The San Francisco call., 1905-01-07
RUBENS'
LATEST PLAY
''Lady Madcap," Exploiting
Franks of Peers Daughter,
an Attractive Stage Piece

LONDON. Jan. ,S.-"Lady Madcap."
the new musical piece by Paul Rubens
and Newman Davis, which George
Edwardes produced last Saturday
night, has been waited for with un-
usual interest Paul Rubens, who sup
plies the music and some of the words
of the new play. is the author of
Three Little Maids" and in his latest
effort several of the company who
played in the Little Maids" in the
Australia, make their temperance
Chief of these is G. P. Huntley, whose
acting as a silly swell has made
big hit
Curiosity was rife to see whether
these players had been supplied with
another vehicle worthy of their tai
ents.
Although Paul Rubens has not writ
ten another Three Little Maids" the
play which he and Newman Davis
have put together Is an attractive one
as 1t stands, and promises to be an un-
commonly attractive one by the time
it is presented to American audiences.
Newman Davis is a retired lieutenant
colonel in the army, who has written
amusingly for several years about
gastronomic matters the world over,
and who now makes his first appear
ance as a librettist.
IN LOVE WITH SOLDIER.
Lady Madcap" is all about the pranks
of Betty, peers pretty daughter. She
has fallen in love with a young soldier
named Smith, as the result of having
seen him make a century" at cricket.
Hearing that his regiment is stationed
close by, she invites the whole outfit
to her fathers country seat, Egbert
Castle. Now, Lord Framlingham de-
tests soldiers, so Lady Betty sends him
a telegram. purporting to come from
the Foreign Office, as the result of
which he posts off to London, taking
with him his highly severe butler.
When the soldiers arrive, however,
Lady Betty discovers that her hero,
Smith, is only a private, and therefore
unable to meet her on equal terms. AS
matter of fact, he is Auroya Brown,
a young millionaire, who is doing
short tour of soldering for the fun of
it. But his pretty hostess, knowing
nothing of this. urges him to gain ac-
cess to the drawing-room by taking the
place of the absent butler. Smith
agrees. and in order to keep him in
countenance Lady Betty masquerades
as a lady's maid, first persuading her
girl chun. Gwenny Holden, to pass
herself off as the daughter of the house.
OF course, all sorts of complications
arise Immediately. The amateur but
Ter gets himself into hot water by un-
due familiarity with the guests, while
Lady Betty's chum in her assumed
character of peers daughter is over
whelmed with attentions, notably from
a French Count (Maurice Farkoa),
who is among the company.
TRIUMPH OF CUPID.
Finally, it having leaked out that the
real hostess is disguised as a lady's
maid, every pretty domestic In the
place is courted in turn in the hope
that she may be Lady Betty.
The end comes when Lord Farming
ham returns and bursts in wrathfully
on the merry scene. He is placated.
however, upon discovering that the
young man whom he sees in buffers
dress is millionaire who has proposed
marriage to his daughter. and all ends
happily.
G. P. HuntIey is the make-believe
butler, and when he has worked up his
part more will be quite as amusing as
he was in Three Little Maids" Madge
Crichton is not in the cast. the part of
Lady Betty being taken by Adrienne
Augarde, another of George Edwardes'
finds and a most winning young wom-
an. Della Mason plays the part of
Gwenny Holden. Lady Betty's chum.
while George Carroll is a diminutive
corporal.