Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-01-07
'H|NDLE WAKES" IS
| AT THE SHUBERT
Delicate Subject Is Handled
CIeverIy and InOffensiyely
in Interesting Play.
BATTLING VAUDEVILLE
BILL SEEN AT PROCTOR'S
payton Players Appear in The
Gamblers and Other
Shows Please.

It is seldom that we find such a
suendidly balanced cast of imported
English players as appears in Hin
he Wakes. an English problem
zdrama holding forth at the Shubert
Theatre this week without detract-
#ng in the least from the work of
9the players, however. one is forced
IL admit that the very boldness with
(which the author, Stanley Houghton,
bias handled his subject matter has
|much to do with the plays success.
.aandled Jess cleverly the subject
|would be offensive.
The plot, which is not altogether
'hovel, is woven around an usually
Forbidden and dangerous subject.
|Mr. Houghton has drawn human
of the Lancashire type of
English people. and has made them
.npeak right from the shoulder. Even
liz the discussion of forbidden sub
|jscts D spade is called spade, and
|at times the audience is made to gasp
nv the very daring of the author.
|WhileI his treatment of the subject
Knight not jibe entirely with the opin-
hons OF many who will see the play,
f Nr. Houghton makes them feel that
.there is room for argument. 1t has
|caused. and it will continue to cause,
lis long as it is presented to the
american public, practically endless
comment.
Forced Marriage.
The plot has to do with whether
Alan Jeffcote, already engaged to
'eharming girl in his own station,
should wed an Independent and tenn
'porariIy fascinating mill girl, the
|aaughter of one of his fathers old
I<sf friends, whom he has encountered
/ n Elandudno during the festive
e{FaKes.'' the picniclSing bank holi-
s<av~ period. Alan absolutely refuses
Is have anything further to do with
che -eIfl who has been his fancy over
the Weekend. His father is insist
! ent that the girl has a prior claim to
him and threatens to cut him off I'M
Hess he marries her.
From this point the play moves
rapidly to it's rather daring eonclu-
sion. IN which Alan consents to the
.ssacrifsce'' by which he shall marry
tie mill girl. All arrangements are
made for a speedy marriage by the
TWO families, Fanny, the girl, sitting
calmly by and saying nothing. Left
for few minutes alone with Alan
she upsets all calculations by re-
fusing to be a party to the forced
marriage. No argument will change
her opinion, which she expressed in
her answer to Alan:
you're a man, and I was your
little fancy. Well, I'm a woman,
and you were my little fancy. You
wouldn't prevent woman enjoying
herself as well as a man If she
takes it into her head. 1t has been a
right good time, but all good times
must end and ours is over now"
Natural Acting.
There is a simplicity about the act
ing of the various characters that
makes the most dramatic moments
decidedly plausible, and there is
comforting absence of melodramatic
ATTITUDES and gestures.
The acting of Herbert Tomas dom
mates the. performance. There is a
|naturalness and freedom from over
acting about his portrayal of the
hard headed father of Alan. At all
times his. touch is sure and deft, and
from the start he wins the sympathy
OF the audience for the character he
portrays-
Miss Emile Polini's work as Fanny
is Of a consistently high order. She
brings out the varying moods and
emotions of this mill girl with the
sure, sincere touches that tell of
complete sympathy with the charac-
ter she has to portray. She appears
but twice, In the first and last acts,
but her work impresses itself upon
an audience. She appears just nat
ural. Alice O'Dea, as the shrewish
mother Of Fanny, is excellent and
porfrays the middle-class English
woman almost perfectly. Roland
Young. as Alan, might be better, al
though his work at times is above
the ordinary. The same might be
~ IF 1ioa m, q min Fts nnothar