Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-07-29
Reins Given to Laughter in
Comic Performances Here
"Seven Days" at the Newark
One Great Succession of
Mirthful Episodes.

VIII tIIlui EpiSOuSSs
Fun is one thing, Seven Days'
another. It really is q shame the
way they carry on in that play
People at the Newark last night
weren't given half a chance to re-
cover their gravity The moment
the curtain rose there was a com
polling necessity to laugh; and
what made the situation so much
more provoking was that the stage
represented quite darkened room.
containing that least of all mirth-
begetting element-a burglar.
The idea! to laugh at a burglar!
But one simply couldn't help
laughing at this burglar last night
at the Newark. Everything he did
and every exclamation he uttered
licked the risibles. And, yet, he
acted altogether naturally under the
circumstances. For he was scared
half out of his wits.
Well, 1t was funny predicament
he got himself into, anyway. Judge
for yourself, for here is the situa-
ton created for him in this most
comical Of all farcicaI comedies by
the authors, Mary Roberts and
Avery Hapgood.
Here's the Story In Brief.
James Wilson, a young man whose
wife Bella has just divorced him
for being too fat, is entertaining
visitors when a telegram arrives an
nouncing the approach Of Aunt Sc
lina., Now, James Wilson owes
everything to Aunt Selma and, be-
ing too proud to beg and too fat to
work, naturally breads losing her
esteem, which inevitably will be the
case If she discovers that he Is di-
vorced.
He engages his visitors in plot
to avoid such a calamity His visit
ors are Dallas Brown, the latter's
wife Anne and Kit McNair. Kit
agrees to impersonate Mrs. James
Wilson, the divorced wife. 1t has been
no easy task to gain Kits consent to
this deception; and, by way Of cele-
brating the victory over her con-
scientious scruples, cocktail
"bracer" is served all around. But,
alas, the "bracer' goes to Anne
Brownies head, and Anne becomes
hopelessly intoxicated.
Aunt selina's Mistake.
At this critical juncture Aunt Sc
lima arrives and concludes that Ante
must be James's wife, The efforts
to keep wobbly Anne away from
the ebullient old lady are excruciat-
ingly funny At last things are set
right and Aunt Selma embraces Kit
as her nephew's wife. Kit shows
signs of remorse for the deception
and everything now hinges upon
getting Aunt Selma to 80 away be-
times.
At this moment there happen
three things, any one of which
would be enough to convulse an
audience with laughter. Bella, the
divorced wife, enters; Anne Brown
sees the screen behind which the
burglar has taken refuge move, and
Policeman Flanagan announces
that the Jap butler has just been
removed with smallpox, and that the
house is under quarantine.
And then follow seven days OF
mirth--crammed troubles, to narrate
which here would. of course, de-
tract from the pleasure of the sur
prise in store for the reader when
he goes to see the play for himself.
The Acting Is Unsurpassed.
William y. Mortimer played the
divorced husband to perfection.
Claude Payton's Dallas Brown
was well done, too; as was like
wise Edmond Soraghan's portrayal
of Tom HARRISON. the real sweet
heart of Kit.
Joe Girard. as Policeman Fla.nni-
gan. left nothing to be desired: no
policeman that ever lived could have
been a more typical policeman
that he. Harry Roche. as the. bur-
glar, fairly shook laughs out of the
audience. And besides, he won their
sympathy too, by the agony he was
enduring while hiding, almost fam
ished, in the chimney, the dumb
waiter and other impossible places.
Bella Knowles, the divorced wife,
was well portrayed by Miss Virginia
Howell. Miss Ethel Milton per-
formed her part as Kit McNair ex-
ceedingly well; and SO did Miss
winona Bridges, as Aunt Selma.
But II the writer of this article
may, without sderogation to the ex-
cellence of the others. express any
preference at all. he gladly yields
the palm to Miss Mary Servoss for
the inimitable Anne Brown she
presented.