Show ACTON DAVIES ON NEW YORK THEATERS Correspondence I EV W Jan 15 very ery re NEW N actor lie tor made his hili Ameri Amerl American tan can debut at the Madison Square theater last well week Mr Henri DeVries Darles of or Holland Tho TIme success ho hu scorch there may liltingly be bo described all tig unique and sevenfold He lie appear appeared ed eth In a ii I short character drama by II H entitled A Case Coso of ot Arson and as this little play pIn came as ns an after pl e to one Olle of the stupidest of farces The Thc Diamond his really marvelous Impersonations In III this play seemed like a 1 Bleam of sunshine after very Iel er heavy rain main In 11 this Itle play IllY Mr Derles acts no less than char characters They Time fhe lire are no mere macro light lug In change of maiks rind costume but ut each ach role rolo Is a u distinct creation utterly different dine rent hearing bearing no resemblance to toan any ally an of the others In Iii Its way this achievement of oC Mr I Is I tho the most wonderful feat of tiding acting that time NeW NeWYork ell York stage hums ever shown and an mind you 01 It Is all remarkably line acting Any AllY actor wha h could lulay IllY any uny one onu of Mr seven soren roles as aa artistically no nv he ho plays thorn them all nil would have great reat cause to feel fell proud of himself role was more ihan a n characterization It was a 1 portrait As 48 he presented them one by b I one accomplishing his changes of costume co tume find amId make up Uti In III Inthe tile the space of jf If time lime which It took tool to exit by one door and enter by another characters laid a I hold lick upon you which aH Ill the play pIn progressed became a grip of DC absorbing Interest The final climax found f und an nn audience absorbed In n a scene of ot breathless Interest This rIds little play shows time unravelling 0 of the crime In itt a 1 little Dutch village Tho 1110 scene Is III the ollice of a n Justice jL of the peace I cale This character remarkably well 1111 pla d hy by h Mr AIm III Henry Vibart and the messenger who Mho ho announces time the vari various arl arlOU ous OU witnesses IS mire re tho the only other char characters characters A little shop has hasl l been een burned down Arson Is an pec ted but the tho child of ot the cigar elsar maker nicker has been burned In imi the lIre lira and andor for or a time this fact keeps keep II the father fa ther from frum suspicion The first witness called i I Is III the half willed brother of or the cigar 0 maker H In with a n vacant look lookIn lookIn lookin In his taco faco fa co and 1111 In his hand and answers the magistrates questions In Ina a II dull lull and stupid i Ho lie admit that he had hul had a 11 quarrel with time the little littlechild Child on nn the day of tho the itro at nt din dinner dinner ner imer She Ihme had split spilt a 1 glass glasa of water vater on un 0 his hl bread and lie He 1 gravy was very yer 0 angry II II jr hut but that wits was all Ha lie dM di not kill 1111 the tho little girl he loved her het too ton 1 much The last tast he had seen of her imer she aha he 1 was lII going out for rOI a II walk with mIth hot her father and they th the had locked the time house after atte them Time Tho magistrate asked him to explain how tho the child chilli could possibly have got back hack In the house after aCter that It 11 was very er pimple the boy explained i ione one of ot the ground floor noor windows hud a 1 broken clump clamp The lime child WAS Willi In tho time habit of rf raising It and creeping In InThe The father of f the time child was the next I a 1 big imig burly Dutchman dress dressed ed In black tini hewed bowed with grief Ha ILs answers came clime swift and sure Bure H Ii and time the chili child had gone for n a walk lit lL H wan wall currying carrying n it box lox of f cigars to his father InlAw and he had his hili walking stick In his hand A AI Ais If the key k of or the hou o which was a II large one Limo Tho child asked If she might have the key to play with He lie handed It to her Iter Then she lite grew grel 1 tired ald cald she did not want to KO go 10 over overto overto overto 1 to see fee her grandfather but would await Ills his return In front of their own house home She he left him That ws was the last ni nm I saw of her alive Next ext exl comes the po ll police I lice officer a 1 who told brIefly of finding traces of ot the of the house hous Then Therm I came the paralyzed old I I hind Had tho the maker nought him hima a II box OX of cigars that Sunday