The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-07-06
The Man From Mexico
Laughing Hit of Coium-
bia Season.
Miss Dean and Caldara
Prove Right to Title of
Comedians.

/ If you're looking for dry statistics
about the country south of the Rio
I Grande and not for Sierras and Sc
/ noritas don't go up to the Columbia
/ this week. where the Columbia Players
| are presenting II. A. Du Souchet's The
/ Man From Mexico" because you'll be
disappointed and instead of obtaining
| Information it's very likely you'H find
! yourself laughing continually.
The man" in the case might have
come from Seattle or London or almost
any other place than Mexico Out ule
truth of the whole matter is-he came
from jail
1t was all the fault of Majors, enc Of
! the most prominent hNers IN Mite
old New York, about the time MI Du
SOuchet wrote his play. Majors, YOU
see, entices Fftzhew, a perfectly good
husband, 10 30 out for a small puJ
select racket in gay Manhattan one
night. With extreme reluctance F1tz-
heN goes. They HE themselves to
place called The Cleopatra, where
they meet some ladies, evidently old
acQuaintances, and drink DuIIefiniik
and iced tea. After several rounds Of
buttermilk, Fitzhew gets "a CRY at
something and he and Majors depart
for q similar iced tea serving inSxltu-
tion possibly the HaynaaTket OF the
German Village. Somehow or other q
cabman-when Mr.. Du Souchet wrote
instead OF taXicabs there were queer
looking dry goods box affairs on wheels,
drawn by animals called bOTses-in-
suited Mr.. Fitzhew. Being quintes-
sentially gentleman, Mr.. t1tZhew re-
scented 1t, and in conseqJ .ence, TO use
a polite term, is pinched.
Has Quiet Tine.
That's really the plot of the play. IN
order TO account for the thirty days
absence from home which the judge told
him he might spend in the Island, not
Coney. but Blackwells, F'itzhew. with
the assistance OF the prominent NIX
olOEist. Majors tells his wife he has
most urgent business in Mexico. IN
stead he goes 70 prison. Outside OF a
visit from Majors, his witeS maid, his
Wife-who doesn't see hiTn. however
two men who are in love with his sister
in-laW, half-craZy dago vino eXorts
hiE TO kill da ward -iUtSlde of all
this, and the fact that the warden is in
love with his wifes picture and wants
10 meet the original. MIR. Eitzhew, who
in the course of time has become No.
q, with a beautiful lock-step. has a
very quiet time
AT the end naturally he comes strut
ting into his own parlor on Grammercy
park clad in a real Mexican costume
which he said ne bought over on Sec
ond avenue, while the orchestra plays
la Paloma, and everybody in the audi
enCe feels happy. OF course his wife
COnfesses that she. too, was al the Cleo
patra the night OF the pinching, and I'd
mits that she thought she was TO be
arrested. Modest man that he IS. FitZ-
hew gracefully cOnfesses that 1t was 10
save his wife that he went TO Jail for
thirty days OF course, everyone pres
ent Of the male sex falls on the neck Of
some one of the opposite arrangements
are made for few marriages and
everything Is quite happy.
Hypothetical Question.
Probably it is the authors fault. but
one couldn't help wondering, in the last
act especially why Fitzhew ever left
such a pretty wife As the wife. Miss
Julia Deans work throughout the play
was good, while Orme Caldara. as Fitz-
i'ew, showed that he is a real comedian.
Z ur rising young matinee idol. Mr.
Thomas ChabeTton, looked lust as
perfectly dear" as ever. He was q bit
ferocious at one time with his intended
wife's brother-in-law, but then il prob
ably looked well TO feminine critics in
the orchestra
Sometimes 1.-THE Man From Mexico"
comes close to the borders Of sIap-stick
comedy land but IL never crosses en-
urely. II isn't, on the other hand the
cleverest sort of dialogue. II is he
tWiXt the land Of the stick and the
country OF the witty, leaning nearer the
ldJter, ana being therefore one Of the
pest taugh-DrOducers for the ordinary
human that has been seen in Washing
ton ln many day. There NAV not be
a iaugh every minute, but the average
is almost that good