The Saint Paul globe., 1902-02-17
|fI7'TR'''L9

Sparkling with radiant fun 1.-THE Girl
From Maxim's'' last night stepped into
the high favor of the patrons Of the Met
ropolitan. George Feydeau's clever farce
is one Of the few purely French produc-
tions that have tickled the American
| sense of humor and it's fun-producine
qualities lost nothing at the hands Of
the well balanced company intrusted with
it this season.
THE Girl FromMaxim 81 is funny, racy
piquant, but never risque, and though
farcical the plot is more than a sem
blance. Feydeau has worked out a story
based on the visit of a Partisan doctor
to the celebrated cafe that is hardly prob
able in all its ramifications, but is still
so clear, if a slightly exaggerated por-
trayal, of the retributiVe ills which might
befall the wayward husband as to i'm.
pose a very small tax on the ilnagina-
ton of the average American, much less
the amateur high roller
The theme is hardly new, but its treat
ment is new. DR. Petypont, struggling
Partisan physician marries a wealthy,
if not beautiful spinster who is thor
oughly committed to belief in ghosts
and other things occult. In the absence
of his wife the doctor decides to see fife
for himself Under the influence of too
much wine he suddenly blooms into a
girl, unattended. strikes his fancy and
loosens both the strings to his heart and
purse.
The girls escort does not return. The
doctor in his mellow condition offers to
escort her to a hotel, but takes her un-
Willingly to his own house. She occupies
the best chamber in the house, while the
doctor goes to sleep under a settee in
the adjoining parlor. The first act opens
upon the doctor waking with splitting
head, but in blissful ignorance of the
fact that he has as a guest THE Girl
From Maxim s. The wife returns almost
simultaneously with the waking of the
unwelconne guest, and the fun of three
acts is furnished by the poor doctor s
efforts to separate himself from the
girl and keep her out of his wife's
sight. The scene changes from Paris 10
Touraine and back to Paris, but the fun
never lags for a minute The girl
passes as the exigencies of the rapidly
changing situations demand. as the wife
niece or aunt of about half of the Petty
pont family. and eventually clears up uha
domestic mystery, which is rapidly ap-
preaching a tragedy by going off to
Africa with the doctors uncle, Gen. Petty
pont.
Miss Lena Merville, as Praline. "the
Girl is admirable in a part which makes
strenuous demands Her dramatic treat
ment of the radiant, but far from in
gengous beauty from Maxim 5. is superior
to that of her predecessor, seen in ST.
Paul last season. What Miss MervilIe
lacks in the personal idealization of the
Girl she more than makes up in her
conception and portrayal She is pretty,
dashing, a queen of the Latin quarter
but she leaves the local coloring of the
submerged third to a background shading
that is ever present Jut never obtrus-
i've or suggestive.
There are two familiar faces in the
company, Joseph Allen as Gen. Petypont
and John III. Armstrong as LIE Duc Both
are warm favorites in st. Paul in tneir
respective roles, and deservedIy so. Mr.
Aliens Gen. Petypont. is the breeziest
kind of an old French general home
on leave, whose stilted mannerisms are
replete with infectious humor. which
never descends TO buffoonery. Mr.. Arm
strong, makes the weak-minded duke
one whom his audience laughs with. the
accomplishment of the very acme of the
character comedians art. Miss Florence
Gerard is an effective Nine. Petypont.
and except in the third act makes the
most Of trying role. Mr.. FL. T. Thomp-
son invests the Abbe Chanteau with Z
dignity altogether refreshing after the
carieatured diyines of the modern farce.
The large company has very few weak