The Washington times., 1909-11-23
HATTIE WILLIAMS
BARELY SAVES DAY
Detective Sparkes" Drags
and Lacks in Genuine
Comedy.

Miss Hattie Williams Is at the Ma
tiona1 this week in her first season as
a legitimate comedy drama star.
She is as breezy. as vivacious and
charming as ever herself but the same
cannot be said to apply 20 the vehicle
in which she appears. Detective
Sparkes" Is at times amusing, again
draggy and always lacking in these
interesting things that make up comedy
plays.
The plot centers about the efforts Of
AthoI Forbes, played by Miss Williams,
to shield her sister. the Lady Amin
ster, who has been so indiscreet as to
go baIlooning with a gentleman in
whom she is interested. OF course, his
lordship doesn't know this and, follow
ing a balloon accident and the curiosity
Of Lord Administer as to his wife's
whereabouts, AthOl has to devise some
means of keeping the husbands mind
occupied
Complications Start.
She decided upon the robbery of The
Towers. the lords home. and advised
his lordship by telephone that his vslu-
allie miniatures are in danger OF being
isfoIen. She also dsslgnates a mythical
luetective Sparkes, who is being sent
un TO take charge Of the case. The
| miniatures are stolen, Athcl being the
thief there follows 9, chase after the
| surposed fugitive to a hotel, in which
| 7 adv Administer awaits in much dis
I tress. and. after a number of but fair
| " constructed situations, Athol slips
her Iadvship out eludes the real police,
| the reporters. and 1nquisitve friends.
| LADY Administers brooch, found In
| the balloon, causes further complica-
/ lions when The Towers is reached
| again for the genuine detectives and his
| lOrdshiD follow at high speed the auto
| in which AthOl has hidden her inuiscreet
| sister. Finally. however, duplicate
| brooch is produced by her laoyshlp,
/ AthCl again does a clever bit Of story
/ telling and the play ends with AthOl
/ clearing Up the balloon my stery by
/ saving that II was she who was the
/ missing woman and that the DauOOnlSt
! was Fred COleridge, who has been try
/ ing 10 get her TO marry him anyway.
! OF course +he engagement has TO De
/ out with what they think to be the real
/ story Of the mystery.
Situations Amusing.
/ Situations that are amusing at times
develop during Miss Atbors plans for
and the carrying out OF the rO0bing
| of the lords home. one Of the best OF
3
| discovered by Fred Coleridge and is
| forced TO invent a terrible lie" In order
| to explain her actions.
The old Hattie Williams smile and
the dashing musical comedy ways are
flashed at every opportunity IN DE
teCtive Sparkes' and were II not for
| the personality of Miss Williams the
play might fall fat. The comedy, how
ever. does not make any lasting i'm
preston through its side-spiitting pro-
civities, and, somehow, we just wanted
20 get Miss Williams back in front OF
| a chorus.
Julian Royce plays the part OF Fred
/ COIeridge, which is a rather difficult
one. with skill. r. owen Baxter, as
Gordon Westwood, Of Tomorrow
| News" gives a fair stage idea Of the
| average reporter, although the species
/ portrayed Is never seen in real life
! Frank BurbeCk as Lord Administer
/ Anne Meredith, as the lady, and Perci-
val AIymer, the lords private secre-
! tarv, have limited opportunities.