Advertised as an historical romance, "A King of Nowhere," which came to the Shubert last night, is rather to be classed as a mock heroic. The play is ridiculously melodramatic and in most cases hopelessly over-acted. There is a great deal of stamping of feet and waving of arms, and Mr. Lou-Tellegen's arms are so long that one is sometimes reminded of the proverbial windmill.

The scene is laid at the court of King Henry VIII of England at the time when that jovial monarch is enjoying the company of his sixth wife, Catherine Parr. At the court is Godred, a Celtic knight, detained in the palace as a prisoner of war. Godred is a heroic figure; a typical "man who knows no fear."

King Henry being out of sorts over the failure of the royal pond to yield him fish, summons Godred before him. In a fit of anger at the latter's boldness he orders him to be shot at sunrise, only in this case "shot" means "beheaded." Only on one condition may his life be spared,--namely, if the Lady Margaret Silchester consents to be his wife. She, dean thing, consents out of pity, only to be refused by the haughty Godred, who swears that he would rather die than live without "love, love, love"!

The scene of the second act is the dungeon, and for a moment, just after the curtain is up, there is a true dramatic touch in the sight of Godred praying in the moonlight. Lady Silchester visits him in his cell and is discovered by Lord Henry Fitzwalter, who loves her. Tableau: frightened heroine, brave hero, scurvy villain. Godred conquers by means of his "evil eye."

The last act takes place in an ante-room in Hampton Court Palace. King Henry is here seen at his best and kept the audience in high good humor over his buffoonery. The act closes with the heroine in the hero's arms and a ridiculous clap-trap stage device showing the Celtic shores appearing through the royal tapestry on the walls.

Mr. Lou-Tellegen tries hard in his unfortunate role of Godred and it is not his fault that he does not succeed. He has an attractive personality and dramatic ability, but in this play he is doomed to fail. Miss Olive Tell is miscast as Lady Silchester and the only one of the cast whose merit stands out above the rest is Mr. Sidney Greenstreet, whose characterization of Henry VIII is highly successful.