The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-13

given to understand, because Lazy Liz
accused Houston Street Mol of trying
to steal her man; while Mol, 1t was at
! frmed. though habitually drunk. was
invulneraby virtuous. To keep her thus,
| the wealthy young settlement worker
| took her to her heart and advised n
| little soap and water; the latter influ-
ence proving. presently, to be of dubious
value. as Mol when scrubbed. excited
the opportunities of the young fortune
| hunter who was engaged to wed the
wealthy pliilanthropist.
| 1t became clear almost Immediately,
| that the plot was out OF Nellie, the
] Beautiful Cloak Model" by THE Gay
Lord Quex.' 1t had the form of the
! former (Which shall describe in this
! letter. and the substance OF tho latter
/ Moll. total abstainer and the fancee OF
the bartender In whose saloon she had
| got fighting drunk, plans to lure the
| faithless wooer to q fatal indlscretion
The spectacle of this meeting forms the
| great" scene Of the play. OF which every
detail is foreseen by the most mex
perienced person. II ono were inclined
to take the writer seriously, objection
might be made to the revolving details
Of the meeting OF the young cad, al
most on the eve OF his wedding. and
Houston Street Moll. In the latter's bed
room: and certainly the cheap veneer of
Christian reverence over tho vicious fall
sity is reprehensible.
The flrst-nighters in the parquet did not
conceal their ridicule of this slum drama.
! although those In the gallery acclaimed
1t with cheers. So there, probably Is
prosperous future for 1t. in the proper
place. h1olps trick to be discovered with
the br1degroom-elect by his fiancee, as
was to be expected. brought down that
wealthy angels scorn upon her, while
1t brought down more humping of the
husky bartender's fists on the young
rake. The fight caused the smashing into
bits of lamp. the mussing up of very
eood-looiing young actor. and other mis-
haps. 1t was a right lively scrap. '"rhe
Straight Road" certainly Is ono of tho
most active OF pugilistio dramas. Mol,
having been cursed by half OF the cast.
declares there Is no use In being virtuous,
and announces her devotion to a life of
crime. Tho pugilistio spirit selling her.
When she is without even n punching-bag
to work 1t or on. she begins landing
upper-cuts to ch!ffonniers and Knockout
blows to well-meaning Morris chairs. In
her outbreak of violence she rips win
dow-shade from It's roller whereupon
blue moonlight streams upon picture
Of the Virgin and Child. and Mol Is
bathed again In religious virtue-to stay
so. SO far as Fitch lets us know.
Puzzle for Fitch.
Fitch had puzzling night with the
smultaneousness OF Tho Truth" and
1.-THE Straight Road He directs the
productions OF his plays. from the selec-
ton Of the actors to the smallest point
in their acting. But that work was done,
and he had merely to walt for the audi
ences verdict Those audiences however,
would expect him to respond to their
demands for thank-you speech. Miss
Walsh would get to the end of the
second of her three acts at just about |
10 o'clock and Miss Bloodgood to the
end OF tho third Of her four at close to
10:15 But would the two perform
ances run on schedule time? They did.
and the author was able to get his |
reception at both theatres.
Tho phenomena of audiences are pc
cullar. especially as to laughter. I |
studied the merriment at Matilda" be-
cause three-folwts Of the people didn't
laugh at all, while the other quarter
laughed necessarily. OF the row OF twelve
where sat, nine regarded the farce with
faint smiles. and once In while a
snlcker. but never with a laugh. OF
tho three others, n boy gave out q sue |
cesslon OF outlaws. n man roared bos-
terloal with her glee that her companion
had to take her out. This uneven effect
OF I. N. Aforrls's farce Is due to tho
fact that some of us think "Charleys
Aunt used up all the fun possible in
man disguised as a woman. and others
find 1t as funny as ever. In the new play
a fellow and girl swap trousers and
skirts. and fool the master Of a yacht
and his guests They sing and dance.
too. for this is q musical farce. although
there is no chorus. ballet or extravagan-
isn't a grotesque comedian, like Dtienne
Glrardot in "Charley's Aunt" but the
good-ooking young Alfred Hickman. who
was Blanche Walsh's husband with mono
but themselves knowing It. until Blantne
showed the marriage certificate along
with n decree OF divorce.
Camille D'Arvlle and Paula Edwardes
have come into New York with como
operas-"The Belle OF London Town" and
"The Princess Reggar." The curtain
had hardly more than risen on 1.-THE Belle
of London Town" before saw that it
was The School for Husbands which
Alice Fischer had used a year as a
plain comedy; and that play had been
put on the stage still earlier as "Belin- !
da," with Sarah Cowell Lemoyne TO
STANCES prose he has added ,
verses. set to music by Julian Edwards,
th,s evolving very good comic opera.
with dashy sort OF role for the spec
tacular Miss DArville. But Isn't STANCE
q lucky chap to be able to save a
play from Il failure under Its tirst title
when 1t was rather serious and carry 1t
along through very moderate success
under a second title. when 1t was made
altogether jocular, to finally land 1t with
triumph under u third title.
when It has become q comic opera?
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