The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-02-08
BILLIE BURKE
Charles F'rohman Presents Her In w. Somerset Maug- hams Three-Act Comedy "Mrs. DOt'

For the first time in nearly two tseasons Miss Billie Burke is at The Lyceum Theatre, New York, ill a l new play, the three-act comedy Mrs Dot" by w. Somerset Vaughan, au- thor of Penelope" Jack Straw and Lady Frederick" As in My Wife"-her first part in America with John Drew three years ago, Miss Burke acted a young tiancee, in "Love Watches" young wife, it is only by 1 natural sequence that in Mrs. Dot she acts a young widow. In Mrs Dot'' New York has seen the entire cycle of Vaughan comedies to date sprightly little eScreations, like perfect ly blown bubbles, in which cleverness of workmanship may overlay weight of material, but where every sent ence is replete with sense and satire, one telling ep1gram following an ether. A comedy by w. Somerset Vaughan is in fact an evening in which the funniest things are said and the most amusing happen. In her latest role the charming actress has scored the hit of her career. In outline this' is the story of Mrs. Dot:''
 Mrs. Dot has three hundred thou sand dollars a year. She is a widow and she is ill love. Her husband, who could not take his money with him, generously left it without re- strictions, so she is free to marry without having to make the choice between love and dollars. After f1nd- ing this out one expects to discoN CT that Mrs. Dot is a very much sought after lady, especially as she is very pretty and charming and exactly thirty-fve, the age at which a woma n Mrs. Dot is not bounded by suitors and the facts are somewhat extra ordinary. Gerald Halstane, to whom she gives every encouragement, does not propose. She does not attempt to deceive herself with the fiction that after all she doesn't like Gerald. She knows that she does and she de- Cides to do what every. courageous woman ought to do in like circum- stances. If Gerald won't propose to her, she decides to propose to him. Of course she suspects that he is more interested in her than. he lets on, for she assumes that the loss ot his little fortune, which went in play ing stocks, is the thing which pre- vents him from asking rich woman to be his wife. At this juncture we shall see Miss Billie Burke showing how a very attractive young woman who is much in love can propose to a young man without losing her self respect or being anything but more
  expects that any young man who has given an attractive woman enough encouragement to bring her to the point of popping the question, would faint with delight when she and her three hundred thousand dollars a year are dropped into his arms. But Gerald doesn't faint with delight. He is very polite and behaves with great consideration, but none the less he plainly rejects her. His reason for this strange course is brought out subsequently and is extremely inter- esting, and so are the things are Mrs. Dot does in the last act. Mrs Dot" by the way, is really Mrs. Worth ley" and Gerald becomes peer through the death of an uncle, but this good luck proves another trouble and does not explain his strange con- Guct towards the fascinating Mrs. Dot"
 Many Bridgeporters visiting New York have been fortunate enough to witness this charmingi comedy.