New Britain herald., 1916-01-25
HEIGHTS OF DRAMA
 SCALED BY CROSS
Leading Man at LyceuIn and Miss
 Julie Herne at Their Best

To use a platitude, Alfred Cross ascends to dramatic heights in the second act of The Christain," whicf> opened last night at the Lyceum. and It IS doubtful if at any time in his ca reer this leading man has acquitted himself better. Fire, boise. sinceriety, fluency, elOcution, everything needed to portray the strong character of John storm he possesses and uses to best advantage. It is treat to see
 MT. Cross in this part, one admirably
 suited to his style. And playing op- posite him in the quaint chara cter, Glory Quayle, Miss Julia Herne never loses an opportunity to display the versatility that stamps her one of the most delightful little actresses on the
 present day stage. She has the won | derful gift of going from tears to laughter, from sorrow to sunshine,
 from the depths of despair to the
 heights of hilarity in the twinkling of
 an eyelash, and that is art in it's per lection.
 With the exception of the prologue which ended in rather weak fashion because Jack Scott, playing the father of John Storm, did not put enough snap and vim in his work when i.1 had his one big scene in renouncing his son. the play went along smoothly with here and there a minor slip or few forgotten lines Those are to be ex- Eected and will be remedied as the week wears on but as a whole the performance bears up well. J. Irving White is seen at his best as the aris- tocratic old Archdeacon Wealthy, a part that he carries on with the finese of a man born to the cloth and the loftiness of readily acquired saint hood. AS the good old Father Lamp lugh, the priest of the old church,
 Joseph Henlay has a chara cter greatly suited to his particular style of acting and one in which he does himself great
 credit. Arthur Vinton. too, has am-
 pie opportunity to show his powers this week, as in the portrayal of the
 wicked and worldly Lord Robert Ire he has a character best suited to his
 dramatic ability. There have been two
 or three occasions where Mr Ninton's
 work has stood out we'll since his de-
 but here and this week brings him
 again to the fore. Mrs. Estelle Morton
 is good as a benevolent old lady. and
 Miss Elsie Southern has slight
 chance to register few sobs and
 smiles; but, for the most part, the
 others in the company have little
 chance to get in the imelight
 Because of the notoriety given Hall
 Gaines Christian through it's delicate
 touching on vital questions of dog
 matic theology and it's subsequent dis
 favor in the eyes Of the church there is
 no need unfolding the timeworn plot
 here Suffice it to say The Christian
 is a strong play, although very intri-
 cate in spots and having a tendency ro
 cover all religions while at the same
 time 1t tries to unfold the doctrines of
 one. It would be difficult, for instance
 to tell just what denomination Arch
 deacon Wealthy belongs to, for at first
 he seems to be apart from the religion
 of John Storm and later is shown as his superior in orders. But those are only the delicate little touches so difficult to show. In passing ii may be said that the members of the Stanley Works Dramatic club, collectively and individually, go to make one of the glandest motley mobs seen on the American stage since the Oduction of dramatic art. With the possible exception of the lad who insists upon reading newspaper upside down, which after all might be as good {, way as any, the girls and boys did themselves proud. Their tangoing and "trotting' are quite in keeping with the present order of the dance. The | Cross players are indeed fortunate to have surrounded themselves with such a noble mob" Rome in it's palmiest l days never produced one better.