Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-12-30
SETTLEMENT HOUSE
KIDDTES DANCE And
LAUGH IN TOY PLAY
Children Beam as They
Help Katy Watch Over
the Fortunes of Dolls in
"Bibi."

with beaming faces and laughing
hearts more than a score of children
from the Southwark Neighborhood House
danced and laughed with Katy, the toy
mans daughter, through her three-act
dream. in which she watched over the
fortunes of Bib. the French doll and her
fellow dollmates, at The Little Theatre
yesterday afternoon. For the children
tf the settlement It was as glorious and
rich dream rs for the characters writ
ten by Charles Barnard in "Blbi," deli
cately called "a Christmas Toy Comedy"
just as Sylvia, the retired fairy came
into the life OF Katy, and through her
brought happiness and brief respite
from the hum-drum monotony OF shut-in
life to the dolls as well, 80 did some
kind, retired fairy bring the magic SMELL
Ing salts to the inmates of the Ellsworth
street house and enable them to live a
happy dream--short, but all the more
sweet. Their dream continues into to-
morrow, when after the matinee per-
formance-no. enactlnent-they return
from the land of blissful imagination to
the hard, prosaic realities of Phlladel-
pha.
Assisted by Helen McNuty. Louisa
Segal Dorothy Margulus, Ella Choen and
Ruth Greenberg, these young actors,
nona older than 10 