The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-21
Miss Gear in ~FIuffy RuffIes. 1"

Miss Gear in "Fluffy Ruffles."
 Manager R. s. Douglas of the Jefferson theatre announces that Miss Florence Gear will appear at the Jefferson Wednes- day and Thursday nights and Thursday Thanksgiving Day) matinee. Here is what the Grand Rapids, Mich, Herald says of Miss Gear and her play:
 Florence Gear, the vivacious blonde singing comedienne last season put a dim- mer on the fame of Marie Cahill in Marrying Nary This season she has just about eclipsed the lustre of Hattie williams, who first made popular the role and play of Fluffy Ruffles."
 If there had been any doubt as to the personal popularity of Miss Gear in Grand Rapids, that doubt was completely dissipated yesterday when she was greet ed by two crowded houses at the Majestic and several score of people were turned away at the evening performance. The cordiality of the applause was further attestation of the personal esteem for the clever little actress and her company which latter comprises several people who were with her last year.
 Fluffy Ruffles,' the comedy. Is the joint production of the pens and wits of a trio of New York and Boston newspa- per writers and a composer, the book being from John McNally. who wrote many of the earlier Rogers Brothers farces Wallace Irwin and George Tot ten Smith having hand in the manufao- ture of the wittfcisms. There are plenty of the latter, so many in fact that they flow over the footlights so rapidly at times that the audience Is kept busy in following them.
 Fluffy Ruffles, the girl, is one of those cleverly witty young women of so much personal charm that every man she meets Co Iyc tx, 1nxro wifi hor Wb to lose position after position because men spend so much time at her side. For this reason she loses the position of society editor on one of the New York dailies She Is told, however, that she will be restored with increased pay if she gets an exclusive story on the elope- ment of one Herbert Henshaw, a prom inent lawyer, and an opera singer, Isabel Barlow. This assignment takes her to London and to Paris after she has dis covered that Augustus Traddles, New York correspondent for a London paper, and Noggie Noggles are after the same story. Both fall in love with Fluffy, of course, and she promises to marry each if they will help her to land the story for her paper. Fluffy meets the wife of Henshaw, however and becomes so filled with sympathy for tho wronged wife that she resolves to restore Henshaw to her
 
 had at first planned. This she accom- plishes and in the doing so loses her own heart to the slangy Noggles
 That is the plot in brief, but the plot |. ana of the least essentials of the merry comedv The cast includes several char acters which are meritorious, so that the entire burden of the entertainment does not fall upon Miss Gear. In fact, If there are any great faults in the piece 1t is that Miss Gear has too little of the opportuni- ty of her former success.
 Of the company, the best characters are Traddles, by Harry B. Roche; Nog- Eles, by John J. McGowan; Herbert Henshaw. by victor Leroy; David Hill, by John Mcsweeny; Madame shonts by Isabel Vernon: Isabel Barlow. by Helen Morrison. and Mrs. Henshaw, by Gerald inc Wright. The chorus is of much the same splendid type that was displayed by Miss Gear last season and many of the gowns are splendid sartorial specimens.
 The musical numbers include several