Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-09-09
Miss BrownelI Scores Distinct
Hit by Splendid Portrayal
of Zira at Shubert.
Rrownell- Stork

The Brownell-Stork company
switched from light comedy to drama
for the second week of its engage
ment at the Shubert Theatre last
night. and more than made good In
'zira." prologue and three-act
drama that calls for artists of the
highest class, in order to insure a
good. successful production
And that the production was sue
cessful is best attested by the fact
that the company. and Miss Mabel
Brownell in particular, were forced TO
respond to curtain calls after each
act. "Zira" was built by j. Hartley
Manners and Henry Miller as a star
ring vehicle for Miss Margaret Anglin,
and is primarily a show that requires
a woman star.
Miss Brownell was all that that i'm
plies last night, and even more so, as
her work in the difficult role left
nothing TO be desired. The role is a
long and hard one, but Miss Brownell
rose equal to the occasion in most
rraiseworthy manner, and gave a per-
formance that ranks with the very
DtSL u ti6 Il1duS iilllSiCo AOi0o SAO
has played during her long stay on
Newark stages.
AS the nurse, Hester Trent, who, at
the end of the Boer War and through
the supposed death by a shell explo-
sion of an English woman of quality,
Ruth Wilding, is tempted to and
passes herself off as the dead woman,
and speedily becomes beloved by her
supposed relatives, Miss Brownell was
called on to display almost every
emotion known to stagecraft and she
succeeded right royalty.
Especially was she capable IN the
third act. where the real Ruth viii
ding appears at the London home and
denounces Zira, as the fictitious Ruth
Wilding is known. In this scene Miss
Brownell ran the entire gamut of
emotions from begging pity for her
self to turning denouncer and defy1ng
the rightful owner of the name to
prove it.
Her work was strong and carried
right into the hearts of the audience,
especially as Miss Florence Bur
roughs, as the real Ruth Wilding, did
not prove capable of holding her own
with the masterful performance given
by Miss Brownell.
Clifford Stork, as the Rev. Gordon
Clavering, cousin of the real Ruth
Wilding, and who, of course, falls in
love with the masquerading one,
Zira, played the role in a dignit1ed
and repressive manner that was
pleasing to watch after witnessing the
portrayal of clergymen on the stage
by some other actors. The same is
true of George Neville. as the Bishop
of Wrapping, who both looked and
acted the high Englishman church
man to perfection.
A delightful piece of work was that
of Miss Alice Parks Warren as Lady
Constance Clavering, the would-be
dictatorial, but always hkable aunt OF
Ruth Wilding and the Rev. Gordon
Clavering. Miss Warren was delight
ful in her work at all times, as was
that sterling old favorite, Edward Van
Sloan. as Captain Gordon Arnold, the
English army officer, who, on occa-
sion. allowed his love of liquor to get
the better of him.
Others who helped make "Zira"
big success and one that Is sure to
please the Brownell-Stork clientele
this week were Walter Hill, G.. Davi-
son Clark, William c. Walsh, Monta-
que Weston, Henry A. MacCready,
]. Russell Webster, William Carter
and George Letzerick.
Some nretty scenic effects are
worked out in the production. particu-
Iarly in the night scene at the camp
ing ground of the British army in
South Africa at the close of the Boer
War. The large firef1ies that infest
South Africa were shown In start
lingly realistic manner by means of
an electrical device that made the
will o. the wisp'
lights appear all over the stage