The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-10-12

ing a memory of tears and laughter. The art of nortraiture is truly admirable and worthy of the name when 1t IS perfect
 copy, whether that copy be a picture or
 woman's face or a wonderful piece or
 fiction that seizes on life and brings it
 before inc minds eye in vivid colors, with
 evarv trai+ revealed. or whether it is the
 portrayal of a character on the stage.
 David Warheld makes the figure of Herr
 Barwig so real, with it's quaint humor'
 it's pathos and its underlying vein of trag-
 edy that the personality of the actor IS
 lost in that of the character which he presents Perhaps one should not say lost,
 because there is something of the BarWig in David Narheld himself. He not only has the art to grasp the possibilities or such a character and depicit it truly, but he has what is so essential to such an in depreciation, a sympathetic understand ing. It was this quality which has made David Warheld in 'The Auetloneer
 first and ..'rhe Music Master afterward the foremost exponent in this country or that field of comedy of which Herr Bar wig Is type, in which comeas anu leals are never far apart.
 To those who had seen The Music Master" before and to those who saw 1t for the first time last night, Barwig IS strongly individual, and one that cannot be easily forgotten. The lovableness or the man, his patience, his gentle humor and the sublime optimism which bore him along through his misfortunes and taught his trampled spirit to soar above ad- versity the love that kept him searching for his daughter and the heights of self 1ap1 xxfln Q found her at last in luxury and deemed 1t best to give her up-all of this and more makes Barwig, as presented by David Warfield, an inspiration and a master piece of the actors art. The tribute Of tears that was paid MT Warfields con- summate acting, as well as the laughter showed how well he wrought. It has been long time since Birmingham theatre goers have yielded themselves so com pletely to the spell of a dramatic perform ance. If the dear old musician and his daughter had not become united in the last act it is hard to say just how over wrought feelings would have found re- lief otherwise It is wonderfully appeal ing story. that of the old musicians weary search for the wife who deserted him in his youth and his daughter whom he longed for with all the intensity of a stricken father, finding her at last.
 The company supporting MT. Warfield is indeed excellent. All the lesser charac- ters were we'll done last night. Miss Dun bar Helen was altogether girlish and charming, Miss Bates as Miss Houston of Houston street, Miss Antoinette Walker as Jenny. Augusta Aramini, Francis Gail Hard and Bernhardt Nemeyer as the three musicians and friends of Barwig; Oscar Eagle as Henry Stanton and Thom- as HI. Wilson as Al Costello were all capable. The comedy parts without ex- ception were finely done, and it must be said that there is a great deal of comedy that Is worthy the name in ''The Music Master" The staging was done with the fidelity that has made David Belasco's name a synonym for realism
 ''The Music Master" will be repeated at the Jefferson theatre tonight, concluding the engagement. PC.