The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-03-06

Topeka had its first glimpse or Il. n.
Sethern last night This is lmpoFF an
greatest if not the greatest Enshsn-
speaking actor on the stage his Po-
sition is as much of fixture as IS ING
earth itself. Therefore it goes Wltho e,lt
saying that his Interpretation OF the
role of the silly, inane, imbeclhc LoTu
Dundreary was a finished piece OF act
ing. ,.,s T. hos
s+ood the test of SO years and that is
&c good a recommendation as any pro
duction could have and 1t is pres Plu-
Gus, to say the least. to dlssent L i1li
This verdict But if Our American
CoIIsir'' had been given it's initial pro-
auction last year instead of % years
ago it would have been pronouncSo
fat failure and even E. n. SotneIL II
could not have saved it. 1t IS the STORY
81 an American Reub who can't speak
the English language and VINO goes "
England to visit some distant alIeto
cratic relatives. He is very tiresoIile
American at that and it is Wonder
that he was tolerated at all and ne
probably would not have been II ne
had not had money. At the emo oL ny
first act he is locked in his peorooiI
-because he said that he walked IN MS
sIeeD and might do something aW1ul
and amuses himself by shoollhB a.
the armor on display in the room VII
q modern Colts revolver. Inen eSe.y
one in the house rushes In garpeo III
niphtgoWus and nightcaps and scream
ing at the top of their voices ana Ine me
curtain goes down on resulaI % %
PIunkard finish. 1t is great ana Is
rarely seen nowadays outside OF the
The various love stories which are
woven into the play are about as IN
teresting as an everyday tuneral. tnete
is a villain-yes a real V1llaln-Wno -
ahout to gobble the Ravensdale estates
from the impoverished Sir Edward
Trenchard. But he is foiled, just as
villains always are-on the stage; II
fs dreadful to think what might nave
ho1neDed If the American cousin VINO
had no more intelligence than the aV-
erage farmland, hadn't appeared anI
committed a burglary on the Villain > oeoA
and unearthed the release Oh that RAY
ansda1e mortgage Sir Edward would
have had to work for living perhaps.
Lord Dundreary is only q visitor at
Sir Edwards home. He is mercy an
incident to the soul stirring plot Ihere
ia hardly a school boy who isn't more
or less familiar with the Lord Dun
dreary lines for they have appeared IN
readers and speakers" for a hair cen
tI1ry. It was he who originated that
famous conundrum, why does dog
wag its tail?" Answer-"B Because the
dog is stronger than the tan. II the
tail was stronger than the dog the tail
would wag the dog" The Lord says
MANY other things quite as brilliant but
there is cuhh a surfeit OF brtlnant
things that the audience becomes some
what weary of the 1mDec1le nODleuan
even as impersonated by the great Mr..
Sothern.
The cast was a capable one for an
actor of Mr.. Sothern's ability would
have no others as his associates but
they are little more than puppets AZ
besf Two or three characters speak
nearly all the lines and chief OF them
is Lord Dundreary.
There was a large audience at the
Grand last night, as there should nave
tor nj 81
stops in Topeka, and no
doubt the majority enjoyed the produc-
ton but it was significant fact that
Mr.. Sothern was given but a Single
one at that
After uttering all these reasonable
things the writer is prepared to be
classed with the yokels whose lack OF
understand does not enable them to |
appreciate really high class attractions
at the theaters. |