The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1908-01-28
in THE THEATRES
"FIFTY MILES FROM B0S-
TOM" AT TIE NEWARK.
Edna Wallace Hopper Star Of the Latest
CoIan Perpetration-Emma Janvier's
Hit-The other New Shows.

George NJ. Conan. who returned from
Paris yesterday morning and attended the
performance OF Fifty Miles from Bos-
ton" one OF his latest plays, at the New
ark Theatre last night, must have had a
quiet little ehuekle all to himself as he
sat and listened TO his own lines and
jingles and to the enthusiasm with which
the large audience greeted It ell. Il proba-
bly, was a chuckle of satisfaction over the
ease with which he can now please the
dear public without half trying. Surely it
could not nave been caused by the i'm
possible belief that the show was the best
thing he over turned out, for Mr.. Cohan
very likely has his wise moments, even
when off the stage. But you cant blame
him. As long as the crowd liked it, what
need he cnre2
1t would be pleasant to sit back today
and chuekle with Mr.. Conan. rather than
get up enough energy to tackle his show
In cold type. But that luxury Is denied us.
To begin with. then, Fifty Miles From
Boston didn't tickle us a little bit. Cohan's
hodge podge of nonsense served up in some
of his former shows WAS pretty good stuff.
Here, however, he is too strong on the
Krener act 10 be anything but tiresome.
The melodrama is favored with SOME
Cohanese n and SOME Cohanese chorus
dances, rather toned down for the occasion,
but still as superficial as ever. There was
n real, live pilot" a lot of cheering, no
end Of horse play and Edna Wallace Hop
per.
Miss Hopper was the cause Of it all. 30
10 speak. As Sadie Woods. the young and
pretty postmistress. of Brookleld, fifty
miles iron. Boston" she was sought in
marriage by Dave Harrlgan, the dude of
the village. who did his worst to take
her from joe Wascott, home from Har-
ward ofter winning a baseball game for his
college. Now Sadie was short and plump
and Wore her hHir down her hack-whieh
Elost postnistresses do not debut sle
was not tickle. No, she would not give
Joe up, But. wait! Dave Is at the bat.
Does he strike out? Not much. You see,
Sadie has a brother Jed. and jed stole
$500 from the safe I'm tile nosto1ice to join
with Dave in betting that Joe's nine would
lose. When he lost his money, Dave hits
out a home un. Suys he, jed, I'll make
good thc shortage IN the pastofiee If Won
will make Sadie give mp joe" or words
to that effect. Now inasmuch as the post
office Inspector IS due the next day, Jed
agrecs-and there's your plot. Great. Isn't
it? or course, Dave Is tagged out at the
homo plate-as all stage villains are
and Jed makes good and Joe gets Sadie.
Hoorayi
Miss Hopper had just one song. Jack
and Jill" which she gave as well as her
voice would allow; but her frolicsome
grace atoned FOR 1t all. Had she re-
mained blithsome and untroubled through
out the play, instead of being forced to
express her apparent anguish and travail
Of soul in her fight TO retain her Joe and
still save erring Brother Jed, the result
would have been a great deal more salts
factory. Melodramatlc moments do not
sit easily upon little Miss Hopper's
shoulders.
But there were other characters and other
songs. For instance. Miss Emma Janvier
as Mrs. T11ford, the town gossip and busy
body. Miss Janvier was quite the individ-
ual success Of the evening. She had a
makeup that was a marvel of unloveliness
and sang a song. "Aln't 1t Awful?" that
certainly was. 1t was the funniest thing
on the bill and the audience hated to let
the performance 20 on. they liked it so
well.
The company was good all the way
through. Laurence Wheat, " star
of George AIDES "Artie," played the hero,
and George Parsons was his hated rival.
Both did all there was required Of them
well. James II. Bradbury was capital as
Joe's father. lie and James c. Marlowe.
as Tin Harrtgan, Dawes father, squared
off venomously at each other on every
occasion, like a couple OF game cocks, and.
though It was all very artificial and foolish,
their comedy was a bright spot In the en-
t~ertainmcnt. John Westly played Saddles
brother, who robbed the postofice and was
as boyishly sulky and withal likable a
young rascal as he used to be in THE
Three of Us" Russell Pincus Cwasn't he
the ox-newsbny who mace a hit aud a
name for himself overnight ia some Broad
way show a season or Two baekD had a
juvenile stunt to do, and there was an
other boy, Lores Grimm, who also did
some amusing work. Richard Nesmith was
active as a farmland and there was a
pretty girl named Hazel Lowry in the
cast.
Fifty Miles from Boston will probably
do a big business all week at the Newark.
It is pretty crude meiodrana. but 1t has a
touch of the Cohan slap-dash about it that
makes it endurable. Probably Conan was
laughing in his sleeve at himself all the
time he was writing it. As long as the
public win stand for it-and it does-and
will pay its good money to see it, nothing
else much matters from the Cohan point of
view.