Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-10-30

place the scene in New York. and you
have a fair idea OF the successful farce
comedy, called by its author, II. A, du
Souchet, My Friend From India. 1t is
far and away the funniest thing that
has been seen in dramatic way in
New York for many seasons. The au-
thor is new to the puhlic-indeed.
throughout his play there Is plenty of
evidence Of ineXperiencc; but this same
quality adds to the work and results in
n series of absurdly novel situations,
refreshing to those familiar with the
conventlonallties of stagecraft.
The plot is simple and iegltimately
absurd. Erastus Underholt is retired
pork packer from Kansas City with
his son and two daughters he has come
to New York whore he has taken
house and made heroic but ineifectual
efforts to get into society. His son
Charles however, has plunged into
lively social set aud has eXasperated
his father by frequent escapades. Re-
pentance has come with the aching
head, but the oftenses are repeated un-
til the parent announces that the next
lapse will result in the boys dismissal
from the house.
When the curtain goes up the dis
covcry is made that Charles has been
unusually festive the night before. and
has brought home with him a man
to whom he Is an utter stranger.
1 What to do with him. or how 20 eX-
plain his presence. he does not know.
He wakes him up and questions him.
to find he is barber with a leaning
| towards theosophy. He had picked
him up in the corridor of hotel.
An idea strikes the lad. He CARDS
| the man in yellow silk dressing gown
and introduces him to his father as
| the Rev. James Tweedle. just arrived
| from Europe-the name he had OBJ
4 Alt 4. 4.
| mornings paper. The old boy is APP
| peased, for he sees in this theosophist
| a fad" that will interest society and
! so draw people to his house Against
| his WILL and to the horror of Charles
| the barber Is kept prisoner in the
! house, becoming at once the object or
| Charles loathlng and despair and the
| admiration of the women on account
| OF his lncomprehenslble theories. A
! policeman on the beat" illustrates his
| efforts to escape. Absurd things hap
| pen that tend to strengthen the pork
| packers belief In his supernatural
powers and confusion is multiplied.
| Hints slyly and adrotly dropped to
| reporters are worked out into news
paper articles, until the demands to
| see the new fad become extensive.
| But, reading these notices. the real
| James Tweedle comes to the house to
| know what 1t all means. Simutane-
ously with his visit, Charles and a
| friend, Tom Valentine, determine to
disguise themselves as the minister in
| order to get the barber away Each
conceals from the other his plot. It is
needless to add that when the three
| meet there Is an explosion. Mean
while. the situation becomes appalling,
and to get out of the difficulty the en-
tire crowd conspire against the pork
packer to convince him he is intoxi-
| Gated
| This is done successfully Although
| he has taken but single glass of
| whisky he is made TO believe himself
drunk. The theosophist frees him from
the spell. He has to shoulder the
| shortcomings of every one, it being
insisted that everything took place
J when he was under the influence of