Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-03-19
Lifting Love and Joy
of Living Staged Here
If You've Never Seen "POmander
Walk" NOw's the Time
at Shubert's.

JUST a stroll down Pomander Walk,
the scene OF Louis N. Parker's
y comedy of that name, and the hurry
and hustle of the life are
forgotten in the peaceful calm of
rural England of a century ago. With
a delicate touch the author has de-
picted the graces and manners of the
olden days n the lives of the gentle,
supplemented people and has framed
his picture in an atmosphere of repose.
1t shows us not the roads to yester-
day" but the resting place at the end
of the road, and the yesterday is so
many years back that 1t comes to us
as a scene from f%airyland.
During the three acts the setting re-
mains the same-the five little red
brick houses, with their miniature gar
dens and the walk with It's large elm
tree under whose shade the social life
of the community is carried on. Now
n then the muffin man and the lamp
lighter intrude their presence into the
seclusion with the reminder that some
where in the haEy distance is a life
with interests apart from that of the
five houses but no one cares to ex-
plore that region.
The play is distinctly a company
production. and English actors who
are presenting it at the Shubert
this week bring with them a true
understanding of the spirit and Gus
toms of the English village. They work
together with such harmony that their
personalities merge completely into the
story and the setting. forming a pic
ture in which nothing is lacking.
The story which gives an excuse for
the introduction Of these dream char
acters and their dream existence is on
the Crawford type, a record of the
lives Of a group of people whose quaint
simplicity has the added charm of re-
m%oteness.
Marjolaine Lachesnais and Lieuten-
ant John Sayle meet by accident and
Immediately fall in love. The latter's
father, Baron Otford, has planned a
marriage between his son and the Hon.
Baroline Thring, whose estates adjoin.
Hearing of Jacks love for Marjolaine,
he goes to Pomander Walk to convince
Madame Lachnesnais of the impossi-
bility Of a marriage between his son
and her daughter. He discovers that
Madame Lachnesnais is Lucy Pryor, a
sweetheart of his boyhood days, whom
he had wooed and then left for a
wealthy woman of his fathers choice.
Although each has married, the first
love has always remained strong, and
not only do the parents now rejoice In
the union of their children, but they
themselves decide to correct as far as
possible the mistake of their youth and
make the wedding a double one.
Another pair of lover of Pomander
Walk, Barbara Pennymint and Basil
Pringle, find happiness through the
efforts of the formers parrot, Doctor
Jonson. The bird. the gift Of Bar
bara's first love, who died during their
engagement, keeps alive the memory OF
his master by a constant flow OF
not always of a choice selec-
ton. When Pringle, a musician, hest
tates to declare his love Barbara
teaches the parrot to say, Barbara
loves you" The assurance that his
affection is returned gives the faint
hearted one courage to claim his own.
Admiral Sir Peter Antrobus, of Po-
mander Walk, is finally won by Mrs.
Pamela Poskett, a widow living next
door. Jerome Brooke-Hoskyn, a re-
tired butler, disguised as a popular
member OIL SOClcly anu Dc"dllll6 thS
fate that he has had bestowed upon
him four girls. and Rev. Jacob Stern
royd, D. D., f. S. A., are among the
other members of the community.
Miss Dorothy Parker, the authors
daughter, is a winsome Marjorlaine.
with a delightful way of speaking. Miss
Cynthia Brooke. as the heroine's
mother, and Miss Maude Milton. as the
widow, Pamela, give a true picture of
the gentle ladies of a century ago.
The comedy element is furnished by
Lenox Pawle as Brooke-Hoskyn.
George Giddens is an admirable Sir
Peter, and the baron and his son, the
lieutenant. are excellently portrayed
by Reginald Dance n Edgar Kent.
Instead of "Baby Mine" the kinema-
color pictures of the Durbar will be
seen at the Shubert next week.