The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-05-28
POLL PLAYERS IN } "THE LILY" HAVE
 THEIR BEST PLAY
SPIEGDD PRESENTATION OF WIDELY DISCUSSED SEX 2. DRAMA EVOKES MUCH s- APPLAUSE.
MISS HALL PROVES REVELATION IN TENSE AND THRILLING
 CLIMAX OF FRENCH DRAMA.

AEThe Poli Players eclfpsed former Successes with their performance of the compelling French drama, "The Lily" Audiences larger than have greeted the first performances of any preceding offering waxed highly en- rhusiastic yesterday afternoon and ev- ening as the players, given an oppor- tunity of excellent dramatic effort proved themselves equal to the pos abilities of their several parts in a performance comparing favorably from - a dramatic viewpoint with anything that local stock companies have pre- sented.
 .'The Lily" is adapted from the French by David Belasco. It is the joint efrort of Gaston LeRoux and Pierre Wolf It deals in frank fash ion with the sex problem. Whether the audience concurred in the conclu- sions reached by the dramatists, may be questioned. But there was no doubt as to the appreciation of the audience of the convincing and artistic perfor- nance given by the Poi players.
 The story tells of the outcome of the poorly laid plans of Compte De Maigny pertaining to the manner of living of the members of his house. hold He bars all men from his home. and his daughters, stepping from the realm of sirlhood into womanhood, are denied association with men save as the martinet of a father sees fit to permit them to entertain men of his particular liking.
 Odette, his elder daughter, has re- signed in quiet submission to an un- cioistered life of self sacrifice, and supplanting her dead mother in the De Maigny household, she has watched with tender devotion the budding into womanhood of her younger sister, Chrfstiane Once the girl entertained a man under her fathers roof. The
 
 vited another man within, but as the sequence of her fathers rigid surveil- lance she has an affair with George Arnaud, an artist, already married Disclosure of this scandal comes as the viscompte De Maigny, Maxim. is with a tradesman's daughter. The honest tradesman refuses to allow his daughter to become allied with fam fly where such a scandal is known to exist.
 The revelation is followed by the alignment of Odette and Christiane with mutual friends, against the fath- er With broken spirits he sets forth for Paris to live at his club, leaving hie rebellious daughters at home while Odette and Christiane seek tc justify their course.
 This is really the first big emotional role that has been given to Blanche Hall. the versatile and accomplished leading woman of the Poli players Her enactment of the part proved a surprise to even her most ardent ad- mirers, and so convincing and even thrilling did her dmpersonation o1 Chrfstiane become in the big scene of the third act that repeatedly spon- taneous applause delayed the progress of the play.
 C. Wilson Hummell, the stage di- rector. duplicated his success of Judge Prentice in "The Witching Hour with his portrayal of "Compte De Maigny." He demonstrated anew that he possesses the finesse of the stage to a rare degree, and that the progress of the company is due in great part to his skilful supervision
 The growing popularity of George Arvine was attested by the generous applause that greeted his several en- frances While he has not part of the magnitude of several of the oth- ers, in this play. he contributed large 4y t0 the general success by sincere GAd S1ect1ve e6ort. Hiss Frances l-~