Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-07-26
ART EvINCED in
LIGHT COMEDY
1.-THE MAN ON THE BOX" IS
STAGED AT BURBANK
STOCK COMPANY EXHIBITS ITS
POWER IN IMPERsoNATIoN
Sole New Dramatic Offering of the
Week Proves Pleasant Entertain
ment with a Few Strong
Situations


three acts, dramatized from Harold NC
Grath's novel by Grace Livingston Furniss
produced under the stage direction of Gil
bert Gardner at the Burbank theater sun
day afternoon, July IS. 1903.
THE CAST
Lieut.. Robert WOrburtOn, lately resigned,
...:..; 49,. William Desmond
.................... Harry MestayeI
Col. George Annesley, retired army
officer. ;...::...:... William Heranc'
Count KarlOff, Russian diplomat.
Col. Frank Raleigh, Worburton's regi-
Monsieur Pierre, the Annesley's chef.
Magistrate watts, of the Third pre-
cinct court. ................W Willis Mark;
Clerk of the court. ........... Gavin Young
officer O'Brien Of the mounted police
OFFICER Cassidy of the Third precinct pO-
lice station .'.'''''' norman near
William, a stable boy. 49,. Norman Hear
Miss Betty Annesley, the colOnePs daugh-
Observation-Disclosures. Blanche Hal
Miss Nancy Worburton, her chum. 49,.
Observation-Disclosures. Lowell Alice Taylor
Mrs. Conway, her confidante. Louise Royce
Cora, her maid. ............... Mango Duffet
BY w. HERBERT BLAKE
Until the middle of the second act
of 1.-The Man on the Box" yesterday
afternoon at the Burbank conclusion
was unavoidable that very possibly
may have been expressed on the play 8
first production here in stock-that it
would have made a better musical COM
edy than it does a legitimate drama.
The action of the first half of the piece
is intermittent, if laughable enough,
and the time when there is no dramatic
movement observable might be filled in
lust as we'll with dtties of the day.
Indeed, the police court scene of act l
In Il 70 Ian -n1f 70
a comic opera setting-possibly a sort
of Americanized Trial by Jury" with
Beauty in the joint role Of judge and
advocate and the punishment fitting
the crime.
But when Lieut.. Worburton, serving
as groom to the woman he loves by
her own capricious decree after she
has saved him from the penalty of a
misdirected kiss, discovers her father
is a potential traitor, we get hint
of real dramatic values. In act Ill,
in which the character of the father is
pitilessly revealed and then suddenly
transformed by the disclosures of his
tempter's love for the daughter, there
are good, swift situations of tensity
and heart appeal The old soldier is
capable of betraying his country, and
gives no very luminous evidence of re-
penting it when rescued from his
plight, but he cannot sell his daughter
He repudiateS his bargain with a Rus.
sian spy to sell the plans of United
States fortifications in return for the
latter's financial aid, rendered him
after he had gambled away his daugh-
ter's fortune at Monte Carlo. The
daughter, however, overhears, and,
entering, agrees to the desired mar
rage with q scornful submission for
the sake of her fathers reputation.
And then, at the precise moment of
greatest stress, of course, James Os-
borne, the groom (who is really Lieut.
Worburton), enters unobserved and by
the merest coup de main snatches the
discriminating papers from the Rus
SLAMS grasp The rest is mutual ex-
plantations, quick proposal and soft
music.
The Burbankers played this diapha-
nous comedy-tranSparent enough at
times to show the rough edges of the
original noVel-in good form, striking
the placid temper and the deliberate
tempo of a society atmosphere almost
unerringly, as they usually do. Most
consistent, it seemed to me. were some
of the less dominant representations,
such we'll etched drawing room figures
as Mr.. Mestayer's Charles Henderson
or Mr.. Duffield's Col. Raleigh. Mr..
Gilbert gave us a carefully thought out
villain in the Russian spy-a practical
stOuHuItl WHO wasted 10 time IN 1ule
Objurgation, but worked with his head,
and had, too, his accessible side as a
very human individuahst, who would
sell out his own country as unemO-
tionally as he hired Col. Annesley to
Detray the plans of the American gov
eminent. To gain the woman he loved
he would sacrifice her love and respect
an unlovely role, but thoroughly
ltVable one-and, as Mr. Gilbert en-
bodied it. morally impressive as we'll.
Mr.. Desmond is at his best under
some definite disciplined relation tc
the other players on the stage with
him. Last week, as the curate, with
a task to perform, he forgot to act
and acted we'll In the first act yes
terday he fell into his persistent dra-
matte vice of playing at the audience
In the conversation in the police sta
ton he turned repeatedly in the most
discourteous way from the men he
was supposed to be addressing as il
to deliver his lines toward the or
chestra seats and the balcony Almost
as if he feared to be photographed
unaware from The front the masquer-
aiding Lieutenant WOrburton positive
ly refused to let us see his profile ]
believe this is two-thirds unconscious
habit with Mr.. Desmond, a habit which
he slips out of as easily as the lieu.
tenant did from his assumed air OF
ton demands his real energies. Thi.
he did in act II under the pressure Of
playing a definite, CircumsCrbed par
as groom, and later in act III as but
Ter and savior of the family honor
His climaxes yesterday were better
and more natural than in 1.-THE Hypo
critics" It was only when the plot o.
the play disappeared that he seemed
TO be looking for it off over the foot
lights.
To one who did not suspect the col,
oners treason, the work of Mr.. Yeranct
in the first act would have seemed
stract idea of fatherhood with some
shreds of flesh and bone. When the
weakness of the character was revealed
I'm the second act, we discovered that
we had felt it subconsciously all along
in the note of insincerity and shifty
faithlessness which Mr.. Yerance had
contrived to put into his words and
actions. What specifically seemed a
defect in the actor turned out to be
a defect in the man he was portray
ing. and a proof Of the actors adroit
understanding of his role and of life
This is high art, in itself and evinces
an originality of method exceedingly
rare in the grind and strain of stock
impersonat ton. Like the characters in
terpreted by Mr.. Duffeld and Mr.. Gil
bert the Colonel Annesley of Mr.
Yerance is not a type, but a man; not
as broad as all humanity, it is as mar
row as one particular specimen OF
man. and consistently human in that
narrowness.
Mr.. Mestayer had chance to be
debonair and cocksure as the reporter
two qualities which his stage self seems
stf6 rio