The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1910-03-11
THE Virqinian."

1.-THE Virginian."
"The virginian", owen Wister and
Kirke La Shelle's dramatization of Mr..
Wisters romance of Wyoming life,
with a thoroughly competent company
assisted by wealth of scenery, will
be presented at the Keylor Grand the
alter, Wednesday night March 16. 1.-THE
Virginian' is the best drama of west
ern life ever written. 1t holds the at
tention of the audience closely, it's
leading characters winning sympathy,
laughter or hatred as the intent may
be and all being up to the pretense.
The cowboys and the women of the
west are all as they are pictured in the
book-live people, rough, but sterling.
The atmosphere is the rolling range,
the cattle grazing and stampeding, the
blue sky undimmed by single Chin
ney, the rocky pass, the camp fire, and
stump Here is a relief from the re-
straint of crowded dwellings, from the
stiff conventions of street and office,
from the depression of club and draw
ing room. "The Virginian" leads us
out of the prison of city life into the
open country as God made it, and
where man practices just enough devil
try to satisfy the rash instinct in US
all. Mr.. Wister has given his cowboy
a delightful character. He is a man,
a type of the frontier, and although
all that he does may not be in accord
ance with the ideals of those living IN
civilization, still he has ideals far
above those of the men with whom he
specimen of virile and honest man
hood, a man brave morally and physi-
cally He is not spotless, nor, does he
pretend to be, he has gambled and has
lived. the life Of the west, but his heart
is sound and his lapses have not been
those of man of depraved nature, but
rather of a strong nature seeking d1-
version from the monotony of life. He
falls in love with Molly Wood, de-
of the Puritans of New Eng
land, who comes out to Wyoming to
teach school, and though she resists
the love she feels for a man so utterly
apart from all her associations and
traditions, she, in the end, succumbs
his love, it cannot sway his conviction
of what is right and just. He rounds
UP and lynches the cattle thieves when
ordered to by his employer in spite Of
the horror of his sweetheart. Again,
when on the verge of their marriage,
Trampas places him in the position
where he must play the coward, as
every man in the west understands it,
or kill the william. He plays the mans
part even though his sweetheart tells
him that it means the end. He hills
his man, but it is characteristic of
the Virginan that Trampas shoots
first A large element of the theater-
going public are interested in Williams,
and the character of Trampas Is the
best ever written; a william, a man
a redeeming trait a moral de-
a scoundrel without one good
impulse; he is just mean enough to
arouse the hatred of the audience and
keep up the excitement from the start
to the finish of the play. Forget your
trials and troubles, and go and spend
an evening with "The Virginian" 1t is
a play you can see again and again
and still enjoy every moment of it. I'm
der the excellent management of the
Kirke La Shelle company, we will see
a cast of players that will portray
each character true to life. AS the
Virginian, William L. Gigson will be
a success. He has achieved many no
table triumphs in the past, and his re-
cent great success as Joe Brooks" in
paid In F'ull'' has won for him
reputation he should be proud of;
Marshal Farnum, with picturesque
SLOUGH, will be seen in the part OF
"Trampas" Many of the Manhattan
theater, New York, cast are with the
company and a good performance is
certain.