Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-16
GRAND PLAYERS PRESENT
THEIR USUAL MELoDRAMA

'Since Nellie Went Away is the title
of the weeks offering at the Grand. The
title, however, does not describe the play.
"Since Nellie Went Away would be an
appropriate title for comic song or
a burlesoue. 1t calls up visions of long
red hosiery chorus girls all in row,
Dutch comedians and acrobats doing a
turn in the olio. 1t should be to laugh,
but the man who goes to the Grand TINS
week in search of hilarity is pettlng on
the wrong shell.
.'Since Nellie Went Away" is to weep.
1t is mournful sobbiness in large sticky
gobs Tears bedew each scene with saline
wetness. Hunger stalks abroad in hid
eous gauntness. Poverty displays it's un-
happiness unrebuked. A near deserted
husband and ditto wife pour their griefs
into unsympathetic ears while their un-
happy other halves vainly search the
| streets for them on the other side of the
| canvas 1t is a near tragedy, which Is
saved from being altogether so by a
| junk mans habit of going through the
| pockets of every coat that comes In his
! way. w
Opens with Eiopement
Nellie was a fisherman's daughter ant
Roy Thatcher was a millionaire's son
| They met loved and eloped. Nellie slows
away the marriage certificate in her coal
pocket and on the way home drops 1t
| Roy's enemy picks 1t up and puts. 1t ir
his pocket So when Roy is called away
suddenly to New York no one can prove
that Nellie was married. A peddler tells
| Nelies mother of seeing Nellie and Roy
| in a New York hotel and the girl is
| turned out of the home she is supposed
to have disgraced
She goes to New York to find Roy, and
here the villain gets busy. He.leads Roy
to believe that Nellie has fled from home
with another man. He shows Roy let
ter from Nellie's mother casting off her
daughter as unworthy, and he prevents
Nellie from meeting her husband.
In her troubles the girl roams up
and down Broadway until she is ex-
hausted and turns down side street
to die in front of a pawnship rather
than hook her wedding rihg.t Here
she is found by Gabriel Farley, an old
sweetheart, who lends her money, but
forgets to ask her where she is board
ing Then Gabriel hunts up Roy and
tells him in plain United States what
loY, mean kind of sneaking cur a
man is who deserts his wife. 1t doesn't
take so long a sentence as that, for De
Grasse uses condensed language.
Nellie Is Found
Finally the two start out to hunt up
ENellle. sIHey iHu HSf, put tHo tioupiS
doesn't end. No, no and again no. Just
then enters the policemahNand arrests
Roy for stealing money from his old
man. Comes also the old man with
an offer to withdraw the charge If Roy
will throw down Nellie and marry an
other. Roy comes through with lurid
comment on the old mans character
and history and prophecy of his future
existence which the audience heartily
indorses. But it all comes out right in
the last act.
Lillian Hayward was the really inter-
esting event of the play, though the
flowers went to Lule Warrenton, who
returns to play character roles after
an absence of several months. Law
renee Underwood makes his first ap-
pearance. succeeding Charles Caulkins
in heavy roles. Underwood is de-
mure but deadly villain.