Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-25
"SILvER GIRL"
IS INTERESTING
BURBANKERS PRODUCE PLAY
FOR FIRST TIME HERE
+. STIRRING AND INVIGoRATING
CLIMAX A FEATURE
"The Girl Question" at Majestic
Proves One of the Best of
the La Sale Musical
Products

"The silver Girl" a comedy drama in
four acts. by Edward H Peple. as pro-
du-ed by the Burbank stock company sun
day matinee, Oct. "a 1903:
THE CAST
jefferson Hunter, Nevada miner .....
........,.............A \. Byron Beasley
"Chuclx' Wilson, his partner. j. W. Burton
Richard Hunter his son. ii. Harry Mestayer
Agnes Hunter, his daughter. Mango buffet
Annie Hunter, his second wife. 49,.
.....................L Lowell Alice Taylor
Miss Julia Raymond, a gOvemess. ..,..
Observation-Disclosures. Blanche Hall
Nathan Hargrave, a financial attorney.
Observation-Disclosures. David u. Hartford
Bobby Hanscomb, young lawyer ..::,.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. Henry StOckDrldge
TyDer, the butler. ..........#...W Willis Marks
Vanman. .....................Na yiand Trask
BY w. HERBERT BLAKE
A strong. sincere play that drags a
bit in coming to the point and then
explodes in a staggering climax is
The Silver Girl" which we saw for
the first time in Los Angeles at the
Burbank yesterday afternoon. 1t has
the courage to end happily-a virtue
commoner in the life than in the plays
of the successful dramatist of today.
A problem. is raised, to be sure, but
that problem is faced and solved. The
solution convinces our hearts as well
as our reason.
1t is the familiar triangle of two
men and a woman which finds a new
way out of its menacing angularity
One OF the men is the woman's hus-
band. He is a rough crude, simple
hearted miner, who has made his for
tune in Nevada and come to New
York to spend it. His wife is be-
witched by the airs and graces of a
fashionable life. The third man is an
attorney. the supposed friend of the
husband and the deliberate tempter
of the wife. At the same time the
lawyer is desperately conniving at a
falsified attack on the genuineness Of
the husbands title to his mine, which
is affectionately known as THE Sill
yer Girl
The expected happens-and then
several things which are unexpected
A governess in the household over
hears the weak wife planning to elope
with the attorney even while her hus-
band is arranging a hasty departure
to Nevada to fight for his threatened
property. The governess informs the
husband, and the latter hides in a re-
cess of his own library until his wife
returns with his rival.
The lawyer begs the woman to elope
with him. The moment is crucial.
Probable poverty and hardship await
her in Nevada with the husband she
feels does not understand her. The
other way allures. We held our
breath yesterday, and then the wife
almost to our surprise who know the
modern playwright's fancy for caus-
ing his characters unhappiness, chose
the decent and the sensible thing. The
applause which followed was instan-
taneous and prolonged as of emotion
long repressed.
Then the husband emerged. He
held a revolver in his hand, and his
rival readily consented to a duel. with
a chance for his life. At the stroke
Of the half hour both were to fire.
The wife staggers between them and
falls. but the husband is grimly indif-
ferent At the stroke his antagonist
fires and the bullet misses.
"Boyl Boy! Why didn't you shoot
straight" cries the husband, and the
curtain falls.
Strong, we'll balanced melodrama-
that defines 1.-THE Silver Girl" up to
the last act which sets things to
rights The fight on the mine is proved
Fictitious and the property regained
rather too easily for belief, But, more
important than all, the playwright
brings the husband and wife into a
final unity at the close, and does it
SO tactfully that it seems reasonable
and plausible. Indeed, it seems the
only proper thing, for which we must
credit the art of Mr.. Peple as well ~
our well grounded human instinct that
a play or a novel SHOULD come out
right"
The acting yesterday aroused the
audience to repeated demonstra tons
of enthusiasm, and half the company
aguld have made curtain speeches
HAE the third act without wearing
No their welcome. The work of Mr..
&seeiey as the husband. while at times
apparently exaggerating the simplic-
lty of a type which is as shrewd as 1t
is trusting, still rang true and strong.
His acting in the last two acts es-
pecially tugged hard at the heart
strings. Miss Taylor made a good
character study of the wife and Miss
Hall gracefully and effectively played
the governess. Mr.. Hartford made