The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-06-12
BY ESTHER GRIFFIN WHITE.

The best high school play within the
knowledge of the writer was present
ed in the auditorium of that building
last evening before large audience.
"Esmeralda," thes well known COM
edy taken from the story of the same
name by Frances Hodgson Burnett,
who collaborated with William Gil
lette in the preparation of it's stage
version, is rather an ambitious, theat-
rical undertaking for such youthful
amateurs, and the fact that they gave
it such an excellent presentation show
ed the possession of histrionic talents
and of their careful training by Mrs.
Helen Johnson-Bailey.
This is drama of what is some
times termed heart interest" its
emotional phases being dominant, and
therefore a difficult theatric essay for
the unframed for there is no rock up
on which the amateur ship splits with
greater frequency and certainty than
in the Interpretation of romance.
All know the story OF "Esmeralda'
"a simple mountain girl living with
her father and mother in North Caro-
lima, of the love of Esmeralda for
Dave" of the discovery of mineral
wealth on her fathers farm, of the am
billions of the disconnected Mrs. RoG-
ers, the mother of the heroine who
hen-pecked her husband and bullied
her daughter, of their removal to Par
is where they learn that the wealth
supposedly theirs was really that OF
Dave" whose farm adjoined and on
whose land, not theirs, were the rich
mineral deposits, theirs having been
pocket" merely, of the Vaccinations
of Mrs. Rogers to marry her daughter
off to a Frenchman of rainfall this
is in the story which ends happily.
There is little completely in the
plot or the characters.
The very simplicity of both, there
fore, is the pitfall for the amateur,
for simplicity is the human trait that
is the hardest to depict convincingly.
And surprisingly we'll was this done
the high school.
The roles of "Esmeralda" and
Dave" taken by Miss Myra Scott and
Fred Girty were-not alone from the
amateur but from the larger stand
point -admirably Interpreted
Miss Scott, indeed, would put many
a professional to the blush, since she
has a voice of extraordinary emotional
registers and in the big scenes
not a single false note and to the pro-
fessional frequenter of the theatre
who becomes somewhat ''finicky" in
his judgments, this seemed a consid
cradle achievement for little high
school girl without experience.
If the uniformly superior cast could
be said to have had star that star
was Fred Girty, who as Dave" the
lover of the girl, gave an impersona-
tion that verged on something infinite
~ bigger than a class play.
Mr.. Girty has that indefinable quail
ity not found once in thousand times
either on the stage or off-that which
makes an appeal to the imagination.
1t is supreme possession in theat
RIGS. And indicates a very badly mis-
used and much over-worked, but in
imitably descriptive word-tempera-
ment.
This young amateur held his audi
ence tensely on the moment-some-
thing all professionals value more
highly than applause-his voice show
ing certain embryonic capabilities of
exquisite modulations which should
serve him in good stead were he on
the stage. His performance was, alto
gether, entirely out of the ordinary in
amateur thShtrics of this class.
Herschel Trueblood, as the kindly,
simply-hearted old farmer, the tender
father the submissive husband, with
a sub-stratum of hard sense and an
ability to assert himself in the end.
did a bit of character acting" which
would have held its own elsewhere,
His mastery of the provincialisms of
speech, as we'll as of manner, We're
splendidly done and his makeup con-
vincing. -
Mr.. Trueblood's appreciation of the
humors of his role was one of the
most commendable phases of his pre-
sentation, as was his ability to lose his
personality and merge himself into
that of the character taken.
Miss Alice Vogelsong, as the terma-
CANT wife, did as clever bit of anna
teur acting of its sort as has ever been
seen here, and Mr.. Hilton Long in his
impersonation of two characters, that
of George Drew" the speculator. and
the French Marquis, showed surpris-
ing versatility, the latter being es-
pecially well done. Mr.. Long should
indeed, be complimented upon his &C
something lamentably mangled
oftener than not.
Edward Ryan, the goodhearted art
list, who unrayelS complications and
4, ALL IN h. han ipf3