after afternoon noon loon No sir Ir why wh should lIe he hehe lielie he lie smoke Besides the time his hl law In me taO habit of I giving him presents Ho lie owed him thu money The cigar maker was very hard hardup hardup 1 up Then came the loquacious grocery man n II corned comedy character which set I the audience In a roar No o 0 It was not 1 true that he had hM sold any to the cigar maker on the Saturday after afternoon noon but ut earlyn o 0 Sunday morning the tho little girl hud had come over mer to the shop with a message from her father fn ther ask Illk asking ing log him to loan them a n gallon gullon of It U Itlie itlie lie He had given lIven the parl to tho the child and had neon liten the father carrying It home The cigar maker Is 10 recalled Ha Ito begins to look nervous The Time mag meg istrate tells him hint that he ha has lied ho imo never had any box of cigars In his hili hand he ho did buy through his little daughter daught r at the grocery grocer The ThO distraught man tries to parry every question lu lIon and to down don It with An nn ab elm absolute absolute solute denial but his nerve has haa gone lione back on him him Suddenly ho Ito breaks drown crying Judge If they tile the provo prove tOVO I J Idid did do lo It for lor Gods sake sentence ma JUG for or life so that I will never r have ho to look Into my coy eyes eY 5 The death of 01 the child chilli stilt still haunts him The rho crime and ond Its penalty by comparison with lit hb wires wrath becomes Insignificant cant Detail this timis man exclaims time the judge to tu an nn attendant and he ho Is led I c corf off orf The next Instant the brother iii IH 8 recalled d The Flue Judge speaks gently to 10 him now IIO lIe He tells him hll that ho Ito Is in lafree free that ho may go home nut Hut my Ill brother says time the boy ho apprehensively clInt hu he lt come comae too No he ho will have avo to his trial The boy bursts Into lot lilt tears and declares that It was not his hili brother that committed the time crime crImI Tho Judge pats him kindly on an antIme the tIme shoulder tells tolls him bun to go 10 home once oneo more and the time play pIny ends nd as n the Ud lam shuttles sobbing Bobbing out of the time room rectum One of the most remarkable features of this extraordinary series aeries of performances by Mr Mc Ir J uVrl that not only In facial expression gesture gl speech anti and Intonation Intonation tion lion are all these characters distinct but sonio of them arc are tall tail men Inen and some short Not ot only ns liS a U novelty but us as a 1 t genuine sensation this lit little little littie tle tie play liny hula and his great work worle scored an 1111 Immense success S o S S James J J Corbetts appearance as tin a astar 1 astar star at nt Dalys Dillys In n a dramatization of George Georgo Bernard D Shaws Ca hel Ily Ity B Brons rons Profession was a n a decided l Hash HashIn In him tIme the pan for lor the popular I cham champion champion champion pion of ot other days and as us a 1 matter of artistic Justice It must be he recorded r thoU that tho the blame for the time failure does docs not lIot lie llo at Mr Ir Corbetts door As S n a matter mutter of ot fact ho he personally made a 1 rather agreeable Impression lIe Ho certainly certaIn Is Isn Isa s sa a n hard worker and evinces no end of enthusiasm for fOl or his new art The play does not lIot show him to nearly nally as ns good 1001 advantage as all either Jim or Pals and antI a very ery el large majority of or tho limo first night audiences were grier grievously cushy disappointed that he lie did not hot have anything to do do with his hili lists lilt I fI If It the tho play hind had had sonic some action and a II little littlemore littlemore more oro backbone It would probably have havo floated ted Mr Ir Corbett successfully through this season at all nil events It still may do so 80 on the time road ns os his hili sea nea neason season ea son eon at Dalys Dal ends tonight but It H has lois not been definitely settled yet whether or not the tho play lla should go on tour As Asa n a matter of or fact In these days das when failure succeeds failure you OU cant blame the tho managers for tor thinking twice before beCore risking any ammy more moro money mone on a n play which has hall already to draw Broadways approval One of tho the eve ee evening flint ning papers lapelS remarked the other night that t If It the tIme succession of failures goes goos goeson goeson on at nt this rate timer thorn will wll he ht no fail fall failures