The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-12-25
THE WEEKS PLAYBILLS.
The BeIasco-.Niarriage n Ia Cart. ;,

The BeIascO-"MarriaGe n la Carte.
Everything a lbrettist OF established
reputation, a composer of like standing,
cast Of excellent comedians and sing
ers and the foremost firm of producing
managers can do-eyerything, in short.
that can be done TO make success of
Marriage a la Carte, the new musical
comedy which comes to the Belasco,
Christmas week, starting tomorrow
night, has been done. In the first place
c. NJ. 5. Mcclellan, who wrote the best
Of the Casino successes, has written the
book and lyrics for Marriage a la
Carte" and his collaboration in the way
OF score is Ivan CaryH who occupies in
music a position equal to that Of
McLe!lans IN words. Liebler & Co,
who make more productions than any
other firm on earth, are managers OF
Marriage a Ia Carte" and Austin Hur-
gon, the master Of all London stage de
rectors. has put the piece on. The COM
pany has been selected with utmost care,
and if there's a man who can't make
YOU laugh, or a woman who can't charm
YOU with her personality or her voice,
well, the management doesn't know
about IT,
In Marriage a la Carte" the story is of
a wife who was so engrossed with her
own Importance that there was very lit
tie chance for the mere husband. or. to
quote the language used by Jimmy her
son, Twenty years ago. my mother, Mrs
Nragge. married Napoleon PeJtngill In
three years Napoleon took TO the woods.
There We're two children, a boy and a
girl Pettingill took away the girl and
left the boy behind. I was the boy
Mother got a divorce. and then she heard
that father had died. So she married
Ponsonby de Coutts Wragge. Then
Wragge took to the woods"
As il happens, the. gentleman TO whom
this bit of domestic infelicitious history
Is related is none other than Napoleon
Pettingill himself who, since his taking
to the woods has blOssOmed out as the
proprietor of a travelling attraction in
which his daughter Rosale does wire
walking speciality between times of
breaking the hearts of all the males with
whom she is thrown in contact Acct
dent has brought Pettingill and his
troopers TO the gates OF TOttminster Hall.
the home OF Mrs. Wragge, and accident
later produces PonsOnby de Coutts
Wragge, who has embraced the honor
able calling of a minstrel The efforts
Of these gentlemen at escape, when they
learn the Identity OF the mistress of the
hall, contribute largely to the comedy
OF the piece Mrs. Wragge, likewise, is
not too eager TO renew acquaintance once
she has Identified the visitors as former
lords OF her heart
Heading the cast OF sixty will be found
Miss Emmy Wehlen and Harry Connor
Miss Wehlen after conquering Vienna,
Stuttgart, Munich, Berlin, and London,
has come 10 the United States to accept
Uncle Sans homage. BY the way, Miss
Nehlen accomplished the conuuering
abroad in little less than four years.
A Fiennese. which means a thoroughly
trained artist. she set out for Stuttgart.
where she played only comedy That
seems 10 be the little lady's especial prov
ince, for her big brown eyes are always
laughing; and the deep impulse in her
pink cheeks forever curving. and the
mirth lines Of her small mouth ready to
spring out at the slightest opportunity
from Stuttgart. she went to Munich.
where she had more comedy and larger
audiences. In Munich. Miss Wehlen
played every night a different part rang
ms from comedy TO the deepest emo
t'onaltsm. Musical work in Berlin fol-
loved and here the young woman's clear
soprano voice made her an additional
favoTite.
In Marriage a la Carte" Miss WehIen
viii be seen as Resale. a wire-walker
In a circus. The costume for this part