El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-11-18
ADJUSTMENTS
IN ON KENTUCKY.o

In Old Kentucky" was like an
echo Of the past 1t brought back
memories Of bOyhood; Of the days UP
in the peanut when In Old Ken
lucky and its Wangdoodle band were
annual visitors
In old Kentucky" is the oldest
production on the American stage that
has had a continuous run. For over 20
years it has been playing every night
TO an American audience somewhere,
always under the same management
and this is its first visit to FL PaSO.
During its run, 1t has accumulated q
million dollars apiece for the author
and owner and it is still bringing
in the shekeis. A new generation has
grown up since In Old Kentucky
came into prominence and the chill
dren of the children who jOyed over
Il a decade ago are now getting new
delights out OF the pickanniny band
and the mountain melodrama.
It still has the same charm; it is
stil the same simple tale of Ken
lucky life, its loves and It's hates; its
ambitions, its faults and its generos-
tiles Somewhat crudely constructed,
In Old Kentucky seems TO have
the. right touch somewhere in it that
makes it a slayer. shore Acres
and The Old Homestead" once ran it
a close race for the honor of living
the longest but they have long since
passed into the dramatic graveyard
and In Old Kentucky" seems as spry
as ever, and just as full of action,
excitement and fun.
1t delighted large audience at the
Ell BaSO theater Sunday night, with
a capable, though not a brilliant or
unusually strong company. The pick
anniny band made its appearance IN
the second act and also IN the great
racetrack scene, which was remark
ably realistic, in the third act. Queen
Bess," the horse heroine of the piece,
appeared several times and got an
ovation each time. There were two
other horses besides Bess on the stage
In the third act and the animals lent
q touch Of reality that added much
to the racing scene. The Pickanin-
mics also appeared in song and dance
in the second act ana made such a hit
that they made some Of the audience
very bOisterOuS and III hammered
When the little darkies had danced
their feet dizzy and had sung all they
knew, part OF the audience insisted
strongly on having more and showed
applause long after the actors had
continued to try to speak their parts
interfering seriously with the enjoy
ment Of the show by those who were !
satisfied when they had been given
their moneys worth
Olive Skinner as Madge Briefly
the mountain flower" and heroine Of
the piece, who OF course, wins the
Disgusting herself and riding his mare I
to victory, handles the part quite
well, but somewhat amateUrishly; JOS. (
SIayter as the Kentucky colonel.
does q splendid character part; Paul /
Bell. as the young mOOnShlIer, makes !
of it a strong character and gets a
lot out of the part; Walter Fred !
ericks as the villain-and he is an un- {
usual villain, is the villain in "Old +
Kentucky for he doesn't wear a
black mUstache and smoke cigarets- (
he wears a long brown beard-gets
what the villain always gets in the
last act, and the mOOnshiner is the I
prescriptiOuist- Geo. n DeVere does a I
splendid negro part in the character {
of Neb, a family servant Andrew
Rogers in the lead acts like a high I
school pupil; so does Gertrude era I
ham as Barbara HoIton, villainness; (
again there is no cigaret. in which /
In Old Kentucky registers another (
originality. Alice Endes gives a very
good portrayal Of the character Of |
the old maid; she makes the part real I
not a caricature.