New-York tribune., 1912-08-30
LITTLE MISS BROWN y
BarthoIomae's Comedy Given at
48th Street Theatre.

large measure of success with his play.
"Over Night" both I'm this city and on
the road, has tried his hand at farce In
Little Miss Brown" which had it's first
New York hearing last night OF the
isth Street Theatre. In this latest play
Mr.. Bartholomae, it must be admitted
sets to without the aid of subtlety TO
get laughs" as those behind the curtain
say.
There is always a certain interest ana
a certain irresponsible hilarity in Watch-
ing the winding-up OF string or nope
less and desperate complications arouh"
innocent characters. IT has the sdil'o
fascination that "chase" has In the
movies. Little Miss Brown" Is one OF
these complication plays, and although
its misunderstanding are pitilessly VII
fuI on the part OF the playwright, they
..,-a 70 entangIe a set of irrcproachaple
persons IN a medley Of Impossible ahu' "
tbeu. awfully immoral circumstances
\ certain little Miss Brown, as unso-
rhieticated and childlikc a5 one coulu
fancy. goes atraveiiing 70 a certain 'o"''
.lo,c Sho arrives there at nearly mid
night expecting 10 be met at the s'a'io''
by her nanc6. He is not there. enc "a''7
for him. and while waiting her pocket
ho,i, is stolen She then starts OUT 10
look for a hotel. but moneyless, alone
and without baggage she Is reiuseu
everywhere until she strays into the Iiotei
Wendell, where, after painful delays, sue
IS finally mistaken by the night clerh ioi
a Mrs. Dennlson, who Il expected 10 ar
rive alone before her husband comes. ohe
is hurried upstailgs TO the suite ordered
BIZ the DenniSons, and there coi'luse''
and helpless, she remains. Durlhe INC
night Mr.. Dennison arrives. goes 10 oed
I'm the second bedroom OF the sulte-httie
Miss Brown is in the other-and IN tne
morning they discover each other. Tho
real Mrs. Dennison pops in sudoeht''
and there you are. But that Is only tue
beginning Things go on until there ID
really no such thing as eXtricating tue
wholly respectable Mr. Dennison and inc
frightfully innocent Miss Brown.
In fact the 10y OF watching things uh-
Wind, which is half the anticipated pleas
lre I'm watching them wind, Is entirely ds-
MED the spectator in Mr.. Bartholomae
now farce He has to resort 10 the eX-
pedieut Of sending in character at lre
end TO tell little Miss Brown that he mas
explained everything 10 everybody anu
that ne has believed in her oil along, and
now. the others do also. The curtain goes
down 20 distant strains Of the "Lohengrln
march.
Although thcre Is not new trick nor
new character in Little Misc Brown -
and one cannot help wondering how an!
one could dare use some OF the ola ones
so successfully brought in-the audience
responded charmingly 10 the fascination
OF the entanglements. In Act III things
went with much better spirit than in the
act which went before and the one "hlch
followed A novelty IN scenery vas pro-
yided by scene at the hotel WINDOW
looked at from the outside. This was the
freshest bit in the play.
Madgc Kennedy. as Little Miss Brown,
acted the dumb and Innocent girl clearly
enough. She cleverly avoided overactinS.
Matte Ferguson gave the quietest and
most polished bit of acting as the buxom
Irish maid in the hotel, who knew all
things and had been through II all her
SELF whatever IT was.
Ned Sparks as the day clerk and Rae
Bowden as the telephone girl had the
so-called character parts and both acted
them with point and decision.
Little Miss Brown" IS childs play. but
then that is what il Is meant 10 be, snd
there is = surprising dsn't II surprisinc0
percentage Of people in the immediate
vicinity who would rather go TO the thea
ire for this than for anything else.