failures ures urea for tor next year jear and this thin IH Is by no means an exaggerated statement of or the time theatrical season at the time present mo immo moment mont ment The he managers mire are literally at ll their wits its end for an attraction Not ot only for or New Now York but to keep tho time theaters open OI In various parts l arts of time the country countr Scarcely a day goes 10 8 by now which does doc not bring hiring the time announcement of the time don clos closing log ing of SQUIB some play Iny which started out In lii Hying colors less le than two months ago agoS S S 0 The rime Prodigal Son ion Is 18 one of time the lat hat latest est ent to reach rench tho time storage warehouse This play lila was first acted by a u very vcr hugh high priced cast enst and failed Then after Its It had been hoen almost almott entirely dc tic by hy Ii fire nt at time the irand opera opert house houe tho time company nothing daunted ordered a an new production and sent rent out a cheaper company to play u it uIn itIn t tIn In those theaters melodrama Is IR always supposed to thrive But even een In 11 these thelle playhouses pla the Prodigal Son hun failed to get Het oven ovell a lIce dice of the fotte 1 I calf The Redemption of David Cor Cot Coron Cotson son alon on Lottie Blair i I of the time Hev lIev Mr Guns story haa hlll proved Quito quite as ns bad a podge In Inthe Inthe the time vay of a play pIa ns Iii those two other Ithel dramas by clergymen As Ye Yo Sow Bow nod and The Clansman The Thu story Is so 80 wildly Improbable and Its lIa climax Is so I weak that It be even een accepted seriously In the time Third Avenue theater theaterS S o S 0 SAlfred 0 Alfred Sutro Is I the time latest of ot the time Eng English lish dramatists to reach America lie He lieiman has iman come commie over oer to superintend the ie to of ot Tho The Fascinating Mr Ir Van which Is to open with MIss Mis Kills EllIs Jeffreys and Frnnk Worthing at mit Dalys theater next nt Monday Mr r Su Sn Sutro Sutro tro lots has arrived Just JURt In time to see tin th last IlISt performances of The Walls Wails of ot Jericho In which James K I Hackett and Miss Miu Mary Mannering have been acting at the tho Savoy since early In Oc October October October tober Mr tr Hackett Is ts compelled to withdraw the play for tr the present n as 11 according to io his contract with the theauthor theauthor author of ot Tho rho House of Silence lie Ime t I obliged to present that play In York before the time first of February In Inthe Inthe the time new ne play piny Mr Ir Hackett will act net a f character part art It U la Is a 1 sort of ot role 1010 An n old servant rant t with n it n great deal of ot the tho ogre about him Miss Manner MannerIng I lag Ing of course coutie will be b seen Boen UH us the th hero her heroine inc ine 0 S SS Par For Manager Charles Frohman thies are Ire particularly busy bUllY days Before h ha w leaves lete tot for ai Europe Europ in III h hll i In Intends Int tends t to produce no lets less les than lIve five new nw plays The rho Heart of or tho tIme Sparrow with Collier Tile The Mountain Climber with Wilson The Th Duel with Otis Mrs Irs Iila Wheeler Wil WIN coxs and ond an nn another other ItI faro For time the last Hires nights of It her engagement nt at time the Oar Henrietta Grossman produced As s You Vou Like Ilke It Miss hns has always been ono one of her most delightful portrayals portrayal Her other ploy play Mary Mary ary Quito Quite Contrary and amiul have havo been heen shelved and for tho the time being nt at all events Miss MII frogman will devote devota all nil her time ti to Shakespeare Mr Michael Dunne Duane Is U her Imer now new leading man manAt 5 5 At time the th other theaters the attraction are aro re Tho The Girl of the Golten West Vest at atthe atthe the time Peter Pete I Pan Paim at al the Hm Em mire Mutt Mils Modiste at the time Knicker Knickerbocker bocker hocker Mart Man an and antI Superman at Urn till hit Hudson Time The Lion Ilon anti and tho the Mouse nt at atthe the Lyceum Mrs I Carter Catler in Adrea at nt the Academy Time The Music Musia Master at ut the BIJou Julie Bonbon nt itt Fields The Earl Farl I arl tho time Girl at th the Casino Minutes From Broadway nt at hum New Amsterdam The Time Squaw Squal Man Miln nt at Tom Dirk Dick antI ami an Hany Harty at time the American It U I Were ere ICing King at Proctors Fifth Ave Avenue flue nue Before anti and After Arter at lit the Man IllIn and nd lOA A Society Circus nt at time the 1 Hippodrome ACTON DAViES DA vms |