The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-09-14
"WISE MIKE'' A
 HIT AT. P0Ll'S
Thomas E. Ince Adds a Side Splitter to
 School of "Burglar Drama"

''fWdse Mike" a one act comedy pre-
 scented at Polfs last night, was re-
 freshing bit of rollicking, unctious hu-
 "roars' that accompany, slap-stick
 drama, but tn the thoroughly amused
 state which is represented by quiet,
 but almost continuous, laughter. 'fWise
 Nfke", is a burglar, Not burglar
 of the "Raffles" type either, but a
 big, burly, red faced. stubby bearded
 burglar, with an undeveloped sense of
 humor, and Spronounced business
 end; the kind of a burglar that is
 seen in a Metropolitan police station
 once In a while. The hunnor of the
 play grows out of the meeting of this
 real, brutal, safe cracking specimen
 who has just little bit of an ledge"
 and who to play a joke of the prac- tical type upon his wife, pretends to
 be a burglar. The wife. for, such is
 the rich plot of the act, overhears her husband conspir1ng to be a house confusion But neither husband, nor wife, of course, is familiar with the contemplated visit of 'tWise Mike'', the sure enough cracksman, and so when MT. Percy Stuibbs, arrives, he is neither prepared to meet a rival  prepared to see any man but her hus- band Out of-sueh-a plot some tense situations can be made. The author, Thomas H. Ince has not, missed a chance. It is not always that an ac- tor works in his own play. But MT. Ince is not only the writer of Wise Mike" but he himself, assumes the role of Percy Stubbs. Joseph w. Smiley plays the role of "Wise Mike" and does 1t wtthe such reality, and cleverness that it is probable much or the effect of the little drama would be lost without him. Miss Marie Falls plays Mrs. Percy Stubbs and does her work well. The plot almost climax es when she says to the real burglar, whom she believes to be the pretend ed burglar, Quit your fool1ng ana come along to bed"
 Louis Guertin is billed as the world champion high and all around Jump CT. He is slender and graceful and does some work that will be startling to the ordinary man.
 Tom and Edith Almond are describ- ed as novelty dancing and musical duo Many performers of this class describe themselves as novelties. These really are. A clever dance done on ice skates seemed to please the audi ence most.
 Mae Melville and Robert Higgins do one of these turns where the young woman is from oh! so far back In the woods, and the young man is the same. In essence these acts are all alike. They are good, bad, or worse, accord ing to the genius of the performers. These two are good Miss Melville is short little thing, with a pretty face, a sweet voice, a pair Of attractive legs and the gift of ultimate josh, II knows what that is. She has the lime light. Higgins would be better if he had more chance.
 It is to be presumed that "Circum- stantial Evidence is the chief thing in the bill. It is unique at least in that it employees 13 men and no wom- en. What it lacks in verity it makes up in interest.
 Frank Morrell came bringing the same sweet, tenor voice, a little off color because of the cold that he for the present has, and the same quality of excellent stories we'll told and much less vulgar in quality than most of the stories usually told by .monelogue men are A reference made to Cook, by him received a response, indicating that tht stock of the Polar explorer is somewhat above par with theatre goers in this city.
 Then there were "London's Laughter makers the Howard & Collison trio. This differed, as hurnor, from "Wise Mike," by being not only slap-stick comedy, but the very last word in slap-stick comedy. Nobody who has not seen it will believe that two men can stand having the amount of ma terial smashed over their heads that is splintered on the men in this troupe. There is a very pretty girl who poses as a Dresden China doll. She can't dance much she doesn't sing, and the doll part of her work has been infinite ly better done on the stage. But she is exceedingly attractive to the eye. The less she works and the more she is seen, the larger will be the income of the Howard and Collison trio. Com pare the Bridgeport idea of humor, as it is evidenced in, "Wise Mfke," with the style of humor in Dear Old Lunnon," as it is exhibited in "A Piece of Dresden China" as produced by those inirnit able funny wrestling, kick | ing skipping, banging comedians, to l urit. the HnWard and COl1iSon trio.