Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-14
Am U S E M E NJ IS.
Columbia.

When a critic finds an audience carried
away with player and his play, and
there come times when the critic finds
even himself on the verge of patting his
hands in applause. it Is fair to presume
that something good is happening. That
was about the situation at the Columbia
Theater last night, when AL H. Wilson
opened the playhouse with his new play.
Metz in Ireland"
The play is one of those pleasing de-
coctions Of Irish romance, with its BAN
shee and its fairies. its sharp repartee
and it's witty dialogue. its hard-hearted
landlord and its wicked English officer,
which in type has served the purpose Of
idealzing Ireland and her quaint people
for 10 these many generations. The only
difference perhaps is that the hero in
this instance is very pleasing mixture
talker would say, who is always doing
something nice, singing pretty songs and
making love to fair colleen apparently
far above his station. but in reality. like
himself. one of the nobility, for he Is a
lons-lost heir tardily returning to claim
his own.
Mr.. Wilson is pleasing singer and has
very agreeable personality. His Metz
atmosphere of his surroundings. but his
performance was attractive enough to his
audience last night to secure for him a
number of curtain calls. and finally. not
speech, but a mule story" which
wasn't bad. Fairly dividing the honors
with him, and presenting splendid bit
of character acting. not to say a delight
full brogue. both in the Irish and the
German, was little Olive Wright in the
role of an orphan, Little Bantry, BAN
shees victim. In the song of THE Ban
shee.' which Mr.. Wilson sang sweetly.
little Olive was material factor, as she
was also in Gretchen" where her dane
ing and quaint German accent won her
a
of the star. Mr.. Wilson sang a number
of pretty songs. one Of them. Love
Thoughts strongly suggestive OF Alice,
Where Art Thou?' which ran through
the play, being both catchy and beautiful
Others were The nightingale Song"
The Tea Kettle Song" winding Of the
Yarn" Helen" The Harvest Moon"
"Fairest Flower of All'' and the 'Lul-
LADY," some Of them with an efficient
chorus accompaniment.
The play deals with the efforts OF an
English officer who. assisted by wicked
steward, is endeavoring to win young
woman. supposed to be the heiress to a
large estate. solely for her money, which
in reality belongs to Metz. who finally
wins her himself. The amusing part Of
the plot is that the rascals hire Metz to
impersonate the long-lost heir. who Is
none other than himself. and their con-
fusion when his identity Is established
1t abounds in witty lines and romantic
as well as melodramatic situations. 1t
was we'll played throughout. Thaddeus
Shine. the we'll known Washington play
err, made a very bad steward. which Is q
compliment. for that Is what he is in
tended to be. Florence Slower made an
excellent Ann Dolan. the self-assertive
Irish wife of the blacksmith Irma La
Pierre was a fetching Rose of Erin as
Kathleen O'Malley; Edith Wright quite
acceptable Peggy Dolan. an Irish colleen.
and Berresford Lovett truly wicked
English officer The cast, indeed, was
quite good. and the chorus singing and
dancing were deserving of commentator