Evening journal., 1911-12-20
"ARMS and THE
MAN" A DELIGHT
Green Room Performers Get
Fresh hOnOrS in New
Presentation

Some of the best acting ever done
by Green Room Club members was
presented by them last night in the
first performance of Arms and the
Man." in the New Century Club audi
torium, before an audience that filled
the place. Congratulations are all
the more due to the actors in that It
more on individual skill of interpre-
tation than upon plot or stage bust
ness. The humor of the Bernard
Shaw comedy was plentiful and keen,
and immensely enjoyed by the audi
ence. but it was rather the satirical,
literary sort of humor than the jolly
obvious funniness of such a play as
"The Magistrate" and in less expert
hands it might have been tamely
given. That there was not a tire
some moment in the play was d
triumph for the cast. The women
players were showered with beautiful
| bouquets, a novelty, cleverly suggest
ing the season, being a shining minia-
ture Christmas tree handed over thC
! footlights to Miss Mary WOoten, the
heroine.
The program cover design, in blacl
and yellow, from the pen of Henry ]
Peck, was an effective figure of th'
hero, "The Chocolate Soldier" Pre-
ceding the play, the orchestra playe,
selections from the light opera, "Th'
| Chocolate Soldier" which was adapted
from Arms and the Man"
The three scenes of the play, rep
resenting three views of Major Pet
koff's house, his daughter Rama
bedchamber. the courtyard, and tn
library (the only one in Bulgarial
were handsomely and elaborated,
staged and called applause from tn
audience. The draperies gave tn
necessary foreign touch, and the ric
reds and browns formed a harmoniou
background for the excellent costum
ing of the characters. The men wer
gorgeous In gold-braided green uni
forms, Richard Reese wearing tn
picturesque Bulgarian peasant cos
tune in his servants part. Mrs Ell
! wood c. Jackson wore the bright col
ored and attractive dress of a BulgaT
= ian matron, and Miss Elizabeth
. Wales. as maid. Louka, looked S
handsome in her peasant costume tha
4
stvle in, this country.
q Miss Mary Wooten. the daughter &
the Petkoffs, wore the daintiest {
> French yellow chiffon robes. Symbol
izing the proud progress of the Petko
family. further shown by their posses
sion of an electric bell and a librar.
Miss Wooten was a dear, and acte
j in the most delightful way the r.
mantle young lady with noble ideal
of her soldier hero. In a naive wa
, she promptly fell in love with tn
humorous chocolate soldier" WI
. knocked her lofty dreams into
cooked hat with his practical view
r life
AS Captain Bluntschl, the soldi'
deeply fond of chocolate cream
Christopher l.. Ward gave a splend
piece of acting. His pOrtraying of Il
II soldier gradually overcome by slel
II was well nigh perfect, getting a spo
8 taneous burst of applause from q
In audience Mr.. Ward in all his lol
A. land brilliant career in amateur aC
h ing has never done a better piece
lie work than last night. 1t was so goo
ID that the onlooker quite forgot it W
r. play and not reality.
Of Mrs. Ellwood c. Jacksn kept Il
n house i'm a perpetual state of laug
ter with her excellent and vivacio
acting of the matron fussily prol
of her family and house and tryil
as to boss everyone concerned in a go
I'd natured way.
r Miss Elizabeth B. Wales was su
10 erbly naughty maid. carrying I
t. character consistently through vari
S. situations. and showing great clevt
k ness in handling the final love see
IL when she wins the hero whom
n. daughter of the house discards for t
chocolate soldier.
Richard Reese was admirable in pc
an trying the sober old man servant.
n cola, and Anthony p. Mathesius ma
m a soldierly figure as Captain Roma
he Of.
ck Frank L. SchOonover showed
+. cellently the variable disposition
the chocolate soldiers rival, in pi
that was particularly hard to ma
tain successfully.
~ William ~ Barnard, the bluff
nc soldier father of the heroine was
no perpetual Joy to the audience with
ep famously entertaining acting, a
IL much Of the honOrs of the event
as went to him. He. too, made the pi'
seem more like reality than like
show.
The play will be repeated tonis
Y Mrs. Frank s. Garrett is chairman
va the stage committee. and Daniel Mo-
ct. Bates is stage manager. The pl
de was coached by Miss Edith S. ID
forth and Christopher L. Ward