Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-02-27
Humor Shuffles Stage
Cards; Fun Deals Them
Rose Statl, as maggie Pepper
at the Newark, Makes
Laughter Roar.
A Real Sl.OO Value

a MIXTURE of pathos and humor, a
n story that interests from begin
ming to end, a play to which MI.
and Mrs. Everybody should invite Mr..
and Mrs. Gossip and all the Gossip
family: in short, one of the best pro-
auctions that has come to this city
ouch Is Maggie Pepper" who is tend
ing store and keeping house at the
Newark Theatre this week.
Miss Rose Stahi ha In this play by
Charles Klein ever a more fitting We
hicle than was hers in the Chorus
Lady" AS the store girl, under whose
rough exterior is a big sympathetic
heart, Miss Stahl has al opportunity
for much Of the off -hand humor which
Is SO characteristic of her. for the hui
man touches which make her work so
enjoyable. She is natural from the rise
to the fall Of the curtain-so natural
that the audience begins to wonder If
she is really a play character after all.
The story centres around the X
periences of Maggie Pepper and her
rise from assistant buyer in the suit
department of Holbrook & Co. to the
position Of trusted adviser of the head
of the. firm and the real power that
turns an out-of-date concern, whose
credit Is slowly vanishing, into one of
the leading houses i'll the CITY, The
heroine, who started her business
career as a cash girl with the same
company, expects that after fifteen
years of faithful service she will be
promoted from assistant buyer in the
suit department to the vacant position
of buyer.
The manager Of the store, John Har-
gen, has other plans. however, which
include the filling of the position by n
dressmaker Of his niece Ethel. the
fiancee Of young Holbrook. The lat
ter returns from Europe, where he has
won a reputation for gayness and
recllessness, to sun the RESPONSE
bility of managing the store. Upon
the day of his return Maggie Pepper.
whose attitude is displeaslng to Ethel
Hargen, receives her dismissal. Hol-
brook becomes interested i'll the young
woman, who has reform plans which
she has contided to him without guess
ing his identity, and he orders that the
dismissal be rescinded and that she be
given the coveted position.
The younger owner unburdened with
an excessive amount of business knowl-
edge, comes to rely more and more
Upon his assistant, who is really the
originator Of the many schemes with
which he is credited. His frequent
conferences with her set the gossips'
tongues wagging and arouse the dis
pleasure of Ethel Hargen. She and
her uncle demand Maggie's dismissal.
Although Holbrook refuses to comply
with their request the lady In question
resigns and accepts a commission which
necessitates her going to Europe. She
is glad Of the chance to leave the coun-
try in order that she may remove from
danger her young niece. The girl, who
has been in Miss Peppers care for five
years after the death of her father.
10 taken West by her mother, a worth
less woman, the wife of q more worth
| ess man, who ill-treats mother and
daughter.
} They both are caught shoplifting,
The mother liz sent to prison. and the
; girl, on the plea OF Maggie Pepper. is
! released and given into her care. She
succeeds in keeping her by meeting the
financial demands of the Matchmaking
step-father. When the mother is re-
leased from prison she reforms, and
: ir stead Of carrying out her husbands
! commands to take the child from Miss
Pepper begs to be permitted to accom-.
pahy aunt and niece to Europe.
/. The father, James Darlsin. goes t,
/ MISS Peppers apartment to demand the
girl, and meets Holbrook, who has com,
e to propose marriage to Maggie to saw
her name, which his former fiances
s threatens to drag through the courts
In the ensuing fight Darkin shoots Hol
o brook.
h latter stays at Miss Pepper.
I home for ten days. during which he 1.
: recovering from his wound, while tn,
public marvels at his disappearance
He soon realizes that his love for Mis-.
Hargen is dead and ~persuades his for
8 mer adviser to become his wife.
j Miss Stahl is supported by a capabI,
company. The work of Frederick
Truesdell as Joe Holbrook is marked
with naturslnsss and ease. Lee Kohl
Q mar. as Jake Rothschild, dds enjoy
able humor to the play by his effort
a to sell suits and to persuade the forme
Y buyer to give up her religion and TAX,
> his.
Miss Eleanor Lawson makes the roll
of Mrs. Thatcher, the detective, yer,
. likeable. Miss Mary Hampton, as Ad,
Darkin, the worthless mother. Mis-
Natalie Jerome, as zazs, or the nice
Margaret Pepper, and Miss Agnes Mar