Omaha daily bee., 1909-01-12
"re.. of the D'urbervnIe.' at the

''Tess of the D'UrberviIIes" at the
BurwOod.
The Burwood stock company in Tess of
the D'Urbervilles." a drama i'm five acts,
by Thomas Hardy. The cast:
angel Claire MT Grew
Mr.: Crick, a dairyman.......Mr. lngraham
Dairy hands
Jonathan Kali Mr. Connor
annoy Seeding. .,.."...,.,..M MT. DOMAIN
Bill Lewel..."......"....Mr. Clisbee
John iD1''Uirberv;iiiiie, otherwise Sir John"
Abraham, his SON. Master Harold LLOYD
Joan D'Urbervllle, Johns wife Miss Jeffrey
Tess, their daughter-Tess of the Dur.
Liza Lu, her sister. ............ Miss Wallace
Milkmaids-
Marian. Miss Downin
Miss Meyer
Retty. ..........M Miss Stearns
Thomas Hardy is another of those tense
novelists. whose tales are stark and grim;
II a CLINT Of humor creeps into his writ
ings It is sardonic and at the expense Of
POOR humanity. But he is deadly in earn
est in his methods, and unsparing in his
treatment. Tess of the D'Urbervilles' is
one of his greatest creations, from a purely
dramatic standpoint. 1t is almost mean
in its sordidness. the annals of a girl whose
life went on the shoals because she did
not know how TO avoid them-the creature
OF a civilization that permits such things.
Grim poverty. misery. want and shame
were her portion. She had a glimpse of
happiness, but through no fault OF her own
she was thrust back into the gloom of her
uni Apply career. and suffered that others
might not have to work as she worked
The other characters are all extremes, not
types. but fit well into the story Hardy
has to tell. The play was made for Mrs.
Fiske, and by her used for several seasons.
It is her version that is being offered at
the Burwood this week.
Miss Elliott plays the leading role in a
most impressive manner. From the girl
who shrinks I'm horror at the realization
OF what she has lost, but who is determined
TO keep her soul clean through it all, to the
woman who resigns herself to the officers
as they lead her away to prison and death,
happy because she has tasted for a brief
hour OF real love ind tender care, she
moves step by step, making each point
clear, and fully realizing the possibilities
of the difficult part. The whole range Of
emotions is called for by the part, and yet
Il is quite within the scope of her ability.
She is temperamentally fitted for the serl-
Gus work called for by Tess, and she
achieves it with great success. That she
beStcWS mucn care on any part she essays
las come to be generally accepted, and
Tess has been prepared and is presented
most conscientiously. 1t will be listed as
among her great roles.
Mr.. Grew gives to the somewhat con-
Trajectory character of Angel Claire a
quality that almost makes it seem logical
The sympathy with which he endows the
part in the closing scenes makes amends
for his neglect of Tess at a time when a
little devotion would have been OF real
service to her. John Todd's Alec D'Urber-
Vile is sufficiently brutal to make every.
body glad when he gets his final q%uietus
Miss Downin is doing unusually well as
Marian, while Misses Stearns and Meyer
are good in their small roles.
Mr.. Bacon is comical in the comedy role
Of "Sir" John DUrberville. Miss Jeffery
is doing the part of the mother who forces
her daughter to sell herself in a mos
convincing way. The others I'm the Ions
cast are well located, and the first per,
fornIances yesterday were well finished
The stage settings are most appropriate
yet set forth at the Burwood, indicating
the wisdom Of change in scenic artists
The bill will run all week, with the usua
/ ms tfpaaG