The Detroit times., 1914-12-15
pETRoir OPERA HOUSE.


Mrs. Patrick Campbell. with her
emotional, erotic and suicidal heroines
buried in the distant past, came into
view, Monday evening, on the stage
OF the Detroit opera house, after an
absence OF six years, in the comic
characterization OF cockney hover
girl, Eliza Doolittle, in wn9l George
Bernard Shaw is pleased To call TO
nance, "Pygmalion." Mr.. Shaw glo-
ries in perverseness.
Ii was the first time u Detroit audi
ence had seen Mrs. Campbell in com,
edy. or in any role that did not call
for high heroics and smart frocks and
graceful posings. So, IL was some
thing OF new sensation 10 see tAe
handsome Mrs. Pat" In rags and tat
tiers with smudgy face and awfui
hats and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
heels old shoes in fact, perfect pic
ture OF what Shaw makes one OF MS
characters call her, "guttersnipe.
Mrs. Campbell overlooked no detaii
OF makeup 70 present a faithful re
production OF the type OF slattern VINO
stands on the street corners OF Lon
don, I'm peaceful times. and wines
her posies TO sell.
The opening scene OF the play shows
the pcrtiCo of church in Coyent gar
den at midnight, where motley mix
ture or street loafers and Ign sas-
slety" folk returning from the opera
have taken refuge from the rain which
Is conink down in torrents. Here Is
introduced Eliza, and rubbing elbows
with her in the waiting crowd Is
Henry Higgins, whose particular mop
by is phonetics. and his friend. Col
Pickering, equally interested In tne
subject
Prof. Higgins passes the rain-wait.
ing time away by telling his friend
the birthplace OF the people In the
crowd. drawing his conclusions from
their speech. Suddenly the two
friends conceive the idea that II
would be an interesting experiment
10 take Eliza, with her almost unin-
telligible coekney speech. and teach
her correct English. Higgins makes
wager with the colonel that he
could pass Eliza OF as duchess at
smart hostess garden party within
six monthg. through his system OF
teaching phonetics. The rest or the
play is devoted TO Henrys labors with
Eliza and that young womans &C
QUESTION OF the speech and manners
OF lady. In the process, Shaw Is as
witty, as cynical, as truth-telling. ana
as direct In his purpose, as he mas
ever been IN any Of his plays.
There isn't a sham along the way
from which he does not tear the
mask: not a weakness that he does
not expose, and the sport he has with
what he calls 'middle-class morallty
Is delicious fun for the audience
through the character Of Elias faith
er, Alfred Doolittle.
Alfred is rum un" and no mis-
take, but his making over from a
member of the 'undeserving poor"
with his fifth ''missus," into silk
hated. frock-coated entirely respect
able example OF the moral middle
class, all due TO his having been Sc
lected as the beneficiary for the be-
stowal OF a portion Of a philanthropic
fund beaueathed for the purpose by
an American millionaire maker OF
cheese" is a screaming
BIT OF comedy. Alfred was capitally
played by Edmund Quincy, and his
every appearance and exit brought
forth appreciative applause.
Mrs. Campbell's talent for acting
and her feeling for the fine nuances
OF her art, make her presentation OF
Eliza the essence OF subtlery and
finesse, without in any way refining
the character which Shaw has drawn.
The actress makes the spectator feel
that Eliza is just as much a cockney
as the curtain goes down as when II
arose. although Prof. Higgins sys-
tenn has borne fruit, and ELIAS last
words as the curtain falls bear no
accent.
Mrs. Campbelrs support-her Lon
don company--is an excellent one.
philip Merivale plays the erratic. pho
netic-mad Henry, In delightful spirit
and perfectly-tuned key. Dallas Cairns
as Col. Pickering is an admirable anu
strictly neutral II military aid In the
making over Of Eliza. MORA Cree
Fan. as Henrys mother; Nellie MOT
fvne. as Mrs. Pearce Henry's house
keener. beatrice May, as Mrs. Eyns-
ford. Hill; Olive Wilmot Davies. as
Miss Eynsford- Hill; Algernon Crelg.
aa Fveddy Eynsford-Hfll, ana DOTS