The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-04-24

4
Sir Chichester Frayne ...........
........... George Pauncefort
Captain Bastling Leonard Wiley
l'Valma," otherwise Frank Polliti
/ Rexford Kendrick
The Duchess of Strood. .IrDy Marshall
Julia, Countess of Owbridge ......
/ -. Helen Beaumont
Muriel Eden ......... Anne Faystone
| Sophy Fullgarney, manicuriSt,
Murieis foster sister
| .......... Margaret Ellington
Morgan, servant at Lady Owbridge's
/ .................. Robert Brinton
Synopsis Of Scenes.
Act I-Establishment of Sophy Full
| carney, manicurist and dispenser OF
articles for the toilet, 1856 New Bond
street, London.
Act II-At Lady Owbride's- The
Italian Gardens" Fauncey Court,
Richmond. England.
Act III-A bordoir and bedroom at
Fauncey court.
Act YIN Bond street again The
following day.
Not since James K. Hackett APP
peared here three seasons ago in "A
Grain of Dust" have theatrical stars
of such eminence trod the boards of
the Grand as confronted every oc-
cupied seat in the playhouse last
night. 1t was an event anticipated
with pleasurable expectancy and eX-
pectattons were in nowise dlsap,
pointed. John Drew and Margaret Ill
ington. supported by company of ex-
cellent players, gave an exhibition of
histrionic art that will long be re-
membered; and although the vehicle
chosen for display of their talents did
not warm the hearts of the audience
to any appreciable extent what was
lacking in that respect was fully COM
pensated for in acknowledgement that
Mr.. Drew and Miss Ellington are SUI
might serve to bring out strong points
in even the most uninteresting pro-
duction.
THE Gay Lord Quex," one of the
Pinero comedies, in which Mr.. Drew
and Miss Ellington appeared here,
is vigorously British. 1t moves not at
all slowly and 1t Is peopled with inter
esting though refined persons. It's
speeches are graceful and there are
sections pithy with typical English
humor
1t appears that the gay lord is
about to marry a nice girl, thing
which gay lords sometimes do. There
We're numerous charmers previous to
the time Muriel Eden came into
QueX's life, including the Duchess of
Strood, who remembered q certain
night in Stockholm much to the cha
grin of Quex who for tho life OF him
could not remember-or did not want
to remember. any night or day for
that matter in Stockholm. The crux
Of the situation rests upon the desire
of Sophy Fullgarney, a manicure, to
save her foster sister from the
clutches of this bad lord. To accom-
plish her design and as Shakespeare
would say get something on the lord
she puts herself almost ON a par with
the Prussians by acting the spy. She
finds out that the gay dog Of lord
ls to meet the countess In lingering
farewell that night and she manages
to become maid for the duchess for
that night. convenience easily ae.
tanned since the author made the
regular girl ill in the second act. She
plays the spy at the keyhole and is
discovered by Quex and the duchess.
Quex really did nothing worse than
smoke cigaret and drink glass Of
wine, but his presence in the room was
enough. He cleverly arranges a trap
for Sophy. played by Miss Ellington,
and the scene which ensues when
these engage in battle Of wits and
courage is the big thing in the play.
They fight each other with every
weapon at their resource. Quex begs,
offers to buy, threatens exposure and
Sophy's enfeebled defense, but at the
last moment she turns and defying
exposure and all, refuses to be stifled
and threatens to tell her sister and
the world that Quex came to the
duchess room at night. The Br1ton's
sense of admiration for courage. then
sweeps aside everything and he lets
the girl from the room, telling her she
may do as she pleases.
From this encounter neither es-
capes altogether unscathed but they
emerge with greater mutual re-
spect. Each meanly appraises the
other at the beginning, but they end
it in a quite different mood. And this
because they both have sounded a
genuine human, touching note, namely
of generosity. Quex is not the vii
lain Sophy thought him, nor is she
the malicious vixen he thought her
They both have Muriers happiness in
view and this they insure.
The character of Lord Quex affords
a wide field for Mr.. Drefw's capabili-
ties as an actor. He is dryly humor-
Gus and sstiric: a nobleman who
lends the impression that he has seen
all there is to see, both good and bad.
admires the good but thinks the bad
not half bad. Caught in a delicate or
dangerous situation, he emphasizes
the gentleman, cool. collected and
unbeatable. He may be wrong, but
cannot be injured. He admits cody
that he is caught, but is defiant, dares
the worst On the other hand, out
bursts of emotion are permitted to
shine through bulwark Of impas-
sivity and manifest themselves in a
quick, flashy smile which embraces