The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-01-20
WHY SMITH LEFT HOME.
a Large Audience Finds Out Why 1t
Was Last Night.


him
In fact, it was apparent from the
start, that Smith loved his wife. If he
hadn't, in the first place, he would never
have objected to company which pre-
vented him from enjoying her aSSocta-
ton personally. And secondly, he would
never have committed the grievous
error of kissing his wife'S "touchingly
clever maid, and thereby mourning an
expense of $500 and no end of perturba-
ton of mind and mental suffering. And
last Gut not least, he could never have
declared his love for his wife in such
manly tones to presumably bit of
French femininity trying to htrt with
him behind fan, but who in reality
was Smiths wife herself. Everything
went to show that he was honest in his
affection.
A large audience, one that filled the
Crawford theater, realized that Smith
loved his wife. 1t was an audience
just as large that didn't blame Smith
for leaving home.
The second of Mr.. Broadhurst's farces
'FWhy Smith Left Home was as we'll
received in this city last night the
first of his farceS presented here What
Happened to JONES' The latter, Mr..
Broadhurst, designated a hilarious
suff1ciency'' and the former is billed as
a ''gleefuI plenitude." Those who saw
them both would probably have diff
Guilty in deciding which they preferred,
the hilarious or the 'tgleeful,' the
"sufdciency'' or the "plenitude."
In constructing the farce seen here
last night it is evident that the author
was not suffering from as severe an at
tack of originality as he was when he
wrote What Happened to Jones'" All
the ideas and a few of the situations in
"Why Smith Left Home" are not new
to the stage, but everyone realizes that
it is extremely difficult to stick to
originality absolutely in farce comedy,
so many ideas have been exhausted in
this class of stage production. But
more to the point is the manner in
which ideas are presented and Situa-
tons arrived at, and what Mr.. Broad
hurst lacks in originality in the crea-
ton, the company he has gathered to-
gether for why Smith Left Home
makes up in the presentation. Several
of the characters are of course cOnVen-
tional, but those on whom the work
DDS
Considered from the standpoint of
what Happened to Jones" the au-
dience last night had fears of Mr..
opening of the second ace. In the form
er, but little time is allowed to elapSe
after the rise of the curtain until the
fun commences at a brisk pace. In the
latter, it is different. The first act is
short and the fun is limited. An au-
dience composed of people who have
seen What Happened to Jones' does
not feel altogether satisfied with the
start of why Smith Left Home
But the satisfaction, probably of as
equally as strong a composition as en-
SenQ6TeQ In6 ingenious ana
the situations that befall him, comes
later. Both the second and third acts
are rather long for farce comedy, and
here is where the application of "glee-
full plenitude" is appropriate. Probably
there are not as many laughs in why
Smith Left Home" as there are in
What Happened to JONES'" but there
are enough to make up a decidedly en-
joyable evening. The finale of the sec
Ond act presents one of the most hu-
morouS situations ever thought of for
farce comedy, and created an outburst
of appreciatiVe enthusiasm last night
which caused the principals to appear
before the curtain and bow their ac-
acknowledgement.
Maclyn Arbuckle is Smith" He is
considerably the senior of his wife, a
hearty, whole-Souled fellow. but whose
good nature had sustained serious in
jury by the fact that he had been mar
ried for six months and still a practical
stranger to his wife's company, because
of overly interested relatives who re-
fuse to leave the couple in peace.
There is no fault to be found with Mr..
Arbuckle's Smith" He is trifie
"blusterous" at times, but his part is
such that he can afford to be without
injuring it's artistic worth. He is orig
inal, and contributes largely to the hu-
NOR of the piece.
To Miss Annie Yeamans, the cook
lady" and Miss Dorothy Csner, the
"touchingly clever maid, belong the
honOrS of the feminine portion of the
and parts that could not be improved
upon. With a versatile career of fifty
years to back her, Miss Yeamans has
constructed a character in the cook
lady, which has probably never been
approached in that style of stage pOr-
trayal. Mr.. BroadhurSt uses the part
to indulge in q satire on modern SER
wants in general.
Miss Usner has had a career on the
stage of but three years, but if she
fails to succeed it will not be because
she has not both ability or ambition
Miss Usner is decidedly pretty-some
critics have declared her one of the
prettiest women on the stage, with a
pair of charming brown eyes and a
knowledge of the art of using them
which should win her success before the
footlights Her "touchingiy clever
maid is one of the most artistic pieces
of acting in the farce, and she proves
herself to be so really clever that the
audience wishes Mr.. Broadhurst could
have made her more in evidence.
All the characters in the comedy, even
the conventional kind, are taken in a
satisfactory manner. Miss Rose Stuart
and Miss Rose Snyder and Mr.. Fred
Peters and Mr.. c. Jay Williams were
particularly capable in their respective
parts. The company seen here is the
only one presenting the farce, and will
take it into New York city for ats inI-
tial run there.
Steamship Line to Tahiti.
San Francisco, Cal, Jan. 2o.-F. S. Doty,
TNvay, y, &n Toll n