The Washington times., 1910-01-25

Robert HTlIard came 10 The Columbia
last night IN Porter Emerson Brownies
play, a Fool There Vas The star
and the drama scored a success before
one Of the largest and most auurecla-
tive audiences Of thu present season
At the conclusion Of the second act Mr..
billiard was forced to make a curtain
speech The demand was indicative Of
the manner in which the play, despite
the fact that the lesson It teaches IS not
an appealing one, held the audience
thorUUEhly IN its spell from the hrst
word until the tragic elimination
Inspired by Kipling's poem, The
Vampire" a review OF tia play is al
most contained IN the opening verse q
the poets great effort kipling says
4 fool there was and he made his Draye-
Gwen as you and o.
eve called her the woman who Ga ngl c5.Is p
B71t the fool, he called her his lady ts-r
Even as you and p
That Is the tTCism upon which ID
Browne has buIIded a wonderfully
strong drama. The stage picture pain
ed Is not one Of delicate tones The
characters are made to stand out in The
nakedness of human fTallIy, or MN S
DToneness 10 err For that reason. E>7T-
hans there may be some who VIII say
mat "A Fool There Was IS unneces-
sarv, that object lessons OF this KIND
are not required 10 demonstrate the
fact that the world has many fools and
as many vampires
Story An Old One
The story IS an old one; the method
Of its telling and the directness ct IL
thrusts home are new The characters
are few There is d fool a LADY fsi-r
or a vampire. as YOU please; a CevOtsd
wife: a little child. the wlfe's SiSseT,
and 4 manly friend Before the play
IS ended they have all played TIER last
card 10 reclaim the fool In1Sf out
front have had hopes Tor MN al - olE-
II comes rather as shock N1e-I the
final curtain desCeuds upon his dead
body and the laugh Of the woman VINO
Scatters her blOOd-red roses over Llc
FOOLS form echoes through the Wln-57-
Step bE step. from the time LllaL lie
fool comes rDOn the stage TO fInd sui
eide al the foot Of the vampire Glltu
he himself meets a scarce less olszEacr-
fUl fate one walcLleS t-le p-liLul ~ -
fall The husband has been sent 70
london on a diplomatic mission ON
board ship he meets the woman ara
from the beginning she lures neE VIC
tim de has laughed before aI olneG
fools who have fallen into the Naln-
pres net
succeeding scenes hint Of DAYS N
Venice in Paris. on sun-zlSsea seas
the wife and child and those at nome
who wonder why the mission ms pro
lonEed the husbands stay INTO the
weeks. Then he returns and the Wo-
man comes with him He SEEKS 20
cast aside the spell she puitS' anu
laughs. and derides, as IS the way OF
women Of her kind. and then she holds
I'D a red rose. and SAYS
Kiss me, my fool 49,
future times that the enchantreSS bids
home. position, honor and trlendS De
ing ruthIeSsly cast aside as the 1asCllial-
ing web further envelOpS MN
Mr.. HiUiard played the part o. L-e
fool He did If well and a great tribute
has been paid the actor when II can De
said that he fulfilled the eEacJlonS Oh
this difficult role In every ChaTacterlza-
ton ranging from that OF a horne-loE-
ir7s~ business man. as when The play be
gins until that Of the WretcHed, drink
ruined specimen who attempts 70 Re
claim himself when It IS TOO late, MI
Fi1liard was convincing A fne bit OF
character acting. indeed. was that IN
the final scene with his lady fair JUST
before the fool Joins the silent
ranks Of other fools who have had their
day before
Shares Stars HonoTs-
Mrs Henderson. who has appeared
here before as BeTenice Golden, as
sumes the part OF the woman in the
case. It was a fortunate selection Mrs
He1derSon's dei.neation Is all that one
could ask She looks, breathes ana acts
the part Of q vampire With her meicl-
less laugh and nonChaIanI ways she
r0bs the audience Of every fOte OF SYM
pathy II might have had for 1er- This
Is what she Is supposed TO 40. so she
shared the honors last niEhT Win ROD
ert HiluaTd-
4 strong Part well played is that Of
the bachelor friend Of the fool William
Co77rtleiEh takes this role He IS paT-
tfcularly good In the scene wherein ha
makes a anal desperate effort TO re-
claim the husband The denunciaticn,
the attempted stripping Of the scales
from the husbands eyes was finely
done Dorothy turner as the VIE was
ry71ite effective in the trying role Of a
v-ronced and forgotten woman She Is
everything that the vampire isn't. and
II is contrast like this that causes "a
F7ooT There Was" to leave rather an