The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-04-22
This Weeks Attractions
 At Local Play Houses
''LITTLE WOMEN" AT THE PARK THEATRE
DramatizatiOn of Louise Alcott'S Book Charms Apprecia-
 tive Audience

The dramatization of Louisa M. Al l cott's charming book, Little Women enacted by a, capital company at the Park theatre, delighted a good sized
 audience at the opening performance last evening. If the enthusiasm of the first nighters is a criterion, larg audiences should witness the remain
 ing performances, incfudfng daily mat inees, today and tomorrow.
 Little Women was first printed in 1S67- It is related as a singular fact that when the manuscript was first given to the publisher that worthy
 pronounced the story weak and of lit-
 tie consequence; he had, however, suf- fcient discretion to submit it to a
 little girl, a child critic of 14 who
 enthused over it's pages, weeping, laughing and rejoicing as the scenes
 and characters pictured themselves to
 her mind, concluding by pronounctig
 it the greatest story ever written. It
 was, as everyone now knows, the bf-
 ography, virtually, of the A1cott fam
 fly, Louisa, the writer, being the tenn
 pestuous Jo; father, mother and the
 sisters, Meg, Beth and Amy, together
 with the German professor and others
 of the Alcott associates finding proper
 place in the pages Finally given to
 the press, it's readers grew to mill lions, and new sensation was given to the literature of the day.
 For years Miss Jessie Bonestelle, the
 actress, labored with the A1cott heirs
 to secure permission for the books dramatiza ton. It was only within the past year that her efforts were crowned with success.
 How excellently she has accom- pliSh- ed her task only the readers of the book can testify, the ver1ty of charac- ters, scenes and incidents being so admirably preserved that even the most sincere advocates of Miss Alcott if0xy in 10 faj fitness of their transcription. To the actors of MT. Brady's company much applause is also due, as Miss Jane Marbury as Jo, Miss Jane Salisbury as Meg, Miss Edna. Walthar as Amy,
 Robert Adams as Laurie, Douglas Pet terson as MT March, Jean Adair as the affectionate mother, Eleanor Ca rev as Aunt March. Burke Clark as MT. Laurence, Mortimer Martini as Prof. Bhaer, George Stahl as John
 Brooks and Julia Varney as Hannah, gave such conscientious and loving
 sincerity to their tasks as to attain the
 most remarkable fidelity in the inter pretations of the roles.
 The principal incidents of the story are found clearly and irnpressively set forth in the adaptation. Three of the four acts have their locale in the old
 March sitting room at Concord. The
 girls here offer their protest against the continual poverty. Then follows the rehearSaI or one or tnelr QeI1ShLIuI
 small plays, Jo being costumed in the garments borrowed from friend "who knew an actor The news comes from the front that their father, who is in the army, has been wounded and is then in a hospital at Washington. n. In the second act begins the devel- opn1ent Of the love affairs of the Tit tie women.'' The father returns from the war and takes up his family af- fairs in his slow, conventional way. Jo
 rejects, kindly and gently, the propo- sal of Laurie, and the climax of the
 cast is reached as Amy, a vision of loveIiness descends the stairs in her
 ball dress and the fond-hearted and remarkable old mother attempts to
 console Laurie, telling him that he
 will yet find the real girl of his heart,
 despite his present disappointment. There are two scenes in the third act, but the most affecting is the death of Beth The fourth act, it's scene, the Plumfeld orchard, as contrived by Jo and Aunt March, is one of the pret- tiest. Here Amy and Laurie confess their loves and Jo and the professor
 plight their itroth The conclusion shows the fond old parents with their children and their husbands gathered about them, dear old Mrs. March ex- pressing her happiness and declaring that no matter what good or evil for tune may come to them in the future she can desire them no greater hap
 piness than this.
 MT. Brady has staged the piece beautifully, the cosiness of the old
 March home with it's antique furnish ings, the orchard and all the other illustrative environments of the story
 being excellently represented.