Evening star., 1909-07-06
A N U S E N E NTS.
BelaSco.


Belasco last night were not at. all sorry
they had done so when the curtain fell
on the last act OF Miss Brown-Burglar.
1t is very clever and entertaining COM
edy and when 1t receives its finishing
touches is going TO be a drawing card.
Even as it was, or is. but little il any
fault can be found with it. On the con-
| trary, in the hands of the splendid play
ers who make up the Belasco Theater
| Producing Company the play moved on as
/ IL 1t had entirely passed the stage of the
| chrysalis and blossomed out into the
! full-grown butterfly ready TO gather honey
In all the flowers of the Shubert garden.
1t Is not. however, a farcical comedy. 1t
| is of a higher order. Its situations are
| natural: its characters are natural. and
| its lines throughout are clean, bright and
clever. 1t regolves around a young wom-
an who Is given to practical jokes and
| al the same time has q serious under
current in her life. Returning from re-
ceptlon in a rainstorm with her father.
who is perhaps just a bit too much under
the weather for the sake of propriety.
she is forced 10 support his sleeping form
| on her shoulder while their coachman
goes back after the doorkey. which,
strange to say. has been left by the
| father at his club. While there a very
serious young man who is deeply IN
terested in the subject of criminology
| sees them. politely offers his assistance,
| which is declined, and then, perhaps be-
| cause of the striking beauty of the young
/ woman. persists in forcing himself upon
| her until she finally permits him to break
| into another Woman'S house In the be-
| lief that it is hers.
In the meanwhile the coachman re-
turns with the key and the young woman
and her father find shelter in their own
home, while the young man, cropping In
the dark in the other house, crashes a
| lot of crockery, awakens the inmates and
is dragged to the station house as a
burglar He is released however. the
following morning through the influence
of his uncle, a former home secretary
of the English government His story
of the occurrence his deep interest in
the young woman. whom he is satisfied IS
a member of gang of burglars through
force of circumstances and not because
she is naturally thief, and his an
nounced determination to save her. even
IL he has to give her his name. prompt
his uncle to send him off to the little
town OF Woollacombie. in Devonshlre. 10
cool off. Later. the young woman her
self appears before the former home sec
retary. confesses how the incident was
brought about expresses the belief that
the young man needs To be properly
brought up" and. at the unc!es sugges-
ton. volunteers to go down to Wooila-
combie. incognito for the purpose or
helping to effect the young mans refor-
nation. She goes there to her aunt, who
keeps a small confectionery shop. and
assumes the name of Miss Brown At
this time. however, a young scapegrace
Lord Harlsmore, to catch up with his
gambling debts. steals his mothers S jew
| eled tiara plans to turn it over to
professional thief for 800 pounds with the
understan nding that he will buy it back
few months later at double the sum-
Before he can get it into the thief's
hands. Miss Brown suspects the trans
action. gets possession of the tiara and
places ii in her aunt's safe until she can
see her way clear what is best to be done
The thief then appears upon the scene,
learns what has happened and in his
eagerness to get the tiara opens the safe.
He is caught as he is getting away with
II by Miss Brown, whose young crimlnolo-
gist comes in. has the tiara passed to him
and in turn passes it to his mother just
in time to elude the vigilance of the po-
lice, who are on the scent of gang OF
burglars led by a woman and who sus-
pect Miss Brown. The young mans moth
er takes the tiara home. locks it in a
cabinet. and sends for Lord Harlsmore.
She tells him of the recovery of the tiara
and invites him to take her key, open the
cabinet and get it. While her back IS
turned he does SO, puts 1T under his coat
and declares there is no tiara in the cabi-
net. This leads the mother to suspect her
son and she resolves to have 1t out with
him and denounce Miss Brown to the po-
lice. The son pleads with the mother, re-
peating over and over again, Il love her,
MOTHER until the woman, driven nearly
frantic, rushes from the room determined
to denounce them both. The next morn
ing all hands appear in London before
the ex-home secretary, matters are eX-
planned, and all ends happily.
There is some splendid character por-
traiture in the play. George Howell, as
the home secretary, stood out finely In the
foreground and again demonstrated his
superb ability as a character artist. Mr..
Van Buren was consistent and capable as
George Hemmings. the young criminolo-
gist, his only disadvantage. perhaps, be
Ing that he rather Over-appedred MS
twenty-five years of age.
1t was defect of personal appearance,
perhaps, rather than of anything else,
for his portrayal was genuinely good In
every other respect Laurette Taylor did
Miss Brown beautifully and her real self.
as Miss Turner, still more so. Indeed.
before such a personality. 1t is not to
he wondered that the young man should
wish to give her his name, even II she
were a genuine burglar. Frederick Bur
ton was her father to penection. his
sketch was one OF the delightful features
of the play. Two more fine impersona-
tons were those of Ogden Stevens. as the
police sergeant. and Edward Emery. as
Mr.. Bland. Beatrice Morgan fttingly
represented Hemmings mother, Marion
Bellou, Miss Browns" aunt, and Vir-
ginia Pearson made dreamy and delight
full young cashier. William Roselfs s
Lord Augustus Harlsmore was capable
ana compete, as All his 1HpeTSOHdtlOHS
have been this season. The minor roles,
especially that Of Mrs Janeway, by Ell
sic Esmond. and the detective. by Charles
d. Pitt, were capably filled and quite ac-
ceptable in all respects. The thought oc-
ours. however. that Lord Harlsmore's s
"vindication' might have seemed more
natural, at least ii would better have
conserved the demands of finer senti-
ment had the mothers forgiveness been
based upon her maternal affection. rather
than the fact that the tiara was paste.
There is defect in the play at this point
Among those who were present last
evening. none perhaps was more interest
ed in the performance than the bride OF
the leading man. Mrs. 4. n. Van Buren,,
who was formerly Miss Dorothy Bernard.
and for several seasons with the Vaughn
! Chaser stock company, on the Pacific
coast. and daughter af William Ber
nard- Mrs. Van Buren, had been married
| but few hours. After the wedding yes
| terday morning A handsome travelling
| bag with a smaller one inside for the
bride, was presented to Mr.. Van Buren,
| by the members Of the company, the pres
entation speech being made by the genial
| home secretary in last nights play, Mr..
George Howell.
Columbia.
Audiences that saw the Columbia Play
ers in Are You Mason" few weeks
ago and pronornred it ono of tho best