The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-07-06
Has Highly Developed Sense
of Humor Which AtoneS
for Escapades.
COMEDY is GEM
IN POOR SETTING
Originality Saves the Day Despite
People Who Are Not
Always Real.

It Is called Miss Brown-Burglar''
khis farcicat comedy at the Belasco,
whose author is not yet known. It is
hll about a Sense of Humor-about one
who has 1t and one who hasn't
Suppose you were a young lady, talk
ing refuge from the rain on an unde-
sirable neighbor's doorstep at 5 a. NJ,
with your father, ah, asleep, and a
persistent, not to say impudent young
man insisted on lending a helping hand,
and wanted 70 get into the house. which
wac not your house at all, and open the
door for you. would you let him break
sn7 This very refreshing Miss Brown
old
But when the young man was almost
beled into court Chats the way they al
ways get into court in England for at
tempted burglary and your father be-
came engaged to this undesirable neigh
Dor so he could protect her from burg
lars and she could save him from drink,
wouldn't you get all upset and do a lot
OF explaining and have headache the
next day? Miss Brown did not She
had a Sense OF Humor.
Becomes Miss Brown.
Instead she went down TO Woolacom-
bic, where the young man was sure 10
come, disguised herself as Miss Brown,
waitress in a tea shop. A web OF cir
eumstantial weave almost proved she
was a burglar, Wanted for attempting
10 enter half a dozen homes of promi-
nent families. a female. with a red face
and squint eye, who is the leader of the
dress clothes gang"
The young man sees for himself. and
believes more than he sees. but doesn't
care a bit how much Miss Brown
burgled just so she doesn't do il again.
For he IS a student Of criminology and
Is entirely without a Sense Of Humor
Spoiled by Setting.
around these incidents has been built
a comedy Of considerably more merit
thar most OF its kind It is original Ia
conception, excellent in construction, OF
VIII be after the litter of building has
been carted away. But there Is. one big
fault The literary workmanship is not
up TO the standard that the conedy. de-
serves real jewel seems spoiled by
a careless setting.
ThR result of this fault is that the
characters often do not seem real men
and women Sometimes they bring
laughs, not because they are merely
ridiculous, which is expected Ia a farce,
DuC because they are ludicrOus \ wide
leeway Is permissible when the author
admits he is writing a farciceI comedv
But the leeway does not take in bur
lesque. The line between these types Of
entertainment is very sharply drawn.
Above Average Farce.
Back OF all this Is the jewel, ana it
Should not take long for skilled crafts
man TO mount it more wisely. The lead
ing characters are already very human.
and Miss Laurette Taylors humanizlas
influence gave 10 the role of Miss
Brown q. distinction above the ordinary
run of farce comedy parts. Mr. Van
Buren,. among other things, has to make
love. not a wholly new undertaking, for
he did il so well once that he won a
bride yesterday afternoon who watched
him do # again last evening. and viii
continue 10 do so every evening this
week.
The humor Is that Of the quiet chuelzle
rather than that of the splitting sides
One very delicious bit occurs ia the
second act The Young Man firmly be-
AeYes MISS Brown IS Miss Brown, also
q burglar
Your eyes are frank. your nostrils
delicate. nothing about you of the thief
save the mouth and the hands" lie
says our mouth Is nTm, stubborn
ness, but we shall conquer that Why.
you look almost like a lady. You musn [
steal again ! don't care about your
past don't care what you are, I love
You Surely you have had a soul once"
This young mans mothers couster-
nation when she finds that Miss Brown
comes Of highly respectable family
and the daughter OF a member Of par
lament is funny 10 see. other rnorsels
OF the same blend go 10 make 10 Il
comedy that IS not all farce but that IS
nearly all funny. And the parts that
are not will probably be pruued out
J. r. HILDEBRAND.