TREMONT THEATER -- "Pudd'nhead Wilson," a comedy in prologue and four acts, dramatized by Frank Mayo from Mark Twain's story. First performance in Boston. The cast:

Mr. Frank Mayo has long been favorably known as an actor, and he now demands attention as a dramatist. He appeared in both capacities at the Tremont theater last evening and won cordial applause from a well pleased audience. There were plenty of plaudits throughout the performance and after the third act the actor-dramatist was called before the curtain half a dozen times.

Mr. Mayo has developed a very entertaining play from Mark Twain's story about the man who devoted most of his life to studying the lines on people's thumbs, and who consequently came to be regarded as a "pudd'nhead." It is not a particularly well-constructed play, technically considered, but it is brimful of bright lines, quaint character sketches and contrasted bits of humor and pathos which appeal very strongly to the sympathies of an audience.

He has used excellent judgment in selecting material from the book, but he has tried to use too much. It is a common fault in dramatization of popular books, this effort to introduce a multitude of incidents, many of which are not sufficiently close in their relations to permit of intelligible presentation in the limited confines of a play.

There were moments last evening when one who had not read the book might have found it difficult to understand certain happenings. Another fault is the excessive amount of explanatory dialogue about what has happened and about what is likely to happen. A properly-constructed play tells its story by action, rather than by dialogue.

Mr. Mayo has however given us a play which almost everyone will enjoy, and it is a good wholesome play on an American subject. It is for the most part a comedy, but there are some stirring scenes of a melodramatic order. Pathos is not lacking, but it is not so real as the fun, which is always spontaneous and irresistible in compelling laughter. Many of the character sketches are extremely amusing, and although some of them are rather overdrawn, they all possess a suggestion of genuineness and seem thoroughly appropriate to the delightful southern atmosphere of their surroundings.

The story is told in a prologue and four acts, and follows the book closely, so far as plot is concerned, but numerous changes have been made in minor incidents and character development. In the prologue the two babies are changed and the slave's son is accepted as the heir of the house. The first act begins when the children have grown to manhood. The rightful white son has been reared as a slave and the negro, with only a slight taint in his blood, lives as his half-brother's master. They are the sons of the same father.

To pay a gambling debt, the negro, disguised as a woman, robs various houses, and his mother, who has returned to her old home to see him, is suspected of the crime and accused by her son.

The suspicion falls afterward on the white slave, when Pudd'nhead Wilson's discovery of the unmistakable thumb mark convicts the guilty man.

One of the best scenes is the play is act the close of the third act, when the gentle Pudd'nhead is made to believe that his cherished theory regarding the infallibility of thumb marks has been exploded. It is quiet and simple, but extremely effective. There is also a strong melodramatic scene between the slave mother and her son, and this awakened much applause last evening.

But the best act from a dramatic point of view is the last. This is constantly interesting, and is developed with splendid dramatic skill until the very last moment, when an ill-timed joke from one of the characters mars the artistic effect of an otherwise impressive ending.

The success of the play depends very much upon the title character. This is a deliciously quaint and humorous creation, and Mr. Mayo presents it with wonderous fidelity to life. It is vastly different from the heroic roles with which Mr. Mayo has heretofore been associated, and that he played it so delightfully was a pleasant surprise to his friends. It is a characterization sure to live and long be associated with the actor's name.

Mr. Mayo is supported by a capable company. Miss Eleanor Moretti made an excellent impression as the slave mother, and in appearance fully realized the character. Her acting in the more impassioned scenes was very effective. There was a good deal of intense realism in Mr. Frank Campeau's impersonation of a cowardly and cruel rascal, and Mr. Arnold Daly gave an admirable portrayal of the rightful heir. There are several others in the cast who give careful and picturesque character sketches, and the scenery and stage accessories are beautiful and appropriate.