Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-07
New National.

Those who enjoy the hustle and hustle
OF roaring farce found unalloyed enjoy
ment last evening at the New National
Theater, when Mary Roberts Rinehart's
and Avery Hopwood's Seven Days" was
presented. Though rapidity Of movement
is its chief asset, as is the case in most
broad farceS, there is a cleverly con-
trived story embellished here and there
with bits of telling dialogue. More than
that, it is clean farce. in which divorced
people figure not In the accepted "Parl-
sian" way, nor, for that matter, Ia New
York Its situations are as deliciously
absurd as one could imagine, and even
when they border upon rough and ready
'horseplay" there is a sense or proportion
manifested which saves the day.
Ten minutes is quite sufficient to prove
beyond the shadow of a doubt that not
every household guaranteed by smallpox
is q home of closed shutters, sorrow anu
gloom. And this particular case Wen.
even further for the yellow sign or the
health Office on the front door mlgn. wen
have been changed to warming OF coii
tagious laughter and absurdities WITHIN.
The jap butler in the home OF Ne"
York clupman, as fat as ne is WeaitnS, Is
whisked off to the hospital with smali
pox on the very evening his lord ana
master is giving a dinner In celebration
of the first anniversary OF his divorce
which his wife obtained on the srouhos
of excessive avoirdupois. In the party
are a friend and his Wire' the latter W
whom succumbs woefully to the enects
of a lone cocktail and yearnlng TOT tne
psychic; a single miss and the man 10
whom she was once engaged ouIsiai
who has failed to make his getaway
before the quarantine guards Ms pu go
ed a fat policeman, named flahhisals
who was refused exit once ne got WlthlA
the lines with the news OF the quafal,
tine. and Aunt Selma. strohs-hiiiiueu
spinster with penchant TOT pa.s.'
medicine. conjueal bliss OF the oid-Iash-
toned. simple sort and check book slsh-
ed in blank for her nephew's oenent.
Aunt Selma had never seen the dl-
vorced wife. nor, indeed, was she
aware that her nephew's WIFE mao naue
of welded life. Aunt Selma was not
invited to the dinner. She simply ar
rived at the eleventh hour and stayed
just a minute too long to escape pc
fore the quarantine lines were drawn.
Precisely the same thing happened TO
the divorced wife, who. somehow, wan
dered back to her erstwhile nome
presumably to interview the cook-Just
in the nick Of time to be caught IN
the trap. She refused to be palmeo
off as the lady of the household. so.
! in order to keep Aunt Selma happy In
her Ignorance, the young single miss
consented to be Mrs. Nephew" for
the occasion. Straightway. compltca-
tions began TO break out.
That real fun can be gotten out OF
the making of an omelet by a woman
who has never been In u kitchen be-
fore: that a burglar can pop In and
out OF u chimney. doors and gas
range, and ride up and down In
dumb waiter. with q perspiring cop at
tempting to solve the mystery and
q woman who believes In psychic
control etiil further ondanEering his
concealment: that q fashionably gown
cd woman Will. when sufficiently urged.
attempt to reach tho pavement above
through tho manhoie leading to the
coal bin: that bottles of patent medi
cine. telephones and food can be on
table ono minute and the next van
ishsd into thin air. and that q maiden
lady is properly Mortified at seems
her nephew In the embrace of q woman
supposed not to be his wife and the sup