Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-04-30

&1sl1&B erJ finest success of recent
ScalT- 'smith-" a comedy. by W. somer-
set ManShan. Gnthnr of Lady Frederick"
lack Straw and other plays vhinh have
WIN ppEular favru- The piece has hSsn
nti0 successful IN LOnd6n and New
YVSk. having been presented in the latter
eity. Al ths E3nBtre theataE, fer three
HUuths With remarkably gratifying re-
snlSR- II dsA1H bitterly with some OF the
fOlasN Of fAAhlppshlP SSrdety, and. while
II y paey With = PQrpqse. the purpose
does not mtTudS itself 70 the sxtent 81 be-
Ing preanhyg and the leading rolss affords
Nj DREW an opportunity 70 play with zn-
ceF1tT AZ wala a. hunlOr and to ennvay an
impression Of gHnpineneas ana aaFneatpaas,
al the HAlpa time showing how wide and
vRriad II his comedy, In . word, he finds
sosDa in SMITH for more variety and
breadth o. W0rk than has b@sn afforded
him IN any u hia plays Of recent yeaxa
In his sxoallant supporting company arc
Mary Boland, Isabel IrviRE, Sybil Thorn
dixie. Jane Laurel. Morton 6alten. Hassard
Short and Lewis CassOn. The stage set
tnHs ara said to bs unusually fine and
. correct
rha principal character in Smith" Is
fThOmaS Freeman, who has been roughing
It In RhodaHia for eight years and who
comes back 90 I.endoR TO visit his sister,
Mrs. Dallas Baker. ahe il married to a
middls-a9ed man, but IN entertaining at her
home young man, Algy Pepperoorn,
whose duties are 10 20 shopping with her
and escort her to the theater and res
taurants in her husbands absence. In re-
turn for his attention he gets his meals
free 1t the BakaEa fiat The sister Is
also surrounded by bFidge-playtng
Ooterte' ameng whom are Emily Chapman,
a spiRster Of 20. who Tilted Freeman when
he lost his money, ana Mrs Otto ROsen-
berg, wife of a rich old German and
mother of a baby for whom she does not
care. In this fashionable crowd Freeman
discovers a fresh faced, fresh-minded girl,
Smith. the parlor maid. One Of his rea-
sons for coming back to London was to
choose a wife 20 return to Africa with
him, and he selects Smith as the fittest
among all those he has met He does not
pretend to love her, but he proposes to
her. She, however. is OF a romantic dis
position and does not care to marry Tor
no other reason than health and whole
some mindedness. Meanwhile Miss Chap
man discovers that Freeman lie wealthy
again and tries to win him back, only to
reject him again when he proposes, The
climax Of hia diagust for the falsity OF
the life he has found comes during ono
OF bis sisters bridge parties. TO which Mrs.
Rosenberg has been invited. Shortly be-
fore her arrival q message Is received
stating that her baby 10 seriously in. The
bridge players do not think It worth while
TO distress her with the news and keep
the message from her until the end OF the
game, when another arrives announcing
the ehilds death. Then Freeman takes up
tho task OF converting his sister and her
friends and succeeds by the end OF the
play.
Grace Won Stucdirord in the comic opera
boufts. The Paradise OF MahOmet." win
be at the Brandeis theater on Saturday,
matinee and night. Harry b. and Robert
b. smith, adapted the book and the lyrics
OF The Paradise OF MahOmst' for the
American stage from the French OF Henri
Blondeau. The music is by Robert Plan
Quette. The same excellent supporting
company as was with Miss Won studdiford
during the long New York engagement, viii
be seen here. The comedy element has
been generally cared for, and there are
many musical numbers IN the score that
give Miss Van Studdiford and a splendid
supporting company ample scope 70 dis
play their musical training. Others In the
cast are Maude odell. George Leon Moore.
Robert Pitken. stephen stott and Florenz
Kolb. The scenic establishment Is particu-
larry lavish. A large chorus that can really
sing Is along.
NJ