The Washington times., 1911-10-24
WISE SCORES WITH
BARRYMORE IN THE
UNCLE SAM COMEDY
THE Chocolate Soldier" and
''Everywife" Meet
With Favor.

A play which makes no pretensions
other than that It is written solely to
amuse." and which makes good in its
mission, is Uncle Sam," presented at
the National Theater last night with
Thomas A. Wise and John Barrymore
dividing honors as co-stars. Mr.. Wise
and Mr.. Barrymore. however, have for
tunately been surrounded with a very
capable cast, and there wasn't a person
or thing lacking last evening to make
the production a thoroughly laughable
one-and that was the ambition of the
authors. Ann Caldwell and James
Uncle Sam is good for a Crouch. 1t
will drive away pessimism and the blues,
and the man who can sit through the
performance without laughing right out
loud ought to see doctor. Imagine
when he played the ''Gentleman from
Mis,issippf acting and dressing as vs. q
eign nobleman--in order to win the hand
OF some woman.
There isn't enough plot to the play
n Mr. 01Easa Wss IS bla name .yss Sree9y 9y
Westerner, from Nevada, II you please,
who visits Europe and incidentally calls
by to see his nephew. Robert Hudson,
"uas!s SAM brings along large
tourist party, including Amy Wright ia
real American girl, who he hopes will
become Roberts wife. She hates molly
Barrymore. converts himself into one
Immediately. since he has his eve on
a European actress. Uncle Sam" fin
ally gets the mollycoddle habit himself.
fair sex otherwise. Amusing complica-
tions follow every minute. but in the
end, Of course. there are two or three
successful love matches. and mutual ex-
Mr.. Wise and Mr.. Barrymore need
no Introduction to Washingtonans. They
furnished most Of the fun last evening
and are admirably cast for clustering
Curtain calls were numerous.
Cyril Biddulph makes the most Of his
limited opportunities as the proverbial
really excellent as the American
chauffeur. His naturalness was re-
freshing. The principal feminine. roles.
every one Of them Gapably handled, % were
'Viennese actress; Edith Lyle, Katherine
Blythe. Ida Darling. and Louise Mul-
dener. Miss Dika was quite acceptable
Of the three misses who essayed the
parts of American women abroad was
individually good.
That the Chocolate Soldier has lost
none Of its popularity was well attested
by the large audience which greeted it's
re-arrival last night at the Belasco.
And that the performance was most
pleasing, and the audience we'll repaid
may be truthfully stated.
OF the show, little can be said that Is
new, as II has had a long and successful
run in New York. and has been present.
ed before to Washington theater-goers,
but none of the tunefulness or clever
ness of the original production was lost
in the presentation by the present COM
pany. The cast this year Is one of
merit. and the. players get the best
there Is out Of the cleter lines and tune
full and catchy melodies.
Lillian Poll, as Nadina Popoff: Charles
Purcell as Lieutenant Bumerli, the
Chocolate Soldier, and lion. Bergere, as
Mascha, scored hit after hit by their
clever work. Lillian Polls interpreta-
tion of the Hero" song In the first
act. was excellent. Miss Poll possesses
q pleasing voice, and has the happy
faculty of using 1t to advantage.
Charles Purcell. In the first act, made
an excellent tired soldier, and, indeed
his entire work In the remainder of the
performance was above reproach. Hon
Bergere, by her excellent comedy WORK
end clever singing, made herself IA
vorite from the beginning. George
O'Donnell, Henry Coote. J. Russell
Powell, and Lolita Gale, who made ur
the rest OF the principals cast, also
did excellently, and their work CALLED
forth a great deal of applause. "Tht
Tale Of a Coat" in the second act, n
which the majority of the principals