Life — October 10, 1907 — page 15: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

tion and to the tragedy of a race down- trodden within our own borders, there has never been an American play which could vie in popularity with “The Old Home- stead.” With many of its allusions out of date to the present generation of theatre- goers, it still has a special charm which makes large audiences of the mixed na- tionalitics comprised in American citizen- ship laugh and cry alternately. It is not alone the simple directness of Mr. Denman ‘Thompson’s impersonation of the innocent but shrewd New England rustic that gives the piece its appeal to a large public. Nor is it any spectacular effect of country or city life. The play is almost crude in many of its attempts to interest and please if it be judged by closely critical standards, and yet as one sits in the large and mixed audi- ences at the Academy of Music and notes the ripples of laughter that broaden into roars, or the almost perfect silences that follow what seem like episodes of childish pathos, one must admit that the uncredited author or authors of this curious product have built what seems almost the acme of simple dramatic writing. ‘The real hero is a pantaloon, but a pantaloon so honest and so human that we forgive the very gro- tesqueness we laugh at and let our sympa- thies go out to his great humanity. Of course, there can never be So perfect a Joshua Whitcomb as Mr. Denman Thomp- | son because, presumably, he projects on the stage only his own personality artistically broadened. Also, the play and his character have been so widely exploited together that a very much better actor would find it diffi- SAY, PA, WON'T YOU BUY ME A DRUM?” “No, UM AFRAID YOU'D DISTURB ME WITH NOISE.” NO I WON'T, PA; ULL ONLY DRUM WHEN YOU'RE ASLEE! cult to supplant or succeed him in the part. “The Old Homestead” seems to have been built for Mr. Denman Thompson and Mr. ‘Thompson endowed by nature to portray its principal réle. Nevertheless, the play itself is built on such broad and simple lines that some time after Mr. Thompson has made his final appearance we may expect to see the play living on to an immortality not achieved by far more scholarly and carefully contrived products of the expert dramatist. “The Old Homestead” without Mr. Denman Thompson would be a good deal like “Hamlet” sans Hamlet, but when both Mr. Thompson and the type of New Eng- lander he represents have disappeared from the map of North America we or our de- scendants may sce many revivals of that very elementary play, “The Old Hi stead.” * 2 * ANADIAN statesmen are just now as- serting that Canada has arrived and that she has justified, or is justifying, her claim to a place among the nations. ‘This seems to be true when Messrs, Klaw and Erlanger have recognized Canada’s claim 427 to recognition by decreeing that Toronto's newest and best theatre must be devoted exclusively to their vaudeville attractions and that legitimate plays and acting shall have no place or booking on its boards. Art of the Klaw and Erlanger kind knows no national boundaries and King Edward VII might as well abdicate so far as Canada is concerned; in fact, all of us might as well abdicate in favor of this enterprising and cultured firm. Metcalfe. ea “The Yankee Tourist.” Amusing musicated version of “The Gallopers.” with Mr. Raymond Hitchcock and well-selected company Belasco—"* The Rone of the Ranch the carly days of California, Beautif very well acted. Bijou—Mme. N Builder.” One of of the year, The puz mova in another Casino—"Th Notice later. Criterion—" Conventional English musical play of the Gaiety type, but not so dainty as usual Daly's—" The Great Divide.” Interesting Ameri can problem play, well acted by Margaret Anglin, Mr. Henry Miles and good cast Empire—Mr. John Drew. Billie Burke and Mr Ferdinand Gottschalk in" My Wife.” Diverting light comedy from the French Garrick—" When Knights Were Bold.” F: contemporary and medieval life interpreted more or less amusingly by Mr. Francis Wilson and go company Hackett—*The Strugzle Everlasting.” with Flor ence Roberts. See opposite. Herald Square—Mr. Lew Fields and company in ©The Girl Behind the Counter.” Notice later Hiptedrome—" Neptune's Daughter” and. "Pio: ncer Days.” Last season's gorgeous spectacle with new circus acts. Keith and Proctor's Theatres—Stock companies and vaudeville, Lyric—" Virginius, Drama of ly staged and mova in Ibsen's “The Master most interesting perform: es of Ibsen and Mme. with Mr. James O'Neill in the title part cable and finished per formance of the classic role. Mojestic—" Anna Karenina” in dramatic form, interpreted by Virginia Harned, Mr. John Mason and fairly good company. Emotional drama of Russian high life. Interesting. PUSHED FOR MONEY comicbooks.com