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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 25, 1904)
THB OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL. PORTLAND. SUNDAY MORNINQ, DBCEMBEK U, 1804. 18 Fisk rs. e in By JULES ECKERT GOODMAN irrom N' (Trmm The Jmul'i Own Corrsspoadsat. ) EW YOHK. lec. '-J periods In tne meairicai year. the two weeks Juut r-hrlstma 1 th poorest. Road companies that C"U BfT do so. ana ' " . - any nw playa It la. aa tt wara, a breathing place In the midst of the sea son whkh ln.medlat.ly after the , :ith beglne with new rigor and lv't Already for the days Just preceding and following Christmas there la nno..n.-c ment of a half doaen or more opening, all of the flrat order. Meanwhile, though there la not an .olute deart h. there la not a superabundance of new "Thepreaent week baa glren exctll one noveltf. unless the revlva 1 of Othello ' by Robert Mantell nilht be bo termed. Last Monday night Mr. Klske produced her flrat new play In two year, and baa acored unquestlon bly a hit. not merely an 5ClO ,eaa but aa far .a signs give knowledge a popular one. And be ever mindful that there la vast difference between theae two klnda of aueceaa and that they are In no way complimentary Th, pl preaented by Mrs. ske bears the euphonious nam of a4 Kleshna." and to the work of c . M B. McLellan. better known aa Hugh i Mor , ton. author of "The Bell, of New To. The piece la highly original and In lta ouUtoe. attractive. It tolls at bottom a story of great and vital Interest. It S-ae. many element, of e.hn. indpower. and yet In aplte of all I to virtues. It la nevertheless not In any sense of the word a great play. It to .most tantalising play, too good to be called : meolotntna and not good enough to be called a aplendld study of crim inology. Daughter 0a Thief. Leah Kleahna la the daughter of a clever thief. Her mother dying when aha waa very young, her father haa un dertaken her education. This education has proved of a highly specialised nature- In a word, he has taught her his own bualneea and made a thief of her Everything goea on beautifully until sentiment In the shape of a man cornea Into Leah's life. Almost for the first time her dormant conscience eprtngs awake and the knowledge of the life she Is leading comes to bar. At thto moment her father has planned a big robbery at the home of Paul Bylvaine. Bylvatne la a man of theories, the most advanced of his con tentions being that onmlnal nature la only aeparated from non-crlmlnal na ture by an Idea, and that the Idea may be Imparted by one mind to another. In other words, he would reclaim crlm Inala by an appeal to their better nature rather than by prison and punishment. Though Leah is not aware of It at the time. Sylvalne Is the man whom aha haa seen and loved without knowing who he was. All ahe really knows Is that be to engaged to a young girl. Claire Berton. a sister of Raoul Barton. a cad and a brute wno "- - " gain for her with her father. She haa thus a powerful weapon In case ahe Is caught whereby she can defend herself. The second act finds her In Bylvatne s house at night, trying to rob the safe. Bhe Is csught by Bylvaine and at once playa her trump card. Bhe tells him that she knows thai, he to engaged, that if he tries to arrest her ahe will claim that he himself had brought her Into the house and then when he found her stealing ordered her arrest. At any rate she will spoil hla reputation both - sa a man of inviolable character and as the lover of Mile. Berton. For the first time ehe finds that ths trick does not work and that she Is face to face with a man who to above calumny. At thle juncture be awltches on the lights and Leah sees before her the man whom ahe haa loved. There to a doggedness In her shame as she asks what he Intends to rto with her. He answers by question ing her about her life, delving at it were for her eoul. Then ahe breaks down and crlea and Bylvaine reallsea that at laat he has. found the real woman In her. Another proof has been added to hla contention of good In the crim inal classes. Aa Bzeltlng Climax. Juat then singing and shouting are lieard In the garden below and Raoul. tipsy and returning from a masquerade, cltmba over the balcony. Bylvaine quickly conceals Leah In a aide room, handkerchief and In drunken taunts Raoul discovers on the floor a woman s confronts Bylvaine with it. At last he makea a dart into the room where Leah has gone and discovers her. Furious now he comes out and threatens Byl vaine, when Leah tells the whole story and then turna again to Byl vaine and aaka hlra what he