Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-01-12
LION AND THE MOUSE
is EXCELLENT DRAMA
PAUL EvERTON WELL SUP
PORTED IN KLEIN'S PLAY
Small Audience Greets High Class
Production at Mason Opera
House-Miss Crawford
Well Received

Well Received
'sThe Lion and the Mouse" which
! opened a weeks engagement at the
Mason opera house last night, deserves
much larger audiences than the scant
attendance which greeted the opening
performance. Although this is the
fourth season of the play, it still ranks
as one of the greatest American
dramas in point of character and plot
interest and the verdict of last nights
audience was SO enthusiastically favor
able that it is difficult to understand
why the attendance was not larger.
| Paul Everton seems to have inn
proved in the role of John Ryder since
his last appearance in Los Angeles.
/ The cigar still puffs as voluminously
and the chin is just as stubbornly out
thrust as before. Mr.. Everton is adj
mirably cast in this role, but his in
! depreciation might be improved If
Ryder did not gain quite SO much Of
| the sympathy of the audience in the
second act and in the first part Of the
third. This results in an inconsistency
of character, when the money king de-
| liverS his ultimatum against Judge
Rossmore, and declares that he will
ruin the reputation of his daughter as
/ we'll
Miss Edna Archer Crawford's Shirley
| RossmOre, perhaps too oppressively
overshadowed with gloom, reaches a
height Of really strong Interpretation
| in the climax in third act, when she
| denounces Ryder and refuses to marry
his son. Miss Crawford artfully re-
| Trained from exhausting her emotional
4 reserves too early in the play and had
a plentiful supply of dramatic inten-
/ Sity left for the climax Of her lines.
James Cooley, who appears as JEFF
fersOn Ryder, the son of the money
king, possibly should conduct himself
with well-bred reserve, but the part
hardly seems to require the unbending
stiffness which Mr.. Cooley gives it,
This young actor has a good stage
presence, an excellent voice and a
mirth- provoking grin, but he does not
give the impression of thoroughly
grasping the possibilities of his role.
George o. Morris and Eleanor Shell
don have been playing opposite each
other in the part of judge and Mrs.
Rossmore, and one is as well cast in
the role Of the genteel old judge as the
| other is as a grande dame in distress.
| Their long experience in playing oppo-
site each other has fitted them ex-
cellently in the two parts and it would
be difficult to improve the piece, as far
| as these two roles are concerned.
The only character part in the play,
that of Fitzroy Bagley, is admirably
taken by Mr.. Clifford Leigh. The
company is so uniformly good that it
i is difficult to pick out any part as
standing out from the. others.
The Orpheum offers an excellent bill
for the week, with four new numbers,
including Mr.. Edwin Latell in his adj
mirabks musical sketch. The skit is
| inaptly termed "Dull Care" Mr.. Win
sor McCay's DR.. Bunion giving color
to the title, but dull care is farthest
from the thoughts of the audience,
| when Mr.. Latell's delightful foolery is
| on. 1t is not often that g. more pleas
ing stunt is seen on the vaudeville
stage than Mr.. Latelrs performance in
| coaXing delightful music out Of a.
dozen metal disks, spinning on a table.
'"The Four Franklins'' are well
known to Los Angeles audiences, hav-
ing frequently appeared with different
organizations, but their present ely
ing'' act is one of the best in the re-
! pertoire of these clever acrobats Miss
i Eva Taylor appears in a well written
| sketch, called "Chums,'' and the Ma
! jestic. trio is as funny as ever in a new
black face skit. Gus Edwards Blonde
| Typewriters," held over from last
week, made their usual hit, at the
! opening performance of the week yes
| terday. Judging from their reception
last week, these delightful entertainers
/ could play an indefinite engagement in
Los Angeles. Mr. Harry Tate, and his
| company, in their sketch, Motoring
do not seem to have worn any of the
| edge off their English accent by their
4 stay in America, or to have lessened
! their enthusiasm in the free-for-all
fight which concludes their act.
i Hanlon and Clifton are presenting a
clever head balancing and acrobatic
act at the Empire this week. 1t alone
| is an attraction strong enough to war
rant a visit to the little Third street
playhouse.
i Helena Afford is a plumpish young
| person whose rendition of Rainbow
and a few limitations" during which
she sang other popular numbers,
i pleased Yesterdays houses immensely.
while Barrow and his lay figures,
| through the performers ventriloquil
efforts, contributed a diverting ten
minutes. Illustrated songs by Vier and
Il Nellie Hill, motion pictures and one of
AL Franks farces, "My Papa's Coach
man." complete a satisfying program.
The popularity of the Empires free
| Monday matinee was shown yesterday
by the fact that many were turned
away, the house being full
4 "The Gibson Girl as presented by
the Armstrong Musical Comedy COM
| pany at the Unique last night, proved
| a marked success from start to finish.
a decided hit with her impersonation
of Fay Templeton in "Forty-five Min
utes from Broadway" She is a mimic
| of ability, and has voice of charming
quality. Will Armstrong. as usual, was
4 strong in his Irish comedy, with plenty
of local hits. Lillian Switzerland, the
clever little soubrette, was we'll cast,
and received several encores with her
number, ''Isn't 1t Great to Be a Sol
der Man." Madalene Holly had q top
ical song, we'll rendered, entitled 'Take
Me Down to Long Beach," while Jack
Curtis and Edward Armstrong did their
share in keeping the audience in a
cheerful frame of mind. George REIN
made his bow last evening in Dutch
| comedy character songs, and his re-
engagement with the company adds
largely to its strength. Mr. REIN will
take charge as producer, beginning the
week of January IS, and promises some
thing new and refreshing in the way
Of musical comedies, his initial produc-
ton being 1.-The Servant Lady"
| Nine Marzella's aviary of trained
cockatoos, parrots and ravens delight
| ed a large audience at the Los Angeles
| theater yesterday afternoon, the mad
! anne being recalled several times after
| the finish of the act. The birds per-
form really remarkable stunts, several
Of which never have been duplicated on
! any Los Angeles stage. The act opens
| with a flight of doves from the audi
ence to the shoulders of their trainer.