The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-02
ADJUSTMENTS.


Roland Reeds new play is not as light as
puff of smoke nor as heavy as homemade
dumpling Sydney Resented has taken the
volatile comedians measure in "a Man of
Ideas" and furnished him with an airy
three-act trife. which has nothing that
may be vigorously condemned and a few
situations that make it worth Mr.. Reeds
while. There is no danger of any one with
a weak heart being thrown into a fit of I'M
comfortable laughter, nor is there an oppor-
tunity to grow sleepy. The MAN of Ideas"
who is Mr.. Reed himself might be better
termed "a man of action" 1t is Roland
Reeds great ability for action that car
ries his part through number of rather
unpromising situations. The promoter" of
a trolley system In a Western town is not
the most prolific subject for comedy action.
1t is little more than an understudy of his
famously entertaining role in The Politi-
cian.' Fosco Wales the promoter" is
not much for poetry or love-making, but the
hilarious and winning way in which he
handles aldermen in the little town where
he is after franchise shows that he is
up 10 the stage necessities of his calling.
Two more comcal citizens than these alder
men have never been seen outside of Hoytian
farce. While ii is hardly probably that two
such small town politicians ever INDUCED in
a game of poker, the author had to invent
some scheme tor Fosco Wales to transfer
money from his pocket to theirs. He could
not have hit or happier makeshift if he
had heard of certain visits which Eastern
= trolley-line promoters had made to Indian
apolis during sessions of the Legislature
There is more farce than wit in trolley
lines, and to avoid growing tiresome the
events in the second act are made to take
place during rehearsal of the Forest of Ar
den scene from ''As You Like It" This
bit of novelty is brought about by most
charming widow, who takes a secret pleas
ure In tantalizing her many suitors by APP
pearing in Rosalinds dOublet and hose. She
crosses the path of Fosco Wales in the lit
tie town which he is attempting to fleece
and tantalizes him somewhat. Here is the
opportunity of the playwright. Isadore
Rush is the widow, and a more artistic
Chritsmas-page illustration of a crepeless
public has seen Isadore Rush as q wife, as
q new woman, a society detective and in
several other enterprises, but it remained
Tor sydney RoSenfeld to make her widow.
He has finally given her q part where she
is the commanding genius of the play. Even
Roland Reed is made to knuckle down like
any other member of a supporting cast. He
is crowded from the center of the stage
whenever tine Widow Rush appears. She is
the brainy one, and the MAN of Ideas
finds the widow upsets his plans at every
turn. Her uncle, who comes to assert his
superiority. is easily wrapped around her
tapering finger. The two aldermen, willing
to lay their ill-gotten wealth al her feet do
not appear to have gumptien enough to
feed chickens when 1t comes to an intel
lectual bout with her blonde highness The
audience begins to wonder how ii is all go
ing to turn out. The author must have
DeSn IN the same pIeulcdnlent. he quickly
shifts his motif. Fosco Wales throws the
trolley scheme to the winds and turns
woOer. One day he sends her enough fruit
to feed an orphans asylum; the next he
sends a wagonload of Jack roses. Widow
Rush is fairly smothered with flowers. Her
smiles and costumes grow more seductive
and the roses convert her apartments into
@ fascinating garden, through which she
trips like a nineteenth century fairy. Into
this bower of loveliness Fosco Wales enters
and there follows a comedy scene that is
worth all the rest of the play. Here Roland
Reed has an opportunity for his versatile
genius. He makes love with Irresistible
dash. He tries Princeton mass play and
then bucks the center with all his wits, but
finds the rush mot intended for a pun) line
tmpregnable. He loses the Rugby on
downs ana Miss Rush takes the ball, but
stratagem. He makes a dash around the
end, catches Miss Rush off her guard. and
when she attempts to tackle, Reed carries
the ball over the line for a touchdown. The