The Detroit times., 1913-05-06
THE STAGE
GARRICk.

AOulluk III lile tlOst Ol u ottsOu VI
plays marked by involved plots. and
where vices and virtues have been
tied into double knots. William
Hodges new play. The Road 10 Hap
piness.' presented In the Garrick the
ater, Monday evening. wins by it's
very simplicity and Obviousness. The
authorship Of The Road TO liappi-
ness." is credited TO Mr.. Hodge him
self. by those I'm position to make
good guess. although the program,
by those in position to make a good
guess, although the program wishes
II on one Lawrence Whitman, whom
the publicity agent OF the Hodge COM
pany put down as Chicago lawyer.
Attorney Whitman In serene de-
termination TO boom the family name,
calls the chief character. enacted by
Mr.. Hodge. Jim Whitman. At any rate,
the play is very much William Hodge.
The well-known Hodge methods OF
quiet speech and movement, the effec-
tive. apparently unstudied utterance
OF sentences pointed with dry. quaint
humor and horse sense" and the
naturalness OF manner and action.
typically Hodge. make The Road TO
Happiness, just as much a Hodge
play as was The Man From Home"
The story OF the play Is laid In a
small country town In New York state.
and its characters have all the bucolic
humor. the narrowness and bigotry,
and in contrast the genuineness.
warm-heartedness and since worth OF
the simple folk OF the farm. The incl
dents and action woven into the story
have all the elements which made
such tremendous popular success as of
Way Down East" Shore Acres
up York State and the plays upon
which the late Sol Smith Russell won
his way to stardom There Is plenty
OF melodrama and there are situations
where tears well into the eyes, only
To be chased away moment or two
later. with smiles and laughter Good
principles, decent thoughts, noble &C.
lions and right living ooze all along
The Road TO Happiness. What vii
liany there Is, the better TO vaunt the
virtue, Is furnished by Benjamin Hard.
castle, the big man, OF the village
who. because he has little ready
money and owns the general store.
lords II over everybody In the com
munity, running his neighbors bust
ness. and private affairs with a high
hand and getting himself universally
disliked, il feared. A youth with many
diamonds and fashy clothes whose
paw is the village banker is sort
OF second william.
The folk who people the play may
be found In any country community.
The staging is in keeping with the
story, giving exterior and interior
glimpses OF country life that will take
the onlooker back to his boyhood
home, or, revive pleasant memories OF
d summer spent with relatives or
friends on the farm. The third act
shows "A barn, the smell of the hay
piled up In the NOV getting over the
footfights in most realistic fashion
The family dog. a noble collie called
"Shep.' typical farm boss" with
the grand name OF Senator" and the
busy hen all have place in the stay
ing uofNthe play
Mr. Hodge has good company
Elizabeth Baker, Detroit girl, has
the part OF Mrs. Hardcastle, mother
OF the two pretty girls who figure so
largely In the story. Miss Baker ia
the sweetest and prettiest OF old
fashioned mothers and wonders at
the girls for surrounding her with so
much love and devotion Miss Baker
encompasses the difficulties OF her
role, deity and pleasingly. She has
an agreeable voice. speaking clearly
and distinctly, a valuable asset in
stage work and one too rarely Guilt
waited, unfortunately.
Ida Vernon. Jim Whitmans mother.
is another attractive personality. Ger
trude HitZ. as Viola Winthrop. Mrs.
Hardcastle's daughter by FORMER
marriage. and Helen Fulton. as Eva
Hardcastle, her step-daughter. are
pretty and lovable girls. Marie
Haynes. as the hired girl in the Hard
castle household. gives an excellent
character study and visualizes the
hard-featured, sharp-tongued and cap
able spinster indigenous to rural com
munities. The men OF the company
were uniformly capable. The Road
to Happiness. is pla yof types and
requires individual capable. careful
work to be successful
The engagement Is for the week
with Wednesday and Saturday after
noon performances
Monday evening. May -. Gertrude
HOFFMAN, with the big From Broad
way to Paris, revue will return for
n