Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1909-06-18
DEDICATED T0
THE MUSES.
Elks Throw Open
Their Theater
to Public
MAOE A SOCIETY EVENT
Apollo Was Absent But the
Devil Was There
as a Gentleman.

June II should become a notable an.
niversary in the local annals Of Santa
Fe, for on that date IN the year 1909,
Santa Fe realized one of its long de-
ferred hopes and ambitions. modern,
comfortable, elegant theatre. To the
energetic and public spirited work of
the members of Santa Fe Lodge No.
AGO, B. p. O. E., this is due, for the the
atre is the Elks. and the entire COM
munity rises to call them blessed.
The opening night was made So
ciety event. 1t was a brilliant audi
ence that crowded the beautiful audi
torium 1t was also representative.
One of the boxes, ror instance, was
occupied by Governor Curry, Territor-
ial Treasurer Otero, Surveyor General
March, Attorney General Clancy and
one of his predecessors Colonel Prich-
ard, Internal Revenue Collector Bard
shar and former Territorial Treasurer
Levi A. Hughes, with them being Mrs.
Bardshar, Mrs. Curns and Miss Mad
den. In the box above them was A.
Staab and daughter Mrs. Max Nord-
haus and Attorney julius Staab On
the other side, in the lower box, were
Postmaster and Mrs. Shearon, Mr. and
Mrs. S. G. Cartwright and daughter,
Miriam DR.. and Mrs. J. A. Rolls. Mrs.
II No ,,<~lA
while above them were Mr.. and Mrs.
Carl A. Bishop, Miss McGibben and
Mr. McGibben. In the parquet circle,
Officialdom and business Of the city
were also well represented, evening
dress predominating The Elks there
fore are to be congratulated upon
uniting the community to pay tribute
to their success.
The play selected for the opening
night was the society drama, "The
Devil" which comes to America from
foreign shores and was the strongest
play produced last year, the one play
that stands out above the mediocrity
of the season in the metropolitan cent
ers. While it lacks the subtlety of
i Ibsen, yet there are touches here and
! there that remind OF him. 1t is a
master piece that observes the unities
Of stage craft, and from the rise of the
curtain to its last ringing down. the
play, the plot and incidents seem
to march to an inevitable con-
cluson without falterlng. It embodies
modern cynicism in IT'S ultimate con-
sequences, which the concluding cold
blooded, sneering words of His Satanic
majesty: There you are." as ne
points at the erring couple behind the
curtains, emphasize in all their taw-
driness and responsiveness.
The company which presented the
drama, the Ell Renal Stock Company,
had the good taste not to inject into
or between the acts, the local illusions
or vaudeville humor, with which the
average stock company plays to the
galleries when presenting legitimate
drama and too often mars the pro-
duction.
| The performance last evening was
serious throughout and measured up
to high standard. William Vain
wright, as Doctor Miller, "The Devil"
is entitled to al! the eneoniums that
can be bestowed. II he did not create
the part he at least, gave that impress
sion. He was a plausible devil, cyni.
cal, up-to-date devil. There was no
false note in his acting and he rose
to such dramatic heights as the cyni-
cism of the part permitted him, for
modern, cultivated devil does not
allow his feelings to get the better of
him. He wins by being calm and
sweetly, persuasively reasonable.
There was no getting away from him
or his arguments, that was apparent
from the moment he appeared on the
stage.
Karl Mailer, the artist, one of the
: two tempted ones, was not as convinc-
ing as was "The Devil. His part did
not ring true it was 1nane. Karl is a
cad, but that is the fault of the play,
not of the actor, for Allyn Mathes
; made the best of the part. However,
| he looked too much the callow youth
on the stage, to persuade the audience
of the seriousness of his love affair.
Tonight, as Jack Merry in the Prin-
cess of Patches, a rollicking comedy
that is built for laughing purposes, he
will play part more suited to his tai
ent.
| Irene Lorton, as Olga Hoffman, the
wife of rich banker, and who was
"The DEVILS" instrument Of tempta-
ton was superb in the delineation Of
her character. 1t was most difficult