The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-11-26

A packed mouse welcomed Ine
Trail Of the Lonesome Pine" to the
Academy and Richmond last night.
and there was no doubt about the
welcome to both the play and Char
lotte Walker. in the role Of the hero
inc OF the story, June. Curtain call
followed curtain call until Miss Walk
er must have wearied Of them. 1t
was a truly warm and hearty audi.
ence and the entire company was
made to feel this fact.
OF course the story of THE Trail
of the Lonesome Pine Is familiar to
Richmond theatergoers. Those who
have read the book OF John Fox, Jr.,
speak OF II as his masterpiece and
the story appears to have lost little
in its dramatization. Eugene Walter
is blest with the ability to write eff
fective lines--to get them over the
footlights. Naturally he threw his
whole soul into providing his wife,
Charlotte Walker. with role that
would suit her, and of which she
might make the most and he has sue.
ceeded. The part of June Is one in
which any actress with the least
modicum OF ability would be termed
great. for IL Is sympathetic, lovable.
and yet intense enough to demand no
little emotional force. and Charlotte
Walker is an actress who does not
overlook opportunities of this nature
To say that the audience was en-
thusiastic Is putting it mildly. The
play has a special appeal, for It lies
close to the heart of all nature lovers.
and the Cumberlands are close enough
TO Richmond for all to understand the
people Of whom John Fox Jr.. wrote.
June. the child OF nature. who grows
up In the wilds of the Cumberiands
untils she Is we'll developed girl, and
then goes away to "git larnin," APP
pearing later transformed into a young
woman who moves in the best circles
OF society. is heroine as old as the
hills or the plays written about them.
Still June In local variety and
everyone knew that under the ex-
| terror Of the young woman Of society
beat the heart OF the simple girl OF
the hills. true to its traditions
Charlotte Walker, in the roir Of
June. that self-wilied child of the
moonshine mountains, was well-n.gh
perfect. IT was in the second act
where she most convincingly demon
| strated her advancement in painting
the stage picture. June was a year
older than In the FIRST act. and muc a
| has happened to soften her wild
| mountain instincts and ways. Yet
she could not forsake entirely those
! characteristics that had come down
to her through several generations of
fetsatng ancestors and that had been
| taught her during her early, impress
sionistic years of childhood.
For Miss Walker there was the
| danger that she might make the
change in June too great. But she
painted the picture with great deli
cacy. showing deep appreciation of
the changes a year might bring TO q
| girl like June than was noticed be-
fore. Altogether. Mss Walkers June
was marked by refreshing vivacity and
deep primal emotions
The portrayal of June.s gray-haired
sturdy and stubborn father, Judd
Tollfver. was In the wholly capable
hands OF w. S. Hart. The distinction
he gave to the role is one of its fea-
lures. In voice, expression and gcs-
lures he satisfies completely. making
the members of the audience wish he
We're more often in the scenes WI
| lard Robertson shows no half-heart-
edness in his interpretations of his
scenes and he makes Dave Tolliver
Tudd's nephew. young man of wild
| revenge at times and lover of ten
der heart at other times.
George Bancroft has the responsi.
bilitfes Of the role Of John Hale. the
! engineer in love with June. torn b,
the conflicting claims of the Little
savage" of Lonesome Cove and Of the
genteel, college educated girl whom
his sister would have him choose fol-
his wife. Mr. Bancroft was almost
entirely pleasing.
/ Miss Margaret Prusstny gives a ffnt
bit of character acting in portrayint
Loretty Tolliver. and she has an ex,
eellent running mate in Cyrus Wood
as Cal Heaton. Warner p. Rich.
n'ond was at ease in his effective pre-
sentation of Bob Berkeley. Hale's op'
timistic partner. George Woodward
and Eleanor wilton are thorough,
capable as Uncle Billy and Ole Hun
respectively.
There Ia unusual effectiveness IL
the stage setting for this play OF the
mountains and the rude cabins of ths
mountain settlers
The scenery Is beautiful beyond
| anything seen here for so long that
/ the other is not remembered. II It
| ever appeared Charlotte Walker,
however. has surely never seen u nj,
brown mountain maid. Margaret
| Prussing, on the other hand, or both.
has. Miss Walkers mountain maid
Is as she Ia pictured from Broadway
or Paris She Is pale and artificial.
The mountain maid of Miss Prussing
| Sa IN nd