The Washington herald., 1913-07-15
COLUMBIA.
"Secret Service"

War times were brought back from hal
hundred years ago at the Columbis
Theater last night by the presentation
of William Gillette's drama, Secret Ser
vice" Not even in the days when tnt
Decentralization himself starred in thi:
production has a better performance Of
1t been seen than that in which TIE
Columbia Players rendered splendid &C
count of themselves, individually and
collectively. Nor does the impersonation
OF the central figure, Capt. Thorne, by
A. H. Van Buren,, stand one BIT behir
that of Gillette 1t was a perfect piece
.of work, and its perfection accumulated
the regret felt by all Washington play
goers over the impending departure of
the Columbia's leading man. Mr.. Van
Buren's engaging personality and no less
his evident earnestness and painstakinE
care to give to each character assumed
by him its proper light and shade haN e
made him prime favorite with all audi
ences. That of last night tried its very
best by applause after the third act to
bring the actor before the curtain in Or
der to testify its appreciation, but MIR.
Van Euren modestly refrained from ac-
Cepting the honor.
There are four acts of Secret Service, -
and there are thrills in every one of
them from rise 10 Iau OF curtain. Inc
action deals with the adventures of a
Secret Service man OF the Union army
at the capital of the Confederacy, and
very pretty love story is entwined in
it Lewis Dumont, under the alias of
Capt. Thorne, has become a frequent
visitor in the family of Mrs Varney.
wife of Confederate general. His at
fections are engaged by pretty Faith
Narney ana IuIIy reclprocated. EdIIn
procures for the pseudo Confederate from
the president of the Confederacy an ap-
pointment in the military telegraph de-
partment, which Thorne. however re-
fuses to accept, but which in Edith s
hands serves the purpose OF rescuing
him from most tIcklisn position as ne
A., is in the act of sending a false dispatch
to the Confederate commander in the
field, and while being denounced as a
spy by Benton Arreisford, of the Con-
federate Secret Service. In the END all
discords are resolved into harmonies
greatly to the satisfaction of the drama
tbs personae and the audience, whose
sympathies may always be relied upon to
be bestowed on the more agreeable cnar-
acters.
Miss Helen Holmes fitted charmingly
into the part of Edith Varney. 1t was
q creation of light and life equally true
in the gay and in the tragic phases of
the loving girls experience. An excel
lent counterpart was furnished by Miss
Dorothy Bernard as Caroline Milford.
She has never appeared to better adj
vantage than in her impersonation of
the sprightly. coquettish maiden who
was willing to help all the soldier boys
by permitting them to make love to
her. Miss Carrie Thatcher invested the
part of Mrs. Varney with becoming dig
nifty, and Miss Frances Younge gave a
fine character sketch as Martha, the
colored maid of the Varney home.
Everett Butterfield was entertaining as
usual, in the part of Wilfred Varney, his
mothers youngest" yearning for the
glories of the battlefield. George Barber
raised the comparatively unimportant
part of Jonas, an old colored servant in
the Varney home, to a conspicuous posi-
ton by one of the best Characterization
u its kind The minor parts were in
the capable hands of Miss Jessie Glen
dining, as Mrs. Kittredge; Stanley James.
rs Lieut. Maxwell: Arthur Richie. as
Henry Dumont; John NJ. Kline, as Mai
Gen. Randolph; Craig Weston, as tele- |
graph operator, and George Darrell, as
sergt Wilson. Willard Robertson i'm |
personated Benton Arrelsford quite sat |
lsfactorily. albeit sometimes too ex-
plosively.
One Of the interesting facts about last |
nights Performance was that the man
agement of the Columbia rendered IL as |
dement, to the employees of the house,
And the great audience that filled the |
house In every part to overlooking made
The occasion all the more impressive.