The Washington times., 1913-03-04
Billie Burke Scores Decided Success
IN Rhnro Play, Says IuEa Murdock

ers. and the women comedy show girls.
There are one or two raw spots in this
act, and after much champagne has
been consumed, and gayety. Is at its
the guests should stand on his head.
as natural result of too much liquid
refreshment, or that one Of the John
MES should dance with a girl that has
fallen asleep.
The real dramatic portion of the play
comes In the third act. when the dance
is over, and a few of LIS friends come
10 her house, jusl as the morning sun
streams In at the windows. All de-
part save the young lord. who asks LII
to become his wife. She refuses him,
telling him of her own early struggles,
and her rise from the humblest OF
origins
Then the captain enters He has let
himself into the house with the key
which LII has given him to keep. %
that when he brings her at home at
night. she will not have to tumble in
her pocket for IL. He thinks the worst
that can be thought of Idrs presence
alone with young lord. and says the
ugly. jealousy. Lily turns on him like
an alley cat. and lays him out In a
little scene that Ii humanity dramatic.
She uses the low, abusive language of
the class from which she sprung. and
completes the picture of the character.
When IL develops that the young
lord meant honorable marriage with
Lily. the captain sees his error, and In
an instant he Is changed from a char
acter whom the audience could only
melancholy dignity. He tells the
young lord how Lii has kept him
dangling after her, when he should
have been making a career for him
self. This. speech makes profound
impression upon Lily. She has already
ro . ,h, 81
captain in a stormy At of penftent
weeping. and the two men go out to-
gether.
All Ends Lovely
In the Last Act.
In the last act they come back The
captain has braced up. and has de-
cided to go to South Africa, and make
man Of himself. Unterrified by the
disclosure Of Li1y's commonness. and
her disposition, the lord again presses
his suit, and Lily accepts him. The
vulgar old mother who drops her his,
tops on their happiness by the refiec-
tfon that the music hall Is certainly
doing its best to re1uvenate the Brit
The merits Of the play lie almost en-
tirely In the third act The deeper
dramatic merits lie almost entirely In
the charactef defneauOn OF Lily. Miss
Burke looks the part OF the young music
hall artist to perfection and she sings her
little songs with just about the right
lack Of vocal equipment It's q pretty
little study she gives Of the cockney
gutter child, grown up into a dainty.
pretty young woman, with thin veneer
OF world-polish covering her real char
acter. She is lady In speech. dress.
and looks, yet there is entirely clever
overiay, and here and there moods Of
crusty temper break through. She has
charm, yet she Is sad to contemplate.
and even when her romance ends hap
PLY, and the young lord finally wins
her, the audience reflects that she is
selfish little mink. without the mental
caliber to stick to a generous impulse
over night, and they feel sorry for
the young lord and his future.
Not an easy part to play, yet Miss
Burke plays 1t. with conviction that
leaves nothing to. be. desired The COM
pany II large one, numbering almost
forty people. The play has been staged
with the usual 'Frohman lavishness, and
Miss Burke wears a number OF beautf-
full and artistic gowns and negltgees OF
the true Billie Burke type of fuffiness
- - JULIA MURDOCH