The Detroit times., 1914-09-29

DETROIT OPERA HOUSE.

There's spicy promise OF sprightly
surprises In the title OF Mrs. Fiskes
new play, Lady Betty Martingale. or
the Adventures OF 4 Lively Hussy.' =.
but the large and really representative
audience Of Detrolt's faithful first
night playgosrs. In the Detroit opera
house. Monday night. decided that
Betty could have lived up to liyelier
''hussinsss' without getting beyond
the decorous line.
Betty. according to the story Of the
play, was q gay young woman who
fiirted and nouted, bounced and frill-
cd In London town. In the days Of
1850. until her extrayagant bills for
personal nnery and her gaming pro-
clivities brought her to bankruptcy
and Newgate Jail Nimbls OF wit,
quick or tongue. pretty and daring.
Betty had always managed to cajole
money from some one, heretofore, but
at last found herself I'm SO serious a
predicament that she was driven to
take q desperate chance to save her
self from confinement In a debtors
cell.
| True. Sir Ricochet Rascible, the lord
high chancefior. was enamored OF her
arch liveliness and would have paid
her debts In return foS the acceptance
of his name, but Betty declared she
could stand jail with better grace
than Sir Ricochet's face.
Learning OF peculiar custom that
permitted insolyent persons to evade
payment OF their debts by marrying
prisoners In Newgate condemned to
die, Betty schemed with the jailer TO
provide her with husband In the
person OF q young fellow sentenced
to be hanged for high treason. The
ceremony takes place just as Sir RI
cochet comes to the prison. and. dis
covering Betty and hearing OF her
marriage, he determines to be re-
venged upon her for the fiouting she
gave him, by pardoning the prisoner
she married. The latter, Jack Rum
/ BILE Is In reality Lord John Derring
subsequently. the somewhat chastened
Betty and Derring meet and fall In
love, neither recognizing the other as
participant In the Newgate mar.
riage. and they marry again.
The last act Of the play relates the
ensuing mischief to pay. II Is the
liveliest OF the three, and contains
the best comedy In the piece, with the
exception. perhaps, OF the scene In
the second act between Betty and her
friend, Lady Fewlts, In which Betty
sets her trap for the capture OF Der.
ring.
The play throughout is the sort OF
high jinks and gadzooks-deminft-
CAD humor OF, "The School for Scan
dal." "She Stoops to Conquer" "The
Rivals with bit OF Shakesperian
registering thrown In.
Mrs. Fisk, whose acting genius and
artistry successfully encompass any
character she undertakes to portray,
is girlingly attractive as Lady Betty,
whose arch pertness she gowns adora-
bly, In hoopskirts and bonnets, pre-
senting Q series OF quaint pictures
that seem to bring to life famous
portraits or famous beauties OF King
George Nv days. But, Just why Mrs.
Fiske, admittedly Americas foremost
actress, should bother herself to cre-
ate Lady Betty and lend her talents
to the staging OF what the program
designates as q costume play win
not be easy for her admirers to figure
out Lady Betty Is too trivial q per-
son to be placed In the Fiske gallery
In the Hedda Gabler, Magda, Mary OF
Magdala, Becky Sharp, Tess, Saliva
ton Nell. the woman In "The High
Road, and Mrs. Bumpstead- Leigh, ).
the latter one Of the keenest satirical
modern roles Mrs. Fiske has given
her public.
With talky play like LADY Bet
ty," which Is the joint work OF John
Luther Long and Frank Stayton, II is
hard to interest the average audience
accustomed to the speed of the mod
ern farce, especially when nine-tenths
OF the talk is uninterIigible beyond
the first row or two OF the orchestra
chairs. Mrs. Fiske has long been
censured for indistinct utterance, but
In the present instance this fault ex-
pany except Percy ID. Standing. the
sardonic gaoler, who could be heard
all the time, and Arthur Elliott, as
Sir Ricochet, who made himself
heard most Of the time. It was con.
slant strain to catch the speech Of
the rest Of the company. Eric Blind
played Lord Derring; Sidney Herbert,
Bstty's father: Marie Chambers. Lady
Fewits; Anne Faystone, Marrons,
Betty's French maid: Nina Melville,
Praxit, Lady Fewits' maid: Thomas
Louden. Solicitor Terram-Tyke: Alice
Belmore, Mrs. Suggs: Henry War.
wick, Hyx, and Alfred Hemming, Siib.
The play 10 only a few days old.
the premiere having taken place In
Buffalo, Thursday OF last week, %
that, undoubtedly. It viii pass through
changes under the experienced eyes
and hands Of Mr.. and Mrs. Fiske be-
fore II IL finally adopted as smart
enough In form to suit its lively title.
ELLA MAE HAWTHORNE.
oARRIcK.
Sir Johnston Forbes Robertson.
foremost English speaking actor Of
his time, opened what Is announced
as his last engagement In Detroit, In
the Garrick theater, Monday night.
Fittingly enough. the greatest Eng
lish actor was seen In most mastery
effort of the greatest English dram
atist, shakespeare's tragedy of Ham
let.
or the character Of Hamlet so much
has been written and spoken, SO many
varying shades Of tribute and opinion
voiced by the worlds master minds,
that anything which might be said
here would be pitifully futile. To
those who have seen Forbes Robert
son act, who have felt the charm OF
his marvellous voice, who have won.
dered at his keen insight into the