Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-10
BY w. HERBERT BLAKE

w
with all thrills intact, the popular
war play which gave Mrs. Leslie Car
ter her first big emotional opportunity
some years ago is revived as the sec
ond of the Burbank's David Belasco
repertoire. 1t is a frank melodrama of
the old-fashioned sort, with numerous
sub-plots and incidental springs of ac-
ton arising from the elaborate and IN
tricate interplay of dive rse characters
Strong human interest and honest pa
triotic sentiment are its main motive
mowers. They pulled it into the sure
favor of a matinee crowd yesterday
David Belasco rarely fails Of achleV-
ing his effects, by whatever construc-
tive means. 1t is certain that III
viewing one of his earlier and more
pronounced successes we will see many
things to make us rub our eyes WIN
wonder The southern woman VINO
would refuse shelter to wounded
enemy may we'll seem too theatrlc 10
be true to any one at all acquainted
with the real heart of the south. Inc
intention of the playwright, or course
is to exhibit the stress of feeling IN
war times. He achieves his emu; the
means is another matter.
Another trihing bit of stagecraft,
with the accent on the second syllable,
is the sudden recovery from a sup
nosedIy serious wound of Lleutenant
ITelfair in the last act. He is needed
for a, love scene and he arises from ms
couch promptly to participate IN IT, II
is all SO pleasant that one must needs
he an infiexible nationalist to quarrel
with the resuscitation. We might fairly
cayil at the attack upon the heroine py
Colonel Thorpe-if he had not been con-
veniently drugged with whisky Just III
time to take the edge off our crltlclslll'
But technique, important as 1t is, Is
subordinated in the Belasco plays TO
the exigencies of heart interest "Ihe
Heart of Maryland" will vie for many
a wear in stock revival because 1t tells
an exciting story about real people III
the spirit of heroic romance.
The production is creditable to the
Rurbank company. both in ensemble
and detail. Miss Nordstrom has dlf-
fcult task in the heroine. Her tenn
perament and restrained method are
not entirely in harmony with the ire
! duently flamboyant lines and sltua- y
tions adroitly created to accommodate
the talents of Mrs. Garter. she does
well to stop short of extreme emotion
alism, but the very pause makes us
see clearly enough some of the faults
of the older actress method. AT times
Miss Nordstrom somewhat oVerdld
the impression of nervous frenzy nat
ural to melodrama. At others she
showed us, by unconscious inference
how the character might be recon
structed with less jar and shock 10 the
emotions and no loss of vitality AT all
times she had our sympathy, II not
always our enthusiasm.
Miss Ethel Won Waldron made very
pleasant impression on her first ap-
pearance as the new inGenue OF the
company. Her opportunities were UNI
| forn1lv those of comedy, in which she
displayed a pert and ingenious charm
A slight tendency to eXaggerate the
ierky gestures of the character was
noticeable, which might be amended.
or the others, Mr.. Beasley, Mr.. Hart
ford and Mr.. Landau did excellent
work, and Mr.. Mestayer played the
Young confederate lieutenant with ease
and grace. Several extra players t1lled
| the minor roles, most of them with evil
dence of careful drill. The costuming,
| particularly of the women members OF
| the cast, was in superb taste. The
staging was fairly adequate, although
not precisely lavish.
| one week from tonight Louis James
will begin an engagement in Shakes
| pearean repertoire at the Mason.
| "Henry VIII is announced as one Of
fering and it is hoped that several
other well known plays may be re-
vived during the week.
"The Shepherd Kink'' will begin its
| week at the Mason tonight, with
Wright Lorimer in the part of King
David and a supporting company of
more than twenty-five.
Miss Blossom Seeley, who has been
seriously ill, will resume her place in
the Alphin- Fargo musical company
tonight in the title role of "The Belle
of Boston"
| The Klein family of cyclists head
the new Orpheum bill to open this af-
ternoon. They were features Of Ber-
lin music halls for many years. Fay,
two Coleys and Fay, in minstrelsy;
the -Four Readings, in hand balancing,
and Carl Nobel, Scandinavian ventrilo-
quest; are other newcomers. Eva Tay-
lor and her players will make their
| first presentation of "Dreamona," a
new farce; Florence Bindley Stella
Morrisini and her dogs and ponies;
Harry Fox and the Millership sisters,
with new pictures, will complete the
bill.
| The Orpheum road show will open at