The Calumet news., 1912-08-08
NOTABLE PLAY
HERE AUGUST 10
Margaret Ellington will be Seen
at Theater in "kindIing"

pHe OF the most not1blc engage
ments of the present theatrical sea-
son Is the appearance here on AUG. 49,
of Miss Margaret Ellington i'm her new
American play "kindling' by Charles
kenS ON, a young California aitnor.
This play is proving the mCs st SUCCESS
full of any of the many successes il
which Miss Ellington has appeared iu
recent years. Tho theme Is novel Ia
the stage and IL Is handled in a mas
terly and novel manner The problem
involved is enc OF utmost social inn
portance and the play itsclf is techni-
ally masterpiece.
Maggie Schultz is the wife of a
stevedore, and they make their home
IN a spualid tenement. Magsies hus-
band. in such intervals as exist i'm per
forming the duties of a stcvedore. reads
books iand has theories, chief amohs
which is, that it is a grievous sin T.
bring child into the world among
such squalid surroundings as his and
Maggie's. For this reason, Maggie
ears to tell him of the cradle hidden
in her own home. She sets our t.
solve the problem Of obtaining SUI .
roundlngs i'm her own way Her way,
II so happens, forces her to draw
her own distinctions between benz
right and being good, Briefly. Mass.e
$ offered place as a waitress IN tde
house of the woman who owns the
tenement i'm which they live, and who
IS responsible for the menace of rs
condition, and she accepts the offer.
not for the $500 weekly she is 10 re-
,eiNe, but fer the opportunity it WI
give her 20 gain. by theft. the money
to take her and her husband TO wy
nnine. whore they can take up home
stead
Maggies Justification OF the theft is
that a child born i'm the toncmcntS is
certain To- be ailine. because of its un-
Wholesome environment, should Il over
survive, and that it is right that the
woman who receives the rentals ana
refuses Ia better the living conditions
Of her tenants should he made To-
pay for the health and strength OF
Masgie's child The further working
out uf the story raises to srcE delicate
and unsatsfactCry question of ethics.
II tells in a big human way of tn,
discovery Of Maggie's theft 10y her hus-
hand, If his indisnation ana score Cf
her as he drass out of her the CON
fessiOn of theft. and of his great loNc
and tenderness for her when ne finGs
the reason for it. 1t tells how. whcr
discovery comes, lac takes the guilt 20
and how she and hc are, in the
end. enabled to start fer Wyoming to
take up their homestead ard begin
their new life.
Charles Kenyon has written a gr,at
play in "i<indlmg'', as he has intro
duced skill, originality. power and the
genius Of a finished drqmstist m his
construction. The role of Maggie
schultz given Marraret Ellington the
finest c,iance of her career to accom-
plish something big and real i'm the
ield Of emotional acting. This she dots
in an INTELLIGENT insisrent, unescap-
able manner. without amectation, and
leeply human. ~ all times she is
simply the woman lighting for the
ife of her unborn child. to whom moth
ng else matters.
Incidentally the play brings out two
exceptionally well pictured characters |
rafferty,, the piain clothes man, and /
Steve Bates, the crook.
chief in the support of Marsdrct !
llington are Byron Ecasley, Ida Lewis
florence Robinson. = IL Stewart \. |
j. Kenyon. Frank Camp and II. Ben
on.