Evening journal., 1914-03-17
Attractions in ihe City Theatres

THE PLAYHoUSE-"SfLVIA RUNS
AWAY a comedy by ROBERT
HOUsEUM. Cast Of characters;
Scott Hamilton &C.. e. Albert Brown
Doihlas Lea .... Bruce Elmore
Samuel Graham ......Ned A. Sparks
OF the Advertising Agency OF Lea,
Sally Driscoll ...... Madge Kennedy
Sylvia Deane ............. Elsie hltz
Daniel Hyde $500. Charles Stanley
Bartholomew Buttes Arthur Norbury
Mrs John Driscoll ...... Nira Rial
Popham, butler at the Hamilton's
J. sydney Macy
Eliza. his wife . Matte Ferguson
Sylvia ran away with the grt ater
part of a large audience at The Play
house last night. II was the rst
public presentation of the new COM
edy written by Robert Houseum, dia-
matte critic of a Cincinnati newspa-
per. who was so impressed with the
capabilities OF the company that pre-
sented Little Miss Brown" in his
home city. that he desired his own
play to be produced by that company.
The company had stopp,d long
enough during its tour with Miss
Brown" to rehearse sylvia Runs
Away" and after the premier last
night the company left for Boston to-
day to continue to charm with Miss
Brown"
sylvia Runs Away" is a comedy
with many mirthful situations, but
with possibly a little too much talk
that will have TO be taken out of the
first act and a finale that will have
to be strengthened and smoothed out
to bring about that happy ending
where love creeps in TO give the touch
of romance. Three young men COM
prising the advertising agency OF
Lea, Graham and Company have been
hard hit I'm the stock market, and
must raise $4,000 to recoup their
losses and stave off ruin. In des-
peration they read Of the flight of
Sylvia Deane, heiress of Pittsburgh,
who does not wish to marry the man
her uncle has chosen. A reward OF
$4,000 is offered for her discovery.
The three advertising agents form a
"bonehead" detective agency and op-
timistically resolve to find her.
Sylvia has come to the home OF
Scott Hamilton, the chief of detec-
tives, in the guise OF Nora, a maid.
Sally Driscoll, a chum of Sylvia. gets
into the Hamilton home thinking she
is in the house of a fortune teller
who may give her some information
as to the missing Sylvia. Miss Dris-
coll is mistaken for Sylvia by the
three detectives" and they decide
to detain her until her uncle arrives
from Pittsburg. The comedy revolves
about the efforts to detain Miss Dris-
coll. who is placed i'm a room with
Nora, whom Miss Driscoll recognizes
Immediately as the much-sought Syl-
via. The two girls decide to stand
together. Sally falls in love with
Hamilton while the real Sylvia loses
her heart to Douglas Lea. who be-
comes enamored of her even as a ser
want Samuel Graham, the cynical
unsentimental one of the trio of heir
ess-hunters. illustrates various at
tempts of me girls to leave the house.
Miss Madge Kennedy was as win
some as ever as Sally Driscol, ana
certainly adapted herself to the part
with charm. She was enthusiastical-
lv welcomed when she first appeared
on the stage, her recent success here
being fresh in sthe minds of many.
Miss Elsie Hitz, who win be remem-
bered as the girl whose mamma al
ways taught her TO be polite in Lit
tie Miss Brown" was gracious in the
title part of Sylvia. and shared the
honors with Miss Kennedy. Ned A..
Sparks topped OF the male cast last
night with his portrayal of the crusty
but brainy Samuel Graham, OF the
advertising company, and one OF the
"bonehead detective agency" as he
termed il. The audience remembered
him, too. and he bowed an acknowl-
edgement of the applause as he en-
tered the first time. Albert Brown.
as Scott Hamilton, was handicapped
by serious cold, and Bruce Elmore
as Douglas Lea supplied some senti-
ment to the aspiring sleuths. ]. sgd
ney Macy. as Popham, the punctilious
butler, gave a good portrayal. How
ever. the production was not so
smooth as other first performances
that have been given at The Play
house, and might have been helped
some by more rehearsals. And
sylvia Runs Away" is not Little
Miss Brown"