New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-22
POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL"
Psychologist Play for GroWn-Ups
at the Hudson.
A NOVELTY AT LAST
Eleanor Gates Makes Interest
ing Dramatization of Her Book
-Sympathetically Acted.

one does not have to be a poor little
rich girl or even the father or mother
~ one in order to take personal interest
in the play Of fact and fancy" which
was presented al the Hudson Theatre
los, night. Any one who Is interested i'm
t,scinc the world of fact up TO the line
where it breaks into fancy. In following
The waking mind through it's periods of
somnoience into deepest sleep or as is
The case in this play. into delirium. will
ind the psychology of the Poor Little
Rich Girl" carefully worked out and fun
Of thoughtful detail. That the varied
and amusing incidents Of the second act
are also symbolic and point moral
merely adds to the interest. Miss Eleanor
Gates. who has made the play from a
new book OF hers. has provided "a faded
season with one of it's pitifuliy few nov
elites. and Arthur Hopkins. who has at
last come prominently into the field cf
legitimate" producing. deserves recog-
milton for bringing this play forward
The theme Of the play is simple Little
GwenGolyn whose parents are too rich.
and too newly rich at that to spare her
any time from their unaccustOmcd social
duties. is surrounded by tutors and care
takers OF various kinds. none of whom
have the care OF the little rich sirl on
their consciences. The child. having no
ulsymates Of her own age. has developed
a grea, faculty for pretending But
while she plays with little people who are
not there. talks to her puffy bear and
imagineS mud pies ana other pleasures
which are denied her. she has child
disconcertinely direct insight into the
sham and cruelty behind the people who
are serving her
one night her nurse. who wants the
evening of" gives Gwendolyn an over
dose Of a sleeping medicine which the
footman bought at the corner druggists.
4 moment after the child has taken the
dose the lights become unsteady and grow
dim. booming sounds almost like thunder
are heard and the scene resolves into
darkness and music.
When the lights go on again we are in
magic forest watching a little barefoot
girl in a Bingham dress tossing brown
leaves over her head in an ecstasy Of de-
liaht The delirium into which she sank
when things went black and she heard
that swelling. triumphant music is peo-
pied with her desires. her fears and the
agures Of those who surround her IN real
ity But there is the distortion, the
IMAGINATION of the one I'm a dream. And.
besides this. there is revealed the i'm
preston which things have made on the
chld-things which she was not supposed
to understand. Her nurse. FOR instance.
comes dancing in.
What are you doing, Jane"
Dancing attendance replies the
nurse. gravely.
When Jane turns around she reveals
another face on the back Of her mead
The truth shows so that all may see III
the magic forest.
Mingled with the fantastic and Tor the
most part bright comedy of the cream
,maginings are suggestions of the scene
and conversation in reality going Oh
nround the child The fathers cry that
his little girl does not know hlh' lhe
nurses alarm over dark bottle she hoids
IN her hand. the doctors constant meas
yring of her with a riding whip up the
sentre OF which runs a thermometer the
society folk who had come to dinner
party all saving in chorus Can nothing
be done? Is there no hope: what
PITY" al show that through the colo'ed
fancies Of delrum she vaguely hears ana
knows what is going on about her. But
she thinks her father is dressed in a suit
OF grcenbacks and her mother carries
bee that buzzes necessarily. IT is the So
cial bee, Of course. The policemans whis-
.f.t. Ill.
been instillcd in her by Nurse Jane-turns
into the deeper whistle Of the boats on
the Hudson beside which the rich little
girls home is built.
AS the dialogue traces facts into dreams
SO does the scenery. In the magic forest
there is a golden river IN the background
ont in the same direction in which the
Hudson lies from their windows I'm the
Robin Hoods Barn scene the barn is
placed just as Gwendolyn's big bed IN
the nursery IS, and the trees hung with
lamps and the hobby horses in the barn
are afterward seen in suggestion on the
nursery walls.
There are in both dialogue and scenery
innumcrable details Of interest. And all
are well carried out. Everett Shinn's
colorings were delightful all the way
through. while the scenes painted by
Ernest eros were unusually effective.
In addition to the pleasures in its com
position and setting the new play IS well
acted Viola Dana, who played the Gwen
dolyn, is another recruit from the NOV
les She won her audience from the
first with a gentle. yet confident, manner
that brought out just the right feeling
for the poor little rich girl. Frank An
drews. as the only sympathetic servant.
gave a very tender bit Of acting that was
highly appreciated. The others were all
competent and understood perfectly the
Whimsical character of what they were
doing d.
Though the problem of the poor little
rich girl may not be a throbbine one In
tho ranks of the Great Middle Class. the
Imaginative and thoughtful as well as
fanciful. character OF this play cannot
fail TO appeal 10 a large audience.
CAST OF THE POOR LITTLE RICH
GIRL"
Dancmg Nan fia
Gfrnan Teacher. Dcuc V i
french TEACHER. .,NataiI itias
Mflaif To-.