Intenda to do with her. "Here we are." ahe says, "a gentle man, a blackguard and a thief. What are you going to doT" He anawera that he Intends to let her go. Immediately she makea a movement toward the balcony to go out In the same manner that ahe had entered, but Bylvaine eacorta hef to the front door as he would a guest. Raoul left alone for a moment mumbles to himself that now the woman to in his power. Then he suddenly thinks of the jewels. Hie hand fumbles over the case and at laat he abstracts them and puts them In his pocket. Bylvaine returns. Raoul says good night. Bylvaine looks for the jewels and finds them gone. For just a moment a auapiclon darta Into his head that ' Leah has taken them. The next minute the ttuth haa dawned on him. The third act transpires the following morning. Bylvaine refuses to prosecute the girl, much to the disgust of hla fu ture father-in-law. General Berton. In stead, be aummona the girl. Leah comes and is Interviewed by Bylvaine In the presence of General Berton. The latter, all angry at her replies, goes cust to call an officer. Bylvaine question! Leah, i rm I 1 1 11. ii iti iim inn.- i ii" i- ... in i and finds thst his susplclona against I nail, II ill'- J tm i . . , i i u- num.- iini- i in jumpa to the aame conclusion, hut Byl vaine tells her that ahe muetn't men lion her feelings In the presence of the general. The general returns with the officer. Bylvslne tries to dissuade him from causing Leah's arrest. Unable to do so. he Is forced to hint at the truth. Then, just ss Raoul enters, the general orders the officer sent away. A Conventional Ending The scene shifts back to Leah'a home in the fourth art. All day she has been away and Kleshna fears that ahe has been taken "by the police. At laat she WASHINGTON ST OF PORTLAND MENS 0W0N. CtOTHU r,i JSLjj.- New Play a comes. Aaked where ahe had been, she anawera. "Walking the streets ... by th river." There to a new manner about her which Kleahna la not slow to see. What thto new manner meana soon develops when she tells her father that she Is going away from htm. For an swer Kleahna locks the door and de manda that ahe promise to go with him. Again cornea Raoul, who thla time la being followed by a deteotlva He con fesses what be haa done and offers to give Kleshna the jewels If he will save him. Kleshna. In aplte of the urglngs of Leah and hla pal, accepts and says that all four will now go away to gether. Leah again refuses to go with her father. Threateningly Kleshna goes toward her, when she draws a pistol as he thinks on blm, but really to end her own life. At that moment a friend of Leah'a la heard calling below and Leah goea out on to the balcony. The friend savs that there to a detective below. Leah now threatens to tell the detective all unleaa her father will let her go. Kleahna haa the door unlocked and Leah Dasaea out. The last act finds Leah in the lettuce field. In Austria working like sn ordi nary peasant. Hither cornea Bylvaine and telle her that he to no longer en gaged, and the ending is as conventlonsl as any matinee girl could wlah. a Bit XUogioaL There to no doubt that this play han dles an Interesting theme of Importance and vitality. There Is no question that the elements of a great play are nere. But lta treatment should be different and more logical and consistent. More than that half, to some of us the more Interesting aft'd meaning half, of the atorV'ir left uc In the air. wnai De- comea of Kleshna and what becomes of Raoul we never know. Moreover the Idea of Bylvaine eventually marrying Leah Is not altogether pleasant. The play to one based on the regen eration of a human being, a woman. Thla very fact and the vague similarity between the heroines raises a remem brance of Tolstois 'Resurrection, which Miss Blanche Walsh played last season. Placed beside the Tolstoi play. Ieah Kleahna" to found almost trivial as far as serious purpose gosa Of course Msslova was a far different crea ture than Leah, and the clrcumstancea of her aln were vastly different. Btlll In Maalova you could see the gradual awakening of self-respect, the deep, hidden goodness coming again back to Ufa You do not feel this In Leah. When you first see her her regeneration haa already begun; yet. In spite of Mra Ftoke's splendid natural acting, her change seems almoat Impulsive. The play has thus undoubted flaws. But on the other hand. It haa action and Interest. It to one of the moat popular things that I can recall having eeen thto remarkable actress produce. By all tokens possible at this early day It ahould have a long run. and deservedly. In the