The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-06-03
JOHN DREW'S PERFORMANCE PLAY WITH A MISSION "His House in Order" a Fine Vehicle for His
 Special Talents.

Jonn DreWS fifteenth season came to an end last Saturday with double performance of Arthur Pineros four act comedy "His House in Order" at the New Haven theater; both perform ances being attended, as they should has been, by large audiences of the best theatergoing class in New Haven. His House in Order" is another of those polite comedies of manners which one naturally associates nowadays with MT. Drew's suave, well-groomed stage presence; but unlike some of them this is play with mission; the mission, as anyone who knows Pinero knows in advance. being to score without mercy the snug, self-satisfied, unconscious hypocrisy of the British upper middle classes. whose fetich is "respectabili- ty," and whose false sanctimoniousness Mir. Pinero considers to be the death of all real morality. The action of the piece relates it's own moral It seems that some years after the death of his first wife, Annabelie, nee Ridgeley of sainted memory. Filmer lesson, M. P, had married girl named Nina, who first had entered his house as govern ess to the boy Derek, an eight year old relict of his late wife, left to him, as Filmer believed, as pledge of her af- lection to himself, both the nature of the pledge and the true inwardness of the affection. coming out later on in the play. Now Nina is thoroughly good sort, splendid woman really and would have done nobly in her new po- sition, had her quasi-relations by her husbands former marriage left her to herself; which was precisely what they wouldn't. Sir Daniel Ridgeley, pere, Lady Ridgeley, mere, Geraldine Ridge ley and Bryce Ridgeley, plus the ex- husband Filmer, who organized an An nahelle Admiration and Mourning so- ciety, whose object was the eternal glo- { rif1cation of the dear departed, and which it was the duty of every mem Der of both households to ioin Nina very properly declines to affiliate, and there results a whole series of petty prosecutions from the whole bigoted, narrow lot; invidious comparisons, snubs, slurs, innuendoes, the defiant re- ception of which on Ninas part soon brings out her estrangement, not only with the Ridgeleys, but with her own husband. The attempts that Hilary lesson, Filmer's older brother, make to reconcile the parties, are the sub stance of the play His efforts as peace maker are persevering enough, but show little signo of yielding any adequate results. until bundle of letters come into his possession and Nina's which make the unsavory disclosure that the impeccable, pedestalled Annabelle was an adulteress. and that Derek, hel "pledge of affection to Filmer, while born in wedock. is only, so to speak, a relation by marriage to his supposed father-a son-in-law, that is to say though not in the ordinary accepted serse, a certain Major Maurewarde S actually being the one who is responsi- 4 ble for his existence. At first, bott Nina and Hilary attempt to concea 4 their discovery from Filmer, till al a length it is evident, once and for all Y that there can be no proper under. standing between the strait-laced M. P and his second wife until the Annabellt Y idol has been finally smashed an ac
 of iconoclasm unwlllingly undertaken by Hilary The play then ends as i ! should the Ridgeleys being politely turned out of the house, and Filmer do
 ing his best to make amends to his ill
 understood and unjustly treated secont wife.
 The part of Hilary, which is obvious
 by all odds the ablest, was Mabel Roe f Drew, for whom it might almost have been written, so exactly did it meet tht j requirements of his art. Mr. Drew, a. I everybody knows, is a sort of stage I Anthony Hope, as Anthony Hope shows himself when writing the Dolly Dia & logues; and his proper part is part O
 breeding in a comedy of manners; giv, en which, his acting is nothing short O
 cor summate Aside from it's own in
 dividual merits, Mr. Plnero's play wa
 an ideal vehicle for our best of drawing
 room actors: and, on the other hand
 the actor was an ideal vehicle for thu individual merits of the play
 The leading member of the cast ant
 by all odds the ables. was Mabel Roe Y buck, who played the part of Nina E and in favor of whose acting nothin! & too effusive can be said. If the pres lent vicious star-system continues lon! .z4 enough, Miss Roebuck is going to heat
 a company of her own before the end O
 her career. The minor roles wthou 7 exception were well handled, and al
 in all this was one of the most we'll balanced companies that have playet
 before any New Haven audience thi
 season.