Los Angeles herald., 1909-02-23
GIRLS AT MASON
EXCELLENT COMEDY
CLYDE FITCH PLAY PROVES
BIG LOCAL SUCCESS
Clever Comedienne and Strong Char
acter Lead Supported by Uniformly
Good Cast-Comedy Inter-
est Sustained
BY LEMUEL PARTON

Clyde Fitch's comedy, Girls" is
above all comedy of types. This fact
accounts for its lukewarm reception in
New York, where it was produced by a
cast of considerably greater stellar
magnitude than that of the present
production, although, unfortunately,
chosen with little regard to the fitness
of the players for the parts. In the
company which opened last night at
the Mason opera house every member
OF the cast is ideally adapted for the
part, and the result is an effect of NAT
uralness not often seen in the Fitch
plays.
Although the east is strong in every
character, two of the women players
seem to overshadOw the others. They
are Miss Bessie Toner, as the VindictiVe
founder of the man-hating cult, and
Caroline Locke, a faded but never de-
spairing lady elocutioniSt. Miss Toner
achieves some genuinely clever artistry
in her faithful, almost Photographic,
portrayal of the role of Pamela Gordon.
Mr. Fitch has drawn the character
strongly and clearly, and Miss Toner
sketches it in lines as clean-cut as
cameo. 1t is one Of those vivid char
acter impressions that remains with
you long after you have seen its stage
presentation. This fact seems all the
more striking in the light of the fact
that it is achieved under the handicap
Of a vast amount of necessary comedy
eXaggeration.
Miss Locke proves that she is a come
dienne comparable to Rose Stahl. Sell
dom is a truer stage portrait given
than that of her Lucille Purcelle, an
effective character foil to the three
man-hating girls.
The play deals with the adventures
of three girls, who under the leadership
Of Pamela renounce men and all their
works. The opening scene shows tho
girls in their apartment in the evening,
and the utter depravity of men is de-
veloped in a cleverly managed dialogue
exposition.
Just as Pamela begins to read a
chapter from romantic novel, as they
are preparing to retire, a very person
able man, in evening clothes, breaks
into the room, seeking shelter from
another man who has been pursuing
him. He is a very attractive and de-
bOnair chap, but Miss Pamela refuses
to listen to his pleas for shelter for the
night and compels him to leave, by way
of board laid across to the apartment
of the susceptible Lucille.
Later Pamela secures a position in
the Office of law firm and finds op-
portunity to place Violet Landsdowne.
one of the other girls, with her. 1t
develops that the junior partner of the
firm is the man who broke into the
girls flat. He appears just as Pamela
IS preparing to leave, after repulsing
advances made by the senior partner.
Piqued by the attitude of Holt. the
junior partner, she decides to remain,
but is discharged later, after an anus
ing DIT of by-play. important in color
ing the theme of the play, has been in
troduced in the divorce affair Of a
young woman and old man.
A week later the girls are shown in
their studio. one having in the mean
time gone on the stage and become en-
gagged to her manager. Luke, a clerk
at the law office, appears opportunely
and becomes engaged to Violet, and
Holt, who has taken rooms in the
building, again breaks into the fiat and
overcomes the last prejudice Of Pa
mela.
The plot is not very plotty at best,
and calmly considered after the comedy
ceases TO sizzle, wildly, Historically
improbable. But the fact is that some
of the greatest plays ever written have
been improbable, and a play as full of
genuine sentiment and effervescent
comedy certainly is not to be placed
on the grill on account of lack of prob
ability.
Miss Ethel Gray Terry, much more
kittenish than her name indicates is
excellent in the part of Violet The
same may be said of Suzette Jackson
as Kate West. the third of the trio
H. S. Northrup as Holt, and Hevl5-n