The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-04-13
THE THEATRES
SMITHS.

events of the local theatrical season will be the annual engagement of Miss Ethel Barrymore this evening. This year, Charles F'rohman has selected for Miss Barrymore new comedy from the pen of W. Somerset Maugh- am, which has been one of the greatest successes London has known in a long time, and which has duplicated that success in New York and every other American city in which the play has been presented. There are, entertain ing and novel situations, bright dia- logue and brilliant epigrams in Lady Lady Frederick Berolles, the part played by Miss Barrymore, suits her personality wonderfully well. The plot of the play chiefly concerns the eff her son from marrying the irresistible Irish widow and incidental to this there are many dramatic situations and comedy complications of value. Of course Lady Frederick wins the bat tie, but she rejects the young man, for he is several years her junior, and marries his uncle. Charles Frohman has made most artistic production of the play and surrounded Miss Bar rymore with company of rare merit including Bruce McRae, again Miss Barrymore's leading man; Norman Thorp, Charles Hammond, Arthur FL Iiott, Orlando Daily, James Kearney, J. Crossney Davidson, L. c. Howard,
 
 Rothe and Mariana Thurber.
 
 The story of "A Knight for A Day." B. C. Whitney's big musical gaiety evening, direct from eleven months in Chicago, six months in New York, and three months in Boston, is of every day people and not of the mallcoat period as its title would seem to inn ply. The story is told to the strains of the most musical score of the past de- cade which is the work of Raymond while Robert B. Smith is re- sponsible for the book and lyrics. These are the authors who gave the lovers of high-class musical comedy Fan tana" and Mexicana.''
 
 A transforming, would-be Shakes pearean actor-manager's attempt to produce a serious tragedy in a univer- sity town, the tragedy having been written by one of the professors dur ing his student days, furnishes the theme upon which the comedy 'Sabin- skornas Bortrofyande" is founded; and when the tragedy is turned into farce by the actor-manager's incapable company, to the dismay of the author, the result is disastrous in the extreme, dicrous situations and humorous com plications. "SabinskornaS BOrtrOfy- ande'' is the title of the play which Arthur Donaldson and his New York company or SWeQlSn fldy0TS VIII SlNS evening, being a Swedish version of the German comedy 1.-The Rape of the Sabines'' and played in English as "A Night Off, for many years in this country. That the per formance will be thoroughly enjoyed by Bridgeport's Swedish citizens is un- questioned.
 William Collier comes Friday even ing in his three act farce 1.-The Pa triot' written by MT. Collier and J. Hartley Manners, the English author and dramatist, and in which he comes here direct from six months run at the Garrick Theatre, New York. As comedian Collier is quite in a class by himself. His fun is of the clean. sort that appeals strongly to the better element of theatregoers. Mir Collier has a company of unusual merit, and includes Phyllis Sherwood, Helena Collier-Garrick, Paula Marr, Annie Esmond, Helena Byrne, John Saville Wallace Worsley, Frank Wes- terton, Rex MacDougall, Reginald Mason, Thomas Beauregard, Thomas Martin and John B. Adams.
 It is doubtful if a more virile, inter esting and realistic drama depicting life among certain portions of social class of Americans, whose sole claim to recognition is riches suddenly and acquired, than the new drama by Lem B. Parker, entitled, Married for Money which will be the attraction next Saturday,, matinee nirao