Omaha daily bee., 1919-11-24

IN Senleu us with MS WOnQerTu
A> INSTALLATION of Baron Scarpi;
have we had so debonnair, so suav.
and altogether remarkable a villiar
as John Sainpolis makes for us O
kasimir in For the Defense" Anc
just as we rejoiced when La Toscs
stuck the carving knife through the
| Scarpia brisket so are we com.
forted when Selma Thorne shoots
a large but altogether satisfactory
hole into the vitals of the rascally
Kasimir.
| This fact develops rather late in
the unfolding of the tale, coming
after another woman has beer
found guilty of the murder, and also
after the district attorney has had
several kinds of mental and physi-
cal spasms because he is morally
certain the lethal dose was admin
istered by the girl he loved and
wanted to we'd He knew how
richly the dead doctor had earned
his death; he did not want to send
an innocent woman to the death
chair; nor did he want to drag into
unpleasant publicity the girl of his
heart. 1t was a most unpleasant
predicament, from which Mr.. Ben
nett gets the most in the way of
properly diminished but subtly en-
phasized emotion.
Assisting in the course of the
three acts is company of remark
able ability. whose members give
verisimilitude to the several roles
they have in hand. Particularly may
this be said of Mr.. Crimmans, whose
police inspector is of the ilk we have
come to know and love so well in
Omaha; very certain of lot of
! things that are not so. and willing
tc send woman to death just to
make the police department "look
good" Much satisfaction is found
in trying to imagine the ire of this
policeman when he discovers his
error, although that is not part of
the play.
Miss Morrison very effectively
portrays the stress of Selma Thorne,
and Miss Lennihan is charmingly
convincing in the equally exacting
part of Anne Woodstock. Selma's S
friend and beloved of the district at
torney. To Louise Closer Hale
falls less of occupation than usually
is awarded her, but her little bit is
most competent1y performed.
Now, having said thus much con-
cerning certain of the company. and
adding the further statement that it
is pleasure to commend the organ
zation as whole, word as to the
play itself. Those who recall "On
Trial" will remember the subter-
fuge by which the author brought
out the story of the crime then COM
mitted. Something very similar is
involved in this. but more skillfully
wrought. A different and far more
intriguing setting is used, so that
interest is maintained, even when
the most obvious movements of the
action are being evolved. A Hindoo
doctor. highly cultivated. gifted as
specialist, and sought after by nett
rotic women, is also a lecherous
beast, preying on his patients. black
mailing his victims, and sparing no
body. He has ensnared among 9th
ers Selma Thorne and Anne Wood
stock, and this brings the district
attorney down on him. He is muir
dered in his apartment. and the po-
lice come in. With unerring cer-
tainty Inspector Austin fastens the
crime on Jennie Dunn, who was the
doctors servant. and after she is
convicted. the other girls make their
confession. and the incident of the
murder is given in a retrospective
scene. The whole is dramatically
told and is staged with uncommon
skill. Mr.. Bennett requests that the
business OF enacting the play be not
interferred with by applause. so the
curtain calls are postponed until the
fall of the final curtain, when they
are numerous enough to attest the
complete pleasure of all at the way
things shape up.
Lifting melodies, rapid change
of scenes, plot with a climax and
a comely chorus all combine to in
sure an evening of pleasure. Add
a leading lady who can dance,
hero with a real baritone voice, and
a negro comedian whose appear
ance means a laugh and you have
my Sunshine Lady" as it was pre-
sented at the Brandeis theater last
night.
The music is the whistly sort that
you remember. The plot provides
for the proper amount of love
scenes. carries the audience to sun
nv Brittany. the Rivera, picturesque
Mexico and busy New York, and
ends happily.
Gudron Walberg takes the wom-
ans lead as Babette, the country
lass whose love for a man whom
she believes to be poor, is mistaken
by the sudden acquisition of wealth
She laughs. dances and sings her
way through the show in a pleasing
manner. Allan Carter as Babette's
lover true, sings his way into the
heart of the audience with rich
baritone voice. Besse Delmore
takes rather difficult soubrette
part with a vigor and enthusiasm
Colds Cause Headaches and Pains.