first place. Imperfect aa It la. It Is far above the ordinary, and posaeaaes some lines of beauty and cleverness. It la probably thto that makes the play so hard to classify. Moreover It Is bril liantly acted by one of the finest casta seen In years In one production. Mr. John Mason as Bylvahla brought out all the manliness and strength of that char acter and carefully hid as far as possible the prlgglshneas It was a fine con vincing portrayal. Mr. Oeerge . ArUss of the "blackguard" Raoul added an other splendid portrait to that exquisite gallery which this consummate artist haa given us peeps into An English aetor. Charles Csrtwrlght, made of Kleshna a living model of the acute criminal. As for Mrs. Flske. she showed again how wonderful she Is. how much she stands by herself in a certain sort of acting. Leah Kleshna is not one of her finest bits of characterisation, but It Is one of the moet effective that she has given ua Mention, 'too. ehould be made of the mounting of the piece. The last scene, that of the lettuce fields, was charming, and won no small amount of applause. "Leah Kleshna" to a play that will doubtless be much talked about and be well patronised. I was unable tost week to give space to a production really worthy of more extended notice than to even st my dis posal. Monday a week ago Mlaa Nance O'Neill presented Thomas Bailey Al diich's poetic biblical tragedy. "Judith of Bethulla." When I went last Satur day matinee there was a bare handful of people present, which may be accounted for by the fact that ths weather waa stormy or that It was a matinee or that the holiday season to approaching or that people prefer trash to the really meritorious. For thto play haa unques tionable excellence. It has beauty of verse and atmosphere snd tells a story of Intensity snd Interest If It to not great In the absolute meaning of the term It just misses being so. and many productions -of far higher praise by the critics have been less worthy. There are many good things that one might say concerning Mr. Aldrlch's play. Flrat and foremost, he deserves credit for making the action quick and direct Instead of expatiating. On the other hand, the struggle which must underly every drama to not clearly brought out. If the love motif between Archler and Judith or between Judith and Holofernes had been more accentuated the play would have been stronger and more con vincing. As It Is. tt is more narrative with spots of the dramatic than truly dramtlc throughout. Take, for example, "Mary of Magdala." which Mra. Flake produced. Heyae waa clever enough to see thst his love motif between the Mag dalen and Judas must be preeented at once. Mr. Aldiich starts out to do thla. and then when he reachea the moat vital part awltches his theme. Btlll even at that the play holds snd In places grips. A Bit of "Judith. . As for the verse It is marked at times by beauty and distinction. Perhapa an example will not be amlas. The follow ing Is Judith's recital of the vision that came to her: As I sat alone Within the tower, alone yet not alone, A strangest silence fell upon the land; Like to a sea mist stretching east snd west It spread, and close on this there came a sound Of anow-soft plumage rustling In the dark. And voices that such magic whlaperlnga made Aa the sea makes at twilight on a atrip Of sand and pebble. Suddenly I aaw Look, look. Oslas Charmls. Chabrls. look! See ye not. yonder, a white mailed band That with lta leveled finger points through alt? See. It still lingers, like a atlver mist! It changes, fadea, and then cornea back . again. And now 'tis ruby red aa red as blood! 'TIs gone Fear not. It wss a sign to me. To me alone. Oslaa didst thou note The wsy It pointed? To the eastern gate. Aa for the acting, th role of Judith to by far the best bit of work that Mlaa O'Neill has shown us. Itis admirably adapted to her personality and gtvea opportunity for the display of power and strength. Moreover the character to concerned broadly and the finer nuances are not necessary to a well rounded characterisation Power and Intensity Miss O'Neill exhibits, and here and there ahe shows, too. subtlety and finesse. The play la more than worth seeing, and again credit la due to Mlaa O'Neill for presenting drsmas of such high standing. At tkc Theatres (Continued from Page Seventeen.) 11 years. "Ton, Tonson" himself la a qulet.t laoffenelve Swede, whom ono meete every daft In the western cities of thto country. Although he to pecu liar of speech and awkward In move ment, his heart Is In the right place; hla fidelity to frlenda unquestionable. snd his honesty unshakable as the rock of Olbraltar. The otner members of the company have been recruited from the best professionals obtalnaue. Man ager P. J. Kennedy has re-engaged the famoua original "Lumbermen's Quar tet.' which sings the Swedish folk songs In a manner that Is unequaled in their own country. ,- "For Mother's Sake" at Empire. "For Mother's Sake." with dainty Marie Heath aa the aUr. was quietly launched at the opening of the season In Chicago, without any waving of flags or firing of Journalistic cannons, depending entirely upon lta merits as a play for Its measure of success or fail ure. That It made an emphatic hit the Chicago press record. After the Chicago run It started on Its way to the coast, but long before the shores of the Pa cific were in sight its fame preceded It and crowded housee greeted it every where on ita western tour. It tells a story straight, direct and natural, un mixed with deep-dyed villains whose hands ars dripping with human blood, whose pockets are bulging with mort gages, of fallen women with "a paat," and overdrawn country caricature. It to a perfect page from life, whose every speech rings true, an unvarnished pic ture of just plain folka; a play whose situations are ao natural, whose scenic embellishments so true to nature that you forget you are gssing at a play and Imagine you are looking upon a bit of real Ufa Such a play la "For Mother's Bake." and that It will con tinue to draw the amusement-loving thousands for years to come la a fore gone conclusion. This mammoth production, in Ita en tirety, will hold the stage of the Em pire theatre three nights of this week, starting Thursday, with the regular matinee Saturday. Eastern Success for Next Week. B. C. Whitney's production of the great success. "The Show Girl." or "The Magic Cap," a musical comedy In two acta, comes to the Empire theatre on New Year's week. The company in eludes Hilda Thomas, Bam Mylle. Bid Forrester. Lou Mall. Josephine Floyd, Chsrlea Halgh. Charles K. Parcor, Es telle Bird, Bert Watnwrlght. May and Edna Sweeney (Apollo Quartet), Iaabel Foote, Nellie Dowdell. Susette Beatty, Elisabeth Thomas. Camilla Astor. Leona Burna Nellie Wilson. Ida Scott, Vera Pindar and others, also 30 singing and dancing girla Bijou's Christmas Bill. The Bijou management wants every one in the city to have a good time to day. It's 'Merry Christmas," the right Uene far plessure. The shows today will be exceptionally good, and tomor row begins another big holiday pro gram. May and Miles bring to the Bijou that famous travesty sketch of their s. "See ing Things." It's full of songs snd dsnces that go right to the fun center. Welch and Maltland come from New York with their top line acrobatic and contortion performance. Don't con found theee specialists with most of their kind. They are In another clsss sltogether. "The trials snd troubles of an suto moblllst" la the name of a particularly happy film for the Bljougraph. which has been secured for the week. "A Chinaman's acrobatic guest" la another. Pearl Grayson haa one of those illus trated songs which have made her fa mous. Florence Morrell. the musical danseuse, ahould go on the top line. She'a really the finest dancer who ever trod the Bijou boards, and that to say ing a good deal, as any patron will tes tify. Every afternoon and evening dur ing the week. Continuous today. "Merry Christmas," again. Holiday Bill at the Star. Chrlatmaa hells will chime merrily at th Star theatre today, and the pro gram will be contlnuoua from 2 to 10:10 p. m. There la no merrier place on earth than the Star theatre, and a program In keeping with the glad season Is on. Tomorrow is a legal holiday, and the bill will also be contlnuoua from Z to 10:10 p. m. The beet acta obtainable have been engaged for Chrlatmaa week. The headllner la the brilliant London soubrette. Delay Harcourt, who opena the week with an entirely new act Mlaa Harcourt Is a London favorite, and her engagement last week shows that she Is already a Portland favorite, and her title, "the greatest female mimic In the world," will not be queetloned. The Taggart family of marvelous acrobats la another attractive combination, with an act full of apectacular feata. Ell la and Paloma are high-class sketch artists and duetlsta Montgomery and Cantor are the kings of ragtime. The Delke. are renowned ss sketch artists and ec centric dancers. Arthur Lane, a talent ed alnger, haa a new pictured ballad. The projectoecope with new moving plo turea closes the great bill. The Arcade's Christmas Offering. Today and tomorrow will be merry dsys at the Arcade theatre, for the bill la contlnuoua from 2 to 10:10 p. m and the program has been selected with spe cial reference to the Christmas season. Today little Fern Hart and the rest of the star acts of the present bill will appear for the last time. Tomorrow at 2 p. m. the new Chrlatmaa bill will .tart. HeMIng the new bill are the Waldon Bros.. German comedlana. whose songs and dances have the genuine Teutpnlc flavor. Dan and Resale Kelly, known In all the large vanudevllle theatree aa laugh-producers, add a merry element to the bill. Sylvan and O'Nell are the latest etars to enter the popular field of the comedy sketch. Introducing clever acrobatic feats. Llols Mendenhall. the brilliant violin virtuoso. Is a performer whom any far-sighted manager would welcome. Bhe wears dassllng gowns, nnd her playing will demonstrate that she Is a perfect mlatresa of the violin. Genevieve Ardell, a pretty singer nf Illustrated songs, snd the American bio scope, with new moving pictures, end a bill that Is remarkable for Its variety and novelty. I Baker Holiday BiU. Not to be outdone this week, the week of festivities, the management of the baker has got together a great -bill for the week. The very best blgh-claaa talent that could be procured haa been engaged and one of the best bills In the history of the hotise is on for the Week. The list Is headed by the Manning trio, comedy sketch: the Oxford duo. club jugglers. Rlmra. Bomm, B-r-r-r. the original novelty musical team; J. 3. I 'waaaaafaslf ' ' Si'-jJ ''jM-W gtaaaSSi HPv aamnl CROWDED HOUSES NOWADAYS GOOD MORNING! MERRY CHRISTMAS! And Prices All Matinees 10c, 15c, 25c BEGINNING MATINEE TODAY and FOUR NIGHTS THIS WEEK WITH SPECIAL CHRISTMAS MATINEE TOMORROW, MONDAY Tbe SavM aratUtiSi sa Ton T New Lumbermen's Quartette Log-Jam Luxurious Appointments 8gk 1 v New Year's Attraction B. C. Whitney's i-i 0 ft Ilrufssy. monolnglst; Jean Wilson In Il lustrated songs, Edith Clark, aoubrette: Norwood brothers, horlsnntal bar act. and ths olograph In new pictures- When you go to the Baker, you get the best seats, hear good music and eee the hlgh.f salaried artists In the vaude ville business that visit the coast. Don't overlook the Baker In your Christmas round thla week. You'll nnd enjoy ment to your liking In plenty. Columbia Theatre A. Phone Main 311 CHRISTMAS WEEK 5 Sunday Matinee (today) December 25th, Belasco & DeMilie's Three Matinees This Week, Today and Saturday Chanty " MAGIC BELASCO STAGE SETTINGS Beautiful Story of High Life, Ending in Wedding Bella NOTE THE PRICES FOR EVERY PERFORMANCE t EVENING 50c, 35c, 25c, 15c. MATINEE 35c, 15c, 10c NO HIGHER Down-town Box-office open at The Dolly Varden Candy Shop, 327 Morrison Street, 10 A. M, until 7 P. M. After 7 P. M. at the Theatre, Fourteenth and Washington Streets Next Attraction fSSSf" Ihe Last Word" EMPIRE Same The Refreshing, The Merry Swedish Boy Prom the Hills of the Old Country :: :: :: :: YON A Favorite With toe Girls A Treat for the Old Folks Be loved by the Chil dren A Source of Pure Fun .. YONSON A Night in JIU-JITSU OR ORIENTAL STRATEGY This wonderful Japanese method of attack and self-defense will be clearly set forth by GENERAL BUNEMON Nil And his. company of 15 Jiu-jitsu Performers, direct from the home of the Mikado, at the Marquam Grand Theater, Thursday Evening, December 29 Surer than a gun or qlub. Will defeat a person using either. It is a perfect defense against the use of fists. . Come and see this marvelous performance. Watch the little Jap overcome burly athletes twice his size. Observe the vital touch whereby the Jap subdues his opponent. Sale of seats opens Tuesday, December 27, at the Marquam Box Office. Prices', 25c, 50c, 75c and $1.00. In Holiday Attire. The Lyric has on Its holiday attire this week and announces one of ths hast bills since the opening of this popular family vaudeville houae. In sddltlon to the regular attractions, Friday night, as usual, they will give away tt In gold at each performance. On Thursday' (Continued on Page Nineteen.) H. BALLARD, Lessee and Manager Down-town Box-office Phone Main 110 Deautuui society play The THEATRE GEO. L BAKER. Manager. Now to tatam TWO, BIG SUCCESSES THIS WEEK! Evening prices 15c, 25c, 35c, 50c THREE NIGHTS, STARTING THURSDAY EVENING, DEC.29 REGULAR MATINEE SATURDAY. dlslsll! BVaa?V Big Musical Extravaganza T r MilTHFttS SAKE aV "RUSSIA AS SHE IS TODAY" Lecture by HERBERT S. ELLISON At Y. M. C. A Tuesday Evening. Dec. 27, 1904 Admission 25c SpCCial Dsy Mst- inae) Tomorrow, Mon day, December N Ball SUCCESS CROWNS OUR EFFORTS fA9 B ssrxl H E SHOW GIRL, Japan V ,aaw i -a r .safgaaTJ