The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-11-29


! Real Star. Clever Comedy and Fine
| Company.
For Henrietta Crosman. playing in
Richmond is. like lie. Just one thing
after another. Last Thanksgiving Day,
/ during the afternoon performance or
| her sparkling comedy. The Real
! Thing" she and her company, with
| admirable presence Of mind, succeeded
in Quelling what threatened to ID. an
ugly fire panic in It's harmless IN
cipiency; to-day. after two uneVeht-
fully happy performances yesterday.
the city fathers will themselves ''pre-
sent" Miss .Crosman In very private
and exclusive performance of The
Peal Thing before their guests Of the
virginia Educational Conference. They
| have not chartered the house, as Is not
! infrequently done; they have bought
and will offer a performance when
/ otherwise would not be given
And, although these honored and
| welcome guests are dedicated sharps,
! as the Old Cattleman would say, even
they will be not only amused but eai-
Z fed Amused to the point or Tears
; unless pedagogy has dried Up the iou"'
/ tains Of their mirth. by one OF the clean
est, c,everest. wittiest comedies OF the
| day. as played by probably the foremost
! light comedienne of our stage and a!
, most excellent supporting company;
. edited by the very sound. wise philoso-
! ply OF its story. PHILOSOPHY thaI
! dc ais, not with the whyness or whence
| ness OF the thus. expounded In phrases
; whose specific gravity is so great tha'
they fall DULY from their own weight.
nor even with the lighter. airier ques-
itch OF the eternal triangle OF the
French. but with the everyday lie
OF every married man and woman. or
! OF their neighbOrs. clothed In sugar
! coated epigrams. without bite or bit
! terness. that iliumine and teach their
| solemn truths with flashes of laughing
| wisdom In short. the play Is purest
comedy. and comedy that not only
; adorns a tale. but points a moral
| AS the play was seen here last sea
son for three performances. Its story
! will not be retailed save only It's
dominant theme. for the refreshing OF
the memory. This theme deals with
| the mental substitute Of wife who
| Is not her husbands pal. but only his
wife. who ceases to be his girl IN
the fond security Of motherhood. and
settles down into the humdrum house
keeper, the unattractive. apfoned
"hausfrau" Follows its natural de-
velopment into the discord formed by
thoughtlcss wife. though anxious
mother, a dissatisfied husband. and an
always convenient "Cnderstudy." and
this discord is not resolved until there
enters upon the scene a wise young
widow, good but gowned. tender but
tidy. who teaches the vife--her sister
that the dressing-sack habit and
the curl paper craze have sent more
! husbands on the AFFINITY hunt than
! many broken comnAandments- The
wife dolls up" again. resumes her
games. athletics. music and what-not.
and. of course. with the happiest pos
sible results.
This sounds somewhat serious. but.
as tho theme IL developed In tne
comedy, nearly every line contains
good, wholesome laugh. and It Is all
so cleverly done that the play Is quite
as enjoyable now as 1t was a year
aso-even to those who fancy them
selves tired theatre-goers.
With the exception Of the two chill
dren and OF a new "Underssudy. Weioa
Lestina. who reads SO we'll that the
almost boyish good looks Of her pre-
decessor, Florence Short. are not miss
ed, the cast is identical with that OF
last season.
Miss Crosman and Josephine Lovett
continue their f!awIess work; Albert
Brown extracts much from his role.
-
comedy Of his easy. well-schooied
methods.
Another public performance tonight
closes the engagement Of one OF the
most thoroughly delightful comedies
that We have seen in years. played by
a star who really gl!tters and COM
pany that shines even in supporting
Fer.
w Douglas Gordon
The presentation OF the Passion Play
AZ the City Auditorium last night Tor !
the benefit Of the Retreat for the Sick
was a great success. when weather !,
conditions are considered In addition |
to tie wonderful pictures. there was
an excellent musical p~ogram. IN which .
seven soloists and a chorus of twenty
1--WE voices took part. The perform
ance will be repeated this evening.
LILO Fn0nAT N1lT