Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1909-02-04
PRICE THREE CENTS


The Thief"
Chandler Music hall was packed Tues
day night for one of the best plays-if
not the best one--of the season, presented
by Charles Frohman company worthy
Of the name. Every seat in the house
was taken, and special train over the
Rochester and Central Vermont railways
brought crowd Of 1T from the south,
while a smaller delegation of theatre-go-
ers came from Northfield and the inter
vening towns. The special train was
about 20 minutes late, but the Music hall
orchestra came to the rescue and beguiled
the tedium OF delay with its music which
is no minor attraction of the hall at any
time and v hich on this occasion soothed
the fidgety breast and made the half hour
of waiting a season Of real enjoyment.
eThe Thief'' Is an exceedingly Frenchy
play, full OF emotion. tense moments and
dramatic situations. Its scene is laid in
Paris and it's plot has all the earmarks OF
the French novel-the couuettish young
wife, the infatuated youth, the way-wise,
and consequently suspicious, husband,
and the friends naturally affected by the
intrigues and troubles sure to arise in
sowing the wind and reaping the
whirlwind.
The curtain rose on 3 grand salon with
gilt and brocaded chairs Of the Louis
Quinze, or some other luxurious, era and
having besides the dainty appointments
Of an elegant drawing room. viva
cious house party appeared, all absorbed
in tossing back and forth the airy moth
ings of social small talk, while the two
principal figures, Richard voysin, imper-
sonated by Charles Dalton, and Marie
Louise, the frivolous wife, played by
Margaret WycheTly, indulged in love
passage, which the art Of the actress
saved from being hopelsssly silly. She
was so gay, pretty and charming that one
had to forgive her for not having the
brain Of vassar president and for think
ing the admiration Of her husband q mat
ter OF more tremendous importance than
keeping clear Of the penitentiaFy. In her
treatment Of the infatuated youth. Fer
nande Leagardes (the role taken BY Leon
ard Ide), she Etiu succeeded admirably in
portraying the light irresponsible nature
Of the fiirt, amused at the heroics Of the
boy, yet striving to maintain butterfly
form OF severity and ingenuously disclos-
ing q true womanly nature.
In the characters Of Raymond Les
gardes and Isabel, his second wife, Ed
ward r. Mawson and Mrs. Hillary Bell
were a strong support to the other cou-
pie; while Arthur Lawrence IS Monsieur
Gondin, the detective, had the makeup Of
a typical Partisan, French accent and
just the right touch Of pomposity.
Though with genuine detective genius,
he fastened the theft onto the wrong per-
son, accusing the boy, be, nevertheless,
conveyed the impression that it might be
well to apply to the mystery the French
idiomatin advice, "Cherchez Ia lemme,''
whose English equivalent reads, ssThere's
inlwaya woman at tbs bottom uf IT,
A pretty boudofr scene was set for the
second act, which was played entirely BY
Mr.. Dalton and Miss Wychery and both
rose to stormy heights Of passion. The
frightened, evading, pleading woman,
caught in the tolls of her falsehoods. and
the disgusted husband, stung BY Jealousy
and mastered by anger, called for power
ful acting and received il. lt was trage-
dy pure and simple, though some deIuded
mortal in the house mistook II for COM
edy and chuckled unctuously.
In the last act, the tortured woman,
still fighting for all woman holds dear,
falls into the trap her husband has laid
for her and confesses her crime to save
the youth who is sacrificing himself for
her and to restore peace and happiness to
those whose friendship she has abused.
That she at length re-instates herself in
the affection Of her friends and compels
her husbands admiration and respect
gives a happy ending to the play.
Not only were the stage settings excep-
tionally fine, but the gowns Of the ladies
we're superb creations OF the Mrs. Os-
borne, who has the philosophy OF clothes
down to q delicate point and writes with
encyclopaedia weight and gravity for
Harper's Bazaar on what to wear and how
to wear il.