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Show g Miss Roberts Is Improving In "Zira" She Shows a Great Progress. Florence Roberts has Improved. She lias learned how to be leu like Blanche Walsh In "La Tosca." She has learn-cd learn-cd that emotion Is not best expressed In tremendous sobs, a high-pitched voice, rolling eyes and explosive utterances. ut-terances. She has toned down and become be-come more Intense, and fortunatlly discaided certain Itobertlan characteristics charac-teristics that made her ever the same character,regardless. No longer Is she given to the heaving bosom that reminded re-minded one so much of a blacksmith's bellows; no longer has every spoken word that monotonous, nerve-racking downward intonation, nor does she ,rave either In agony, accusation or 4 supplication; pnee she raved in all. She still has that old trick of wiping Her hand across her face at every giv-' giv-' en opportunlty.but it's a pretty hand, and It always sports a genuine diamond ring, so we can forgive her that. In a two cr three years' ab sence.most of which has been spent In Mew York, Miss Roberts's acting has become refined, so that now when in seml-rcpose she expresses more genuine genu-ine emotion than she ever dreamed of in her wildest flights of former days. Only one time did she slip in "ZlraU that was when sho stole a woman's Identity and her own freedom from an ilk unhappy llfo by changing her nurse's costume for that of a woman whom she thought dead. As she went through that sccno her breathing sounded like a canyon wind In the tops of Logan poplars. A t all other times she held herself In hand and was strong, and though the audience, which tilled the house, was stinted in applause, it was more the silent, Inexpressible In-expressible tribute to genius than any failure to appreciate. Two other characterizations deservo favorable mention the "Lady Constance Con-stance Ulaverlng"of Kate Jepeson and the Capt. Arnold Sylvester of Orlando Daly. Tho first was superb, the latter lat-ter more than that, though he was not a lovely character. The stage wineblbber overdoes it nine times out of ten, Daly's characterization was almost as great as Miss Roberts, though the character Itself Is really insignificant. in-significant. Thurlow Bergen, as Rev. Gordon Clavering, Miss Roberts' main support, was not greater In Zlra than Alwyn Bennett in "The Man of the Hour" ho Isn't quite big enough for tt. There may be a question as to whether "Zlra" as a play was as satisfactory satis-factory to all as some other plays presented pre-sented by Miss Roberts, but with the discerning there is no doubt. The play Is dramatically strong, the situations situa-tions being skillfully planned, and carried car-ried to magnificent climaxes. Its particular strength lies in the fact that something Is left to the imagination, imagina-tion, and no situation is so constructed construct-ed that It seems to bear a label "Here Is the place to weep," "Curse the villain vil-lain here," "It Is tlmo to laugh." The plav Is a great success, and tho new Miss Roberts as"Zlra"ls a greater sue (fe cess. |