dairy
Farm" and also a loose handling of
climaXes by the playwright. It's en-
joyable features are it's incidental
ones-the holiday festivity in the old
farmhouse, the frequent humor of the
lines, the homely wholesomeness of it's
spirit. There is an old white horse
who ambles across the stage as natur-
ally as if he belonged there. There
are moments in which he might have
carried away the plot without our miss
ing it. w. H. B.
David Landau, who has been en-
gagged by Manager Morosco to play
seconds and some leads at the Bur-
bank, arrived in Los Angeles yester-
day and will make his local stock debut
next Sunday.
A special train of eight cars will
arrive in Los Angeles, over the Salt