The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-04-02

Something About the Brilliant
Woman.
"The Mysterious Mr.. Bugle," Made
line Lucette Ryley's new three-act
farce, received its second production
last night at the Academy of Music in
this city, and its reception was repe-
tition of the ovation which its initial
performance was rendered in Wilkes
Barre at the Grand Wednesday night.
There was a curtain call after the first
act and after the second act the man
at the windlass must have thought that
the prompter was playing an April
joke on him, for the signal bell up in
the flies was kept jingling for several
minutes, and only ceased when the au-
thoress herself, in response to calls OF
"Ryley," "Ryley," from all parts of
the house, came out and bowed and
blushed and smiled and threw kisses
to the clapping, cheering house and
warmly shook hands with Miss Russell,
who went off the stage with her. 1t is
not putting it too strong to say that
better pleased audience never left the
Academy.
A pure farce introducing the GUS
tCmary complications, with the sugges-
tive ones left out, and treated with
the richest kind of delicate humOr in
a most clever manner Is way or de-
scrbing "The Mysterious Mr. Bug!e'
i'm brief. The story hinges on the Jeal-
ousy of one Tom Pollinger, who VIII
lose his eccentric grandmother mil
lions if he marries before he reaches
what she believes to be years of dis
cretion. and who i'm order to protect his
betrothed, Betty PondaCre, from the
attentions of other men, induces her
to assume the evil station of gEass-
widowhood and the name of Mrs. Solo
mon Bugle.
The amount of bother that the au-
thOress manages to work out of this
situation is possibly the best evidence
of her versatility and the manner in
which she doVe-tailS the various COM
plicatiOns is the greatest tribute TO her
CleverneSs. There is q constant sue
cessi0n of complex situations and yet
ut no time is the play out of joint OF the
story forced.
Miss Annie Russell and Joseph Hol-
land play the leading roles and when
it is said the characters lit them as if
they were made for them enough is
said. Guy Starding, Miss Agnes Find
lay, Miss Grace Fisher and last but
by no means least Edgar Norton fill the
other principal roles most carefully.
TALK WITH THE PLAYWRITE.
Mrs. Ryley is just as bright and
| CHEEKY and clever as is her production
and that is saying a good deal for her
personality, as those who saw the play
will attest, without equivocation. When
seen by Tribune reporter after the
performance she was bubbling over
with joy at the success which her first
| effort in this new field has met She
quite agreed with the criticisms of the
press that THE Mysterious Mr.. Bugle"
is her masterpiece. Heretofore she has
confined her play writing to that class
of productions which have serious
ground work to carry the comedy.
She thought she would try her hand
as she expressed herself, at writing a
pure comedy of the drawing room type
| that would appeal particularly to lovers
of the finer grain of comedy work. 1t
was an experiment with her, but she
| feels, as she delicately put it, that she
| has not altogether failed.
| Mrs. Ryley began her play writing in
a rather accidental kind of way. She
| was starring in stock piece some
| years ago, but was unsuccessful. Hel
| manager, like herself. was not bur
| dened with too much of the dross OF
| this world. He told Mrs. Ryley, ol
| Madeline Lucette, as she was knoWr
| before the footlights, that if she would
secure a play that would be suitable tc
her peculiar style, he would be pleased
| to again engage her.
WROTE FOR HERSELF.
The engaging of a playwrite to built
an especial character to fit her was toe
great an expense for her means as i
was for the managers. To overcome th'
difficulty she decided to write a play
| herself. She did, and played it, anC
| with excellent success. But she wal
not destined to play in it long for TIT
worth of her writing was readily recog
nized and she soon had to give up play
ing altogether to attend TO the de
mands for her writing.
Her first play, Lady Jemina," wa
purchased by Minnie Maddern. Chris
topher, Jr.," was her first substantial
success. 1t captured New York anC
placed her in the front rank Of play
writes. Then came the American Cit
izen," which Nat Goodwin is now star
ring in; "Richard Savage" also owned
by Nat Goodwin, and Coat of Man!
Colors, (which Herbert Kelcey and Eff
Shannon will produce shortly. She l
now engaged i'm writing new plays 70
John Drew and T.. II. Sothern. "Th
Mysterious Mr.. Bugle" is to be put ol
next season at the London Comedy the
atre, Charles Hawthrey having pur
chased the English rights.
Mrs. Ryley stipulates i'm all her con
tracts that she shall supervise the Sc
lection of the cast. The cast in MI
Bugle" was selected by her manager
Mr.. Bradley, and met with her endorse
ment in every particular. She is high
ly pleased with the interpretations o
Miss Russell and Mr.. Holland and at
tributed much of the success of tn
production to the fact that they are S
naturally fitted to the parts and ap
preciate them so well.