The Washington herald., 1909-01-03

not playing there. the Messrs. Shubert
viii bring their other lady stars into the
house. These include Nazimova and
Nary Mannering. although there have
been some rum0rs that Olga Nethersole
Wiz assume the management Of Miss
NannerinE ere Ions Mss Nethersole IS
determined 10 become an aC-resS-uan-
aver. apparently. The new playhouse IS
70 be made as far as possible theater
for women
The large Fr0hman clientele had its
first glimpse Of J. II. Barrie's new COM
edy. with Naude Adams az the Frohman
stronghold. the Empire. the other night.
and both the play and the star scored
In MagEie Wylie the little sister Of
the three WyIie Brothers, qUarrymen,
who have accumulated a fortune by dint
OF their Scotch TrugalfJy and UnDenGiuS
disresard OF ideals, Miss Adams has a
character that reminds you Of Phoebe
Thr0sseI in Quality Street" and a comedy
in which Barrie handles his Scotchmen
as cleverIy as he did in The Little
Minister" She Is admirable IN the part
as a whole, though she stiu evinces a
strong tendency 10 overgesuculate and
cut grimaces. But she was particularly
pleasing in the scenes where her heart
IS wrung by the neglect OF John Shaady.
Barrie's eccentric hero. her husband. who
mas been forced upon her, as she has
UPON him. under the most peculiar cir
cUmstances that a playwright could pos
sIbly have invented IN these scenes
Miss Adams was particularly satisfying.
Your sympathy goes out 10 her quite
spontaneously when she finds that John
has become more deeply interested in
Lady SibyI Lazenby than is becoming 10
a sedate Scotch parIiamenJarian and a
noted man IN the public eye. 10 say moth
ing Of a good husband
As Shandy himself Richard Bennett
made an extraordinary impression Here
tOfOre known only as q light comedian
he played the character role ike a vet
eran from the moment that he burglar
tzes the house Of the Wylies 70 read their
books at night TIL he finally awakeus TO
his own decisions and at last recognizes
Maggie as his true inspiration. the author
Of his -Shandyisms' and his political
InainsJay.
I assume that most Of you have read
the plot Of this singular comedy soon
after II was produced in London, else
YOU must know that when John Shandy,
tweuty-0ne years old, IS caught break
ing into the house Of the Wylies TO
crafty his hunger for browsing or their
'ten yards Of learned books" he Is Of
fered $50 BY the Wylies 10 enable him
10 get an education. provided al the end
OF five years he VIII mary their sister
Maggie, who is q painfully plain sort and
admittedly without charm He cares
nothing for Maggie, but he agrees. with
her consent. and faithfully carries out
his bargain although poor little Maggie
distracted between love and shame, now
that John has won q seat IN the House
Of Commons by virtue Of his devotion
70 his studies, offers TO release him and
even tears the marriage contract into
Shreds before him But two years after
they are man and wife, he stiu rising
and rising and becoming famous for his
''Ehandylsms" Lady Sibyl becomes his
ideal. Through the ensuing scenes Door
Maggie, who is the only WyIie with "a
sense OF humor, bears her humiliation
with the fOrutUde Of q philosopher. If
not a martyr. and without uttering anv
TeproacHes suffers in silence. hoping on
that John viii yet realize the value OF
his plain but devoted wife And 50 il
turns out John thought that LADY
Sibyl could inspire him 20 become even
greater. but Lady SibyI IS q society but
verify. ard when John despai-s Of writ
ing the speech that IS 10 crown his Hfe's
ambitiOn-when his speech IS discarded
hy the government leader as diSappOint-
iug-Maggie arrives on the scene with
The speech worked out from his rough
notes, and there are all the ..Shan6v-
isms" which the government looked for
in vain in his own draft NOBODY but
John and Maggie know the secret Now
Shandy for the first time realizes that
without Maggie he is a nonentitv. He
takes her IN his arms and admits thar
he has been an ass
Il was in this part that Bennett made
the chief hit Of his career. Few he
Ieved him capable of It: but he ulaved
L without a flaw. He may have seen II
played in London, but be deserves credit
even then; and if ne did not. he IS a
bigger actor than most OF us believed.
The comedy IS one Of the most delight
fuI in the Barrie repertoire. and is
likely TO hold the stage Of the Empire
for a long run
Eddie Foy IS appearing in a humorous