The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-10-30
ANUS ENTs.

Great Success of LEND Mo Your Wife"
NJ the Academy.
Mr., Roland Reed and his company
presented LEND Me Your Wife," at the
Academy of Music last night in a most
enjoyable manner. Every seat in the
house was taken. and many stood up.
and the big audience was in a continued
shout of laughter from the time the cur
tain went up until it fell upon the tab
leaux of Captain Tarbox's Jormentors on
their knees before the irascible old gentle
man, asking his forgiveness. LEND Me
Your Wife, is taken from the same
French farce as Jane" now running In
New York, but differs very much from
the latter. The adaptation OF Mr.. Reeds
version was done by that most skilful
dramauist the late Dion Boucicault, and
his hand is shown in the clean. clear cut.
piquant dialogue and spontaneously
humorous situations.
The story is one of humorous complied
lions caused by Dick Easily borrowing
HIS friend Tom Banting's wife to imper-
senate Mrs. Easily to Captain Abner
T'arbox, Dicks uncle, a dumineering old
sea captain from kennebunk, Me-, who
had ordered Dick TO get married some
time before under penalty of losing his
allowance. Dick is really in love with
the Captains daughter Kitty. The action
covers only one day, u takes place in
the drawing room of the Buntings which
the Captain thinks belongs to his nephew,
md calmly takes possession OF to the con-
~sternation of its rightful owners.
AS Captain Tarbox Mr.. Reed is much
more happily placed than in "The Club
Friend" His makeup and facial express
siou are good, and his mannerisms which
in the latter play were Objectionable. are
natural and funny in the Captain from
M. - ~ s.thc vynnfo tn ~nn nunrtrhndr
Speaking of Mr.. Reeds mannerisms. he
has two which he ought to get rid of at
once. The least is his habit OF ending
everv other sentence with a prolonged
er-er-er. The other Is his entr' acte
m%onologue in the shape OF a presumably
funny speech. Last night Mr.. Reed
took q curtain call at the end of the
second act, ami CAV a very bad imita-
tion of two of Harry Kernell's stories.
Mr.. Reed is funny in his proper place as
a comedian. but variety specialties are
not u fitting adjunct to SO good and
humorous a comedy as Lend Me Your
WIFE," Mi. Reed as Captain Tarbox
does the best work of his career, the
play OF emotions being admirably ex-
pressed by look, gesture and action. Mr..
Reed ought TO stick TO Captain Tarbox as
his best creation.
Mr. George Frederick Nash made a dis
ttnct hit as Dick Easily, who causes all
lu6 JlOuO1C. Il 10 so tCato ato
lines we'll, and by his work shows himself
to be one of the foremost young leading
men on the stage. The scene in which be
takes in as a matter of course that his
friend Tom will loan him his wife-"It's
only for an afternoon. Tom. was SO we'll
done hat 1t received a merited Dun of
applause. yy4
MI. William Friend as Tom Bunting,
Mr.. Davidge as Fnnniebone Of the Ken
nebunk Torpedo, and Mr.. ,Smily as Mrs.
Bunting's father, deaf from the effects of
uuinine, did good work.
Miss Isadore Rush as Mrs. Bunting and
Miss Percy Hasweil us Miss Kitty Tar
box were delightful, and the most charm
ing and humorous scene in the piece, that
with the screen in the second act, was due
to their clever work with Messrs. Nash
and Friend. Mrs. Myers as the nurse was
particularly good in her scene with Mr..
Reed.
Mr.. Reeds company has an opportunity
in this play to show Of what good mate
rial It IL made. and he has reason to be
proud OF it. LEND Me Your Wife" was
Il pronounced success and il auy one
wants to enjoy a hearty laugh he ought
to see it.