The Washington times., 1915-03-30
NATIONAL.

A striking illustration Of exactly what
Shakespeare meant I'm his demand that
actors should hold up the mirror to
nature--so striking that II held one of
the best audiences of the season ip silent
wonderment through most of it's four
acts-Was Elsie Ferguson's presentation
or the character OF Miriam in out
cast at the National Theater last night.
There Is no line of Shakespear that
people so often quote And by their
application of IL show that they arc
quoting-not using it for Interpretation
as they think they are. Simply holding
up mirror to the eternal averages of
nature may reflect images of beauty,
but the sameness Is apt to make the
reflection rather tiresome after a while.
But when one uses that mirror to get
focus, as 1t were, and then show
something which started as being per-
fectly natural and then developed into
something that was different by keep
ing in the picture its natural setting
then the real idea of Shapespeare is
realized.
And that is exactly what Elsie Fergu-
son and her company OF players do in
"Outcast." The play is a careful CO.
and the player. Hubert Henry Davis
WROTE IL I'm a spirit that reminds one
strongly Of the late o. Henry and the
essence Of humanity he injected into his
| stories. But It required the art of an
actress of Miss Ferguson's type, with a
company of the caliber which assists
her, to present the authors work on the
stage.
The story begins with a first act
|
with nature-average human nature
as anyone who uses his eyes can see
| II. young London business man OF
good connections and excellent pros
poets starts drinking heavily and
taking drugs to enable him to forget
the girl who Tilted him to marry a
weather. man. sympathizing. jo-
cose, friend, in an attempt to cheer
him up and wake a slumbering po-
! liceman at the same time. aims the
business end of a soda syphon out the
window. He misses the policeman
but strikes and soaks the new pink
millinery of young woman. To
| make reparation the man who owns
the rooms invites the young woman
| In and the mirrors focus is complete
she Is a woman of the streets-literal-
~ because she had been turned out of
her room for non-payment OF rent
sled, except as to the pink feather
on her hat. Her personality had
| Just that touch of what might be call
ed mental rouge which was apparent
In material way on her checks Her
dress was not dirty, or i'll fitting or
| old-just cheap. She had long ago
had an affair with a man who later
| had married weather. girl.
! There you have the complete focus
| OF the mirror that was held up 20
| nature. From the end of the first act,
| the establishment of the community
or interests between the two outcasts.
until the fall of the curtain on the
| last, when the man tells the girl a arter
she had lived in a home Of his pro-
viding for eighteen months, that he
| intends 10 marry her even agains st
her will. that slight difference be-
tween nature and the things that are
| interesting because OF their super
nature, is increased and intensified.
Miriam, the girl, loses the show and
flash OF the street in her talk and in
her dress and becomes n quiet. Re
| fined, and extremely well dressed
woman. The man forgets most of his
troubles and is spurred TO great bust =
ness success by her Influence. The
woman who threw him over comes
back into his life and provides a very
tense third act between the man and
Miriam. But she goes out again. Mir
lam is left and 1t Is TO Miriam he
turns, not only because he believes
he owes her reparation, but because
he has come to recognize their com
mon interests and development-and
love.
Miss Ferguson visualizcs the charac.
ter of Miriam. Please understand this
II is very easy for an actress to Wis,
uallze a striking personality But il
is the highest form of art to visualize
the characterize make people see the
character as they see the dress Ir
this Miss Ferguson probably has M
superior In her profession. And fol
u demonstration of her ability in all it,
subtle excellences she has never haC
such a character as that of Miriam Re
ginning with her first entrance she make!
the fighty girl grow into a woman
of serious purpose. 1t is very re
markable demonstration of real acting
ability.
Charles Cherry, as the man. Geof
frey. gives a performance that is bet
ter than any OF the very well executed
characterizations this actor has TO hi
credit. He played Godfrey quietly ant
easily. assisting his star in the mos
helpful way to hold up the mirror.
Marguerite Leslie, as Valentine, tn
jilt made rather too much of a woman
of the part The remainder of the cas-
gave that finish and care TO their worl
that was required to complete the biz
picture of life that was being drawn
GARDNER MACK.