The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-25
ADJUSTMENTS
At the jefferson
"Ronohf and Paid Fory

George Broadhursts play Bought
and Paid For" was presented for the
first time in Birmingham at the JEFF
ferson theatre last night A capable
company Interpreted the various parts
and the performance was capital
throughout. The story of the play is
quite different from that of "Paid in
Full" which it resembles in title, and
Mr. Broadhurst is absolved from any
suspicion of plagiarism.
Robert Stafford is the man of mil
lions. a strong figure in the financial
world and in every way an admirable
fellow, save for his Indulgence at times
in liquor lie falls in love with a
telephone girl and persuades her TO
marry him. although she is not quite
sure she loves him. Later love
awaxens and the two are very happy,
except when Stafford forgets and be-
comes intoxicated The millionaire Law
ishes every luxury of his wife and
still further proves his devotion to her
by handsomely providing for her sis
ter and her sisters incompetent hus-
band, young chap with ideas par
ticularly ideas of his own. This char
acter is by far the most entertaining
in the play and the humor of it is the
most patent, as we'll as the most laugh
able kind.
After Stafford has inbibed too freely
number of times, his wife decides
that she can endure such scenes no
more. There must be change. The
last occasion proves to be a stormy
one, there is a quarrel and Mrs. stat
ford leaves her home because Stafford
will not promise never 10 take an-
other drink. The lady might seem
rather obsessed with principles, when
one considers that Stafford is by no
means a hopelessly bad sort of fellow,
but then, if she failed to go away, the
plot would fall to pieces and we must
have a plot. After several months of
pining on both sides, Jimmy, the in
competent, at last has an idea that
amounts to something. He gets the
husband and. wife reconciled simply by
telephoning to Stafford that his wife
wants him. Incidentally Jimmy gets
back his job at a salary of $50
weeks, paid him by Stafford, who con-
sfders him to be worth not more than
SIS week. During the sad interval
of waiting for the estranged couple
to be reconciled Jimmy has "held
down" a modest job at salary of SIS
week, from which he was fired
cold' as he expresses it because he
insisted on giving advice to his boss.
The play is in four acts, exception
ally we'll mounted in the scenes, show
ing interiors of the Stafford home,
which simulate modern luxury with q
great deal of fidelity. AS mentioned
before, the company is composed OF
capable players who can be depended
upon to give a good account of them
selves. Chester De Vane plays the part
of Stafford with simple directness
that makes it very convincing. lie
seems to have the intelligence and in
domitable will that characterize in
varying degrees every self made man.
Evelyn WELDING as Virginia Blaine,
| the telephone girl, who becomes a
millionaire's wife, gives a consistent
portrayal of the character and shows
strength in brief emotional scenes. Ho-
| bart Cavanaugh as James Gilley, the
SNUG, complacent shipping clerk, who
| knows he is a great man and only
asks a chance to prove 1t, with unfail
| ing conceit that almost amounted to
optimism, was by long odds the most
amusing figure on the stage. Mr.. Cav
anaugh, we are told, is the original
| Jimmy II so. he must be esteemed
q potent factor in making the play a
success. Dorothy Davies as Fanny
Blaine. later Mrs. Gilley, provided Mr.
Cavanaugh with a capital foil and a
as Oku and Gertrude Rudd in minor
and decidedly Partisan.
Bought and Paid For" will be pro-
sented at the Jefferson theatre to-
night. tomorrow afternoon and tomor-
rom night. 1t can be highly recon-