The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-05-06

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ARE EXCELLENT
1.-THE DAWN OF A TOMORROW"
WELL PRODUCED AND
PLEAsEs AUDIENCE.
The Lucille La Verne company
opened its second week Of stock at
the Academy last evening with
presentation OF The Down Of To-
morrow An audience equal to that
which witnessed the inaugural per-
| Torrance Of the stock season attend
ed the play. followed the action Of
the piece with the rapt attention
which Grayce Scott's acting alone
would command. and left the theater
better elevated. and with a fuller un-
Outstanding of the different phases
OF life for having seen the play. At
several times during the course OF
the action the audience broke Into
rounds OF applause In appreciation OF
the excellent performance and stag
| ing Of the play.
| Miss Grayce Scott was cast in the
role of Glad" the part which
Eleanor Robson, now present in the
I city, made famous. Too much could
/ not be said for the characterization
as made last evening. II was mas
! terful.
/ Miss Lucille La Verne. In the part
of Bet. proved popular with the
audience and was given quite an ova-
ton.
/ Frederick r. Beane's SIR Oliver
Holt was excellent. and he played the
difficult part with fitting seriousness
4 and attention. William Balfour made
capable Sir Bowling Burford and
Frank Conway was all that could
have been wished for in the part OF
Oliver Holt.
| Several local thespians were in
I Guided in the cast and each played
/ his part we'll. Herbert Curtis, who
/ has had a deal of professional ex-
/ perience, and Louis Kracke, who was
/ last seen here in George Roebuck's
play. He Thought He Owned the
Town." are well known and had the
parts of DR.. Satterly. BILL Herbert
/ Curtis doubling these. and the Kid.
/ respectively.
/ The staging of THE Dawn of "A
/ Tomorrow is feature OF the pro-
duction due commentator. 1t WAS
/ excellent In every detail. and many
comments were made on the COM
pleteness, and excellence OF the set
tinGs. The fog scene In the second
act was especially good.
The Dawn of a Tomorrow Is no
light. loosely constructed play, and
/ II would be dismal failure II pro-
duced by an inferior company. Meth
err is 1, so heavy as to become bore
some II is a straightforward story.
with beautiful theme. giving a clear
< and confrasted conception of life at
( the food and at the ebh. The play ia
gripping and teaches a lesson. X you
/ wish to see 1t, but does not force II
on the spectator. so adroitly Is It In
tervoven into the theme. II VIII
| encourage you. IL will reveal the bet
ter things OF life as well as some OF
the undercurrent, II will uplift and
make YOU happier for having seen
| The Dawn OF a Tomorrow"
/ BILLY. the Kid"
1t is such plays as billy. the Kid"
! which is holding the boards at the
( Bi3ou this week. that help to keep the
powder trust financial head above wa
/ ter during times of peace.
| or course the management does not
lay stress upon that fact in its adver-
Using, but the amount OF money which
! sive maEnates must be enormous. and
/ capacity houses must be a prime ne
cessity II a balance is to be shown on
! the profit sale of the ledger at the
end OF the season.
! 1t isJdoubtful IL any Bulgar, during
| the entire war with the unspeakable
Turk, fired as many shots as were
fired at the close of the second act
OF BILLY. the Kid" last night. and as
the powdermakers do not hand out
their product gratis. one can imagine
that they watch with delight the con-
tinuance OF the plays tour. and that
they fervently pray that II will live
up to its title in the program of the
everlasting success"
Whatever is lacking histrionically, Is
more than made up explosivety. Guns
are flashing in the glare OF the foot
| lights constantly, and the worst jar
upon the nerves Is the silence that
reigns between the reports OF blank
cartridges.
with all its overdrawn plot BILLY
the Kid" is a good play at the price,
and the well-filled house which greet
| ed II last night, showed, by It's APP
plause, that II believed that 1t had
obtained value received for Its coin.
! Berkeley Haswell. az Billy. Is really
there with the goods" at certain
stages OF the progress of the play, es-
I pecfafly at the times when ne IL hold
| ing a roomful Of bad men at bay with
| his smoke wagons He IL not 20
! convincing, however. when he IL called
upon to portray emotion. as are the
/ other members Of the company. with
| the possible exception OF Lillian Rose
| wood. as Nellie. She refused to over
4 act at times when overacting might
! be excusable. and in consequence tn
few times she IL given an opportunity
to show her cleverness. she receives
generous applause.
/ Stuart johnson. as Nose: James
Dowdell. AZ Bud Monroe: II. T. Adams.
as Boyd Denver, the melodrama's
william. and ]. H. Lee, as Con Hanley,
also keep the audience aroused.
/ At the Colonial.
/ 1t is well to begin at the beginning.
so it Is offered that little lady.
knowing well how to sing and wear
ing some splendidly selected gowns.
opened the vaudeville section at the
Colonial yesterday. Gretchen Spen-
Ger by name. with plenty Of spirit
and ginger sang three songs, two of
them decidedly new and clever. and
4 she was well liked.
A character bit was the founda-
ton Of the skit THE Bill Poster
and the Gfri.a offered by Billy F'itx-
-. ~