The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-04-12
THE STAGE
DETROIT OPERA HOUSE.


My Friend From India" made one OF
the biggest hits ever scored by the
uproarious farce type then SO popular
with playgoers. Nowadays We want
our fun set 20 music, and IN haue
Did" the successful farce OF the other
days has been made into an equaiS
successful musical comedy 10 the
funny situations OF the original. harl
Hoschna mas added tuneful musleai
score that mad everybody IN the auui'
ence from the orchestra chairs 10 the
upper limits OF the gods whisulhs us
| characteristic melodies.
| The story of the piece deals with
| rich pork packer from Kansas Slt!'
Kan, who is dragged into New nork
by an ambitious daughter consumed
| with desire TO break into society
IL is all very Well for the daughter
] but the old man does not ind the So
cial whirl very enjoyable, which gives
an excuse for the song Dear OLD
| Homeland Much OF the humor or
| the situation comes from the fact that
the dear old homeland is Kansas CITY.
! There are several other good lyrics,
| introduced with more or less appro-
priateness. The catchiest Is Save Up
Your Kisses" which carried the whole
audience away with IL. Then there
were Come Little Closer Katie
Did" and Il. John, Take Thee. Matil-
da." They are all snappy, lively tunes
and were vociferously appreciated.
The comedy is led by Clarence Har-
yey and May Vokes, both or whom
know how TO make the most or the
funny situations with which they are
abundantly supplied. La Petite Ade-
laide, graceful and accomplished
dancer, adds large share 10 the play,
too. Her most elaborate number Is
the Spirit OF the yellow Robe, for
which the settings are especially
spectacular. Katie Did" Is another
deliberately staged spectacle, with big
dragons and weird electric enects.
Other members of the cast who DO
their share toward making Katie
Did" a success are: Bert Baker, the
patriarch OF the Underholt tribe; Jed
Prouty. who knows how TO sing and
has a voice to display his knowledse;
Freddie J. Nice, ID. W Merket, Cliff
ford p. Saum. as a grating policeman,
and three very acceptable feminine
members, Florence May. Anna Wilkes
and Violet Colby. Costuming ana
stage settings were supplied with law
ish hand and the chorus is able TO
make the most of the artistic work OF
the modistes.
Katie Did" found an enthusiastic
welcome in Detroit and deserved all
the applause and laughter that IL
elected. The performance will DE re-
peated Tuesday and Wednesday eve
nings and Wednesday afternoon. The
rest of the week will be taken up by
The Sweetest Girl In Paris bring
ing back Trixie FriganZa, Alex Carr
and many other favorites.
oARRIck.
Last week The Times advised read
ers OF the stage column TO go and
see Mother" at the Garrick thea
ter. "by all means" The advice
still holds good, for the man
,agement OF the playhouse has
seen fit to hold the piece over for
another week And II you have not
already seen Mother" you cannot
AFFORD TO let slip this second oppor-
tunity. II is the play of decade.
A more appropriate offering for
Holy week than Mother" could
scarcely be imagined. No man or
woman can sit through" its four acts,
each laid in a different room OF the
Wetherill home. which constitutes the
domain OF this particular mother,
without experiencing in some measure
those little thrills of heart interest
that tend TO soften ones nature and
make one a trife more solicitous Tor
the welfare and comfort OF the dear
souls at home. Ii may be that you
will find the tears trickling down
your cheeks before the play has pro-
crossed far, but do not try TO keep
them back. Nobody will make fun
of you,
These little human touches are
what make Mother" worth while.
From a dramatic standpoint the play,
like every other, has its faults, but
these are of minor importance. The
lesson of noble self-sacrifice, of true
and tender devotion, of pure, unadul-
terated mother-love, as exemplited in
Miss Mary Shaw's forceful and faith
full portrayal of the mother OF this
stage family Of wetherills, is one that
cannot help but exert salutary in
fiuence on the playgoer. And in this
week of prayer and devotion, with
daily and nightly services in the
churches of the city, there Is being
preached nightly, in the Garrick thea
ter. a sermon as powerful and as far
reaching in it's influence as was ever
preached from the pulpit.
TEMPLE.
Proprty rights are pretty much
tangled up in the playlet, Honor
Among Thieves" the headliner at the
Temple this week. The playlet, which
was originally Lambs Club gam
Dol" is one OF the cleyerest sketches
that has been offered in the Temple
for some time. Two respectable APP
pearing bachelors, living together In
swell apartment. succeed in con-
cealing from each other the fact that
each is intimately concerned In the
series OF neighborhood burglaries
that are filing the papers. Then,
| TO complcate the situation an UNI
| disguised member of the profession
| is found In their apartment, trying
| to rife IT, They catch him with So
600, which he has secured from the
apartment above and each attempts
| 10 get away with II without the 9TH
ers' knowledge The burglar, who
has been let go on giving up his plum
der, return with a policeman. who
Identifies the respectable bachelors
as slick" and Bugs" two we'll