The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-26

| which may flourish in lesser localities. The first act is somewhat in the nature | of a prologue and the scene is laid in an upstate town at the home of George l Rend, Sr., who is & local banker and | a leading public figure. This act shows 1 the eagerness of the young people. against | the advice of their father. to establish | themselves in New York. The other two 1 acts occur in the home of George Rend, Jr, in New York. after lapse of a few years, when he has attained posi- ton of prominence.
 some of the authors plays, it is one of the best offerings of the present season, and will run for an indefinite period. The cast included Walter Hampton Fully Marshall, Mary Nash. Lucille Wat son. Evan Vincent, Helen Holmes, Ed ward Emery, George Howell and A H. Stewart.
 A wouan's natural yearning for the love of A home and children is the key note of David Belasco's latest dramatic from the French of Pierre Wolff and Caston Leroux and presented at the Be- asco-Stuyyesant theatre last Thursday night.
 All the heartrending situations which a niece of this character affords were taken advantage of by the author and furnished ] an excellent opportunity for Miss Nance O'Neil. the leading lady, to display her dramatic talents which she did to good effect.
 The play is in four acts and the ad- mirable arrangement holds the audience spellbound until the end. The scenes were all laid in France ana the proverbial beauty of the Belasco stage settings was never more faith fully borne out.
 The story is that of an individual won- an who is sacrificed to the larger needs of all women Throughout the entire play the dominating note is the agony Of woman pure, chaste, beautiful of heart and soul, whose yearning for love, for
 home and children has been strangled through no fault of her own and Is now only memory.
 The cast was an unusually strong one and besides Nance O'Neill. included Ju- lia Dean. Alleen Flavin, Florence Nash, i Ethel Grey Terry, Charles Cartwright Bruce McRae, Dobson Mirchell. W. F. Kelley, Leo Ditrichstein, Douglass Pat
 terson. Robert Robson and Campbell Stu art.
 Aside from the three dramatic presenta- tions of the week st-nighters were en- ! Iivened by the initial presentation of The | Goddess of Liberty" a musical comedy.
 by Joseph F. Howard. which opened at l Webers theatre on Wednesday night. l While the play was conspicuous for an i absence of plot it proved highly enter l taining Edward Abeles, in the role of a. young English nobleman, headed the | east and was supported by Miss de Sou I sa, who played Phyllis, and a capable com
 pany. The chorus work was exception
 ally fine and in a way was the redeemins
 feature of the play.
 Digby Bell played the principal comedy
 part in George V. Hobart's new farce,
 ''The First Night" which opened at the
 Broad Street theatre last night. The cast
 was headed by Miss Lillian Russell Following a short stay at both the Her
 aid Square and the Lyric theatre, 1.-The
 Chocolate Soldier made another move
 this week and appeared at the Casino.
 It will stay in this playhouse until the
 end of the season.
 The Western Theatrical Managers as-
 socation comprising the principal points
 in the states of wisconsin. Nebraska,
 Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois. have
 entered into contract for a long term
 of years, giving the exclusive booking
 control of their theatres to Messrs. Klaw
 and Erlanger. These are the managers
 who some time ago declared for an ''oper
 door, policy but they found their move
 ment complete failure