Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-21
Marjorie Rambeau Appears
as Burbank Leading Woman
BY SHIRLEY OLYMPUS

IN MADE good as leading woman oil
4dA the Burbank theater stock COM
pany. Her debut yesterday afternoon
in Merely Mary Ann" was her
| triumph. Seldom If ever before has a
| stock company leading woman un
known and almost untried received four
curtain calls at the end of the play
| There were other curtainS-doZenS OF
| them. Five came at the conclusion of
| the first act, half dozen or more at
the conclusion Of the second act, and
| so many, which were so insistent at
| the conclusion of the third act, that
she simply had to make a little speech
She meant to say more than Il hope
you will all love me, for love you all,
| but her emotions--or her nerVes-oVer-
| came her and she burst into tears. She
will be loved, for, judging from the
| greeting given and the impression
made by her yesterday, the Burbankers
have taken her to their hearts.
| "Merely Mary Ann" Is n mixture of
| heart, SOUL music and epigrams. 1t is
the story of the typical London slavey
who, after the story developed most
| interestingly, suddenly became pro-
digiously wealthy. From out the
| chrysalis of smut and dirty dishwater
emerged beautiful butterfly with
spangled gowns for wings, but with a
heart unchanged by her money and a
| mlnd unspOlled ny newly dcp GU
| learning. Mary Ann was ingenious
and true as the slavey. She remained
so as Marion. the social queen.
| Lancelot, an INDECENT composer, is
one of the gentlemen upon whom Mary
| Ann waited hand-Or should we say
"glove'-and foot, in her days as a
savey. She loved the composer, and
he, in a bohemian" fashion, loved her.
But, until after she had gone from him
| i ~ mn n la r.
ing love he had had for the girl. Had
| Lancelot been soulless he would have
| possessed Mary AIMS body, but he did
| not. Had he been a cad he would nave
married her when she came into her
money, but he did not. He was more
Virile than the majority of men in sim
| liar or any other circumstances. Ot
course he became famous and rich be-
| fore the last act, and when the curtain
fell we all knew he would possess her
body, soul and heart-which makes
the story complete and eminently salts
factory.
There are comedy and pathos in
Merely Mary Ann" in plentitude. 1t
is Israel Zangwill at his best, some
say. The comedy is farcical at times.
1t descends very nearly to the low"
level frequently. And then 1t will take
sudden upward trend and become so
refined as to lead one to believe
problem is about to present itself to
worry ones mind. But the problem
becomes no more serious than a pic
ture with a finely worded title.
Merely Mary Ann" cannot be played
broadly. 1t needs discernment, re-
finement clever acting, not on the
part of one or two players, but by all.
Miss Rambeau as Mary Ann, merely
is delightful. She is an actress of
promiseful worth. Her comedy is de-
licious, her pathos appealing. She has
a note of pathos in her being which
many an actress years her senior in
experience and reputation lacks. In
stage parlance, she gets it over.' She
is ingenious, natural, forceful and
magnetic. Through the pathos of the
slaVey's life she makes the comedy of
her words shine like the golden glow
of brilliant sun lurking for the time
behind a cloud 1t was in the third
act Miss Rambeau made her deepest,
most lasting impression upon the au-
dience. Then we got her full measure.
The simple love of a child gushing
from the heart of a woman was so well
simulated that IL forced tears into
ones eyes, and made ones heart feel
glad that after all there are some
whose lives cannot be spoiled by
money, position, conditions, environ
ment, anything.
tMiss Rambeau's gestures are good,
but not flexible nor versatile enough.
She reverts to the same gesture too
frequently. One gesture is particular
ly awkward. She strokes her head in
the fourth act, much the same as
man would do. Her stage presence is
excellent and her enunciation distinct.
Her voice is pitched midway between
throat and head tone. 1t possesses re-
sonance and is delightful to the ear
and carries well all over the theater,
though she never lifts it above a speak
ing tone.
Above and beyond all. Miss Ram
beau possesses that greatest gift of the
gods of Olympus-youth. With 1t she
will do great things and the gods will
be glad.
A. Byron Beasley's Lancelot was
picturesquely charming. He put the
right note of sincerity into his charac-
terization, making the composer
forceful being, not a namby-pamby,
long-haired individual who makes
music for arts sake alone. But there
is enough of the romantic, dreaming
artist left in the character to keep it
picturesque. One criticism there is
however. Mr.. Beasley is a bit too
rough in his business of teaching Rosie
the pianoforte and in putting Rosie
and her mother out of his rooms.
AS the giggling Rosie, daughter of
the lodging house keeper. Miss Ethel
Won Waldron was excellent. Praises
be, she did not make it a burlesque
but succeeded in causing laughter
every time she came onto the stage.
Miss Won Waldron shows her versa
tility with each succeeding character
We last saw her as a human water
ing pot, with tears flowing every time
she opened her mouth or was spoken
to. She's the reverse in the present
play.
Harry MeStayer was perfection in a
small part, that of the motor-crazed
young London society fop. Though it
was but a bit. Mr.. Mestayer gave it
the same careful attention and por-
trayal he would give a leading role.
Miss Louise Royce was admirable as
the lodging house keeper, Mrs Lead
batter. Her costermonger dialect was
faithful and her general demeanor that
of the woman of her type and occu-
patton.
David Landau gave prominence to
thankless role, that of Peter, who is
more or less of a good Man Friday to
Lancelot. Mr.. Landau was immacu-
lately dressed. and, though he had no
great chances to display histrionic
ability. he pelased immensely.
Lowell Alice Taylor as a poor peer
ess; Florence Oberle, as her friend
Willis Marks. as a country vicar and
others in the cast were more than ao-
ceptable. Particularly is this true of
Miss Lucretia Del Vale and Miss Jes-
sic Jordan, who did It'd bits in the first
act as music hall dancers.
Merely Mary Ann" is worth seeing,
even though this is the solemnest