Los Angeles herald., 1909-11-17
GOOD DRAMATIC SKETCHES
ON LOS ANGELES BILL

Two strong dramatic sketches form
the backbone of the new bill at the
Los Angeles theater this week. A
vocal number. an acrobatic act and
two song and dance specialties are
grouped around them, with two reels
of interesting moving pictures afford
ing variety.
The headliner is "Pixley's Prodigal
Parents" one-act comedy presented
by Mrs. Gardner Crane and company.
A husband and wife are reunited by
the efforts of their daughter and her
husband. who pretend to quarrel in
order TO afford their elders an object
lesson I'm the folly of quarrelng. The
ruse works we'll and humorously, and
at the conclusion both couples are
seen in the enjoyment of restored do
nestle tranquility
Mrs. Crane impersonates the elder
wife and invests the part with the
unotion and zest OF her opulent comedy
temperament. The few moments of
emotional verify for which she finds
opportunity at the close of the act are
well employed. Supporting her are
Mr.. Crane, who gives distinction to a
natural method of portrayal; Mr.. Rein-
hart In fetching rural role; Miss
Bachelor as the young wife and Mr.
Frohoff In the part of the elder hus-
band. The latter could improve his
work by attention to the moments in
which he is not speaking his lines
There is plenty of acting to be done
III the sketch, quite apart from the
dialogue. A leisurely air becomes the
part, but not one wholly aloof from
the action which Is going forward.
Florence Modena and Charles Gard
ner present "A Lesson in Reform" a
somewhat savage but we'll reasoned
satire directed at the well-meaning
feminine enthusiast who forgets home
and husband in a benevolent effort to
reform the universe. The obvious
moral to the sketch is that reform be-
gins at home, and the husband en-
forces it by giving away the wife's
best gowns as an act of charity similar
to his helpmeet's ready philanthropy
in the matter of his own best attire.
Both come to an agreement after
many tears and some smiles, and the
wife discovers mission nearer her
own fireside than she had expected,
Miss Modena has captivating meth
cd, bordering as it does on sffectation
at times in expressing the devoted IL
mistaken humanitariansm of the wife
Her work is we'll matched by Mr..
Gardner, who plays the husband in n
tolerantly masterful way which makes
his triumph logical and sanely just.
The piece is well written and goes
with the rapidity of cannon ball.
Bissonette and Newman wear West
Point uniforms when they come out,
but escape from military confinement
promptly to do few acrobatic turns
Without the grace of the German ath-
lete they perform several feats of mer-
1t and hold the attention consistently.
Flo Patterson, "the Kentucky maid 4"
sings several selections with spirit and
good expression. She has the statu-
esque proportions of the show girl
hut carols much more pleasipgly. Billy
Sharpe and Beatrice Turek engage in
comedy, song and dance Internationally
Sharpe supplies much of the muscular
dexterity and Miss Turek the greater
part of the comedy. There is nothing
particularly distinctive about their Of
fering, but 1t occupies the time agree
ably.
Fagan and Byron present n snappy
song and dance act, distigured by one
song Of needless suggestivcness. but
adorned with much that is sprightlv
and entertaining. The masculine mem
ber of the team has q lively dancing
foot--two of them, in fact-and gives
the impression of being a comedian of
experience The woman of the team
has charms of face and figure which
assist her ample knowledge of the
luscious German tongue to advantage
in the give and take equivole which
fills In the interstices of song. She has
a friendly way of criticising the or
chestra leader in German which seems
to reassure him. He is a brave and
long suffering man and one feels for
him. Musical ability is q minor re-
quirement among the duties of direc-
tor these days. He is frequently the
principal comedian of the show and his
smile must be more nimble than his
flying fingers.