The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-02-17
Attic i1 E

Louis Mann in 1.-The Man Who
Stood STILL scored the success of the
season at the Grand last night. A
fairly large audience greeted the ia
nous actor, but not within a couple
of hundred as many persons as turn
ed out to see "a Prince for Tonight -
a short time ago and other cheap must
cal claptrap. 1t is strange that To-
peka theater goerS should rush the
box office for a commonplace musical
seeing one of the foremost actors of
the American stage. Perhaps the
lenten season is responsible.
THE Man Who Stood STILL" as in
terpreted by Mr.. Mann, was far and
away the best offering of the season.
Playing the part of John Krauss, an
old Swiss matchmaker, who migrated
to New York, Mr.. Mann was delight
and a revelation. He was stubborn,
hardheaded, shrewd old German, one
minute and little child crying over
his misfortunes the next. His little
jewelry store went from bad to worse
because he would not adopt modern
methods of getting business. He stood
still, as his friends and enemies truly
said. His daughter eloped with a
worthless fellow, who deceived her
with mock marriage. Pathos and
tragedy were interviewer with the
comedy of the play, Offering a strong
and serious background for the quint-
This little Swiss matchmaker was
not a German comedian in the popu-
lar conception of the term Not at all.
Mann is an artist. He portrayed a
character seldom seen upon the stage.
The type of the old fashioned, low
overdrawn, but in Mr.. Mann's hands
the old jeweler was concrete in the
flesh and his little store was a real
store in which the master sat at home
with his joys and griefs, and not a
stage scene at all.
Mr.. Mann was ably assisted by Miss
Wellman, who played the part of
Katrina, sister to the jeweler, and by
Louis Hendricks who as Mr.. Spiegel.
was the life long friend of the Swiss
jeweler. Hendricks was the big Ger
man and Mann was the little one. And
Hendricks Interpretation of the part
did not suffer alongside Mr.. Mann.
The big German was, as John Krauss
said, very stupid" but he was also
more excitable than Krauss and when
he got mad, which was very often, he
fairly snorted. Krauss and Spiegel
play a game of pinochle together in
Spiegel's fiat, and this was the great
est comedy scene presented on q To
peka stage for many seasons. Those
in the audience blessed with a sense
of humor, laughed until the tears
came That pinochle game was a joy
and a delight. There is no earthly use
trying to tell what those dyed in the
wool Germans said and did while they
wrangled and quarreled and laughed
and drank over their beloved game
just as they had done every other
night during the thirty, years. of their
friendship. 1t was real, that's ALL
In the end the old jewelers. trou-
bles were ironed out. SpiegeTs boy
married KrauSS' daughter and Spieg-
els Son-in-law made Krauss manager
of a big jewelry store. But it took
the little hands of his baby grand
daughter to break down the old mans
pride and lead his weary feet into
pleasant places.
The supporting players of the COM
pany were all very good The scenery
was built to make real setting for
the real scenes depicted by the artists