"THE ROSARY"

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 151, 27 June 1914, Page 8

"THE ROSARY"

PRODUCTION AT THE OPRRA HOUSE. The American eong, "The Rosary," with its plaintive melody and iv& (f<vr fio many people) attractive words, has been almost as popular ne "Down tho Mississippi" or "The Trail of the Lone-, some Pine." In. "The Rosary," raghas had to compete with a very serious rival for popularity, for while there might have been here and there many who would have barred ragtime on Sun.da.yß, xvo objection >cduld be offered to the singing of "The Rosary" on that day except by the most ardent of anti-papists. Having, then, bo suevce««?ully _ "caught on"— as the phrase goee — it is not surprising that the eong lias formed the basis for a, cinematograph story, nor at ail strange that it should have been dramatised. Tho motive of the play, "Thd Rosary," as produced by George Willoughby last evening, was wholly beneficent. 'It waa to direct the attention,; of men and women through a genial' Catholic priest, on© Father Kelly, to' a higher than iuiman Power who could be called upon, and not in vain, to) help them to do right and shunevil when they were unequal to either task. So it was a sugar-coated pill, a sermon in disguise. There is in "The Rosary" ac a play, however—at any* rate as eoen last night— possibly more 1 sugar than pill, »o much so fts for some digestions to render the effects of the medicament entirely inoperative. But for those with a very »weei tooth (dramatically speaking) "The Rosary 11 is tho very thing they have been look* ing foT. It is claimed that, this play' is now the "East Lymve" of the United, fet-ates. Quite likely. If it, be co, then the American playgoer who likes that 1 eort o£ thing knows a good thing when. 1 lie sees it. For "The Rosiwyi* and plays of its character there ib a good market; it really does fill a genuine, want. It could be played on Sundays where Sunday pkys are permitted and' really do aiobody any harm beyond de-> priving the hardworking people on thestage and in front of the house of a well-earned day of rest. The whole fabric really rests on one basic character, to wit, Father Brian, Kelly. He is discovered in the first act as the guest of a wealthy Wall-street speculator, whom he recognises as the 1 son of the girl whom he ohce loved, but renounced in response to the higher call' of his Church. In this house he meets, too, with a converted "crook" (or bae 1 character), who is earning an honest living as a va-let. He is officially ad> divssed as Leo Martin, but to his friends is known at. "Skeeters." He and Father Kelly have met before^ when he was earning a living by crooked means. Father Kelly (so like a clergyman) has called at the rich speculator's house in connection with the spiritual needs of the district and the necessity for putting them on a surer financial basis than they are at that time. In his hostess Vera ■ Wilton (the speculator's wife) Fathe* Kelly meets a good Catholic and an openhanded one. He is instrumental ia Setting her right in the eyes of her hus.band, who (if she had only beeh as candid as any i>ea«onable wife would be) wrongly accuses her of treachery where, her motives were crystalline in theip' purity: and Father Kelly, too, brings the villain to his knees in contrition and.. penitence 1 with every pro&pect of his. amending his ways and raining straight in the future. *. .Candidly, tho play will jiofc beae ■analysis or obm'parison with" life 1 "ai* it really is. Mr. Hai-rington Reynolds, who plays Father Kelly, looks the part. He is tall, portly, fresh coloured, white* headed and good looking. But he is nob very much like an Irish, priest of the type he essays to portray, nor does his tongue take kindly to English ac Bpoken. by an Irishman. Miss Grace Reading,' who played Kathleen O'Connor, the niece of the priest, was far better in the Irish, brogue, but even she spoke it in that stagey manner which not unreasonably acts as an irritant on the oat's of alt true Irishmen. The humour of Lee Martin (Mr. George Leary) and Lesura. Watkiha (Miss Ethel Elder), his complementary fellow domestic servant, was quite too American to be understood by the house. At any rate, it did nob laugh much at it and took a. quite perceptible time to grasp the points. Miss Jessie Arnold, who along conventional melodramatic lines player quite well, doubled the parts of Vera Wilton and her erring twin sister Alice Marsh, the victim Of the villain's wickedness. The villain himself Was reasonably Well 'interpreted by Mr. Walter Fenner. Chtvrley Harrow, a very love sick youth, was allotted to Mr. Paul Byron, The scenery was pretty, and there was quite a lofc of. music between the actfl and incidental to the play itself. "The Rosary" will be repeated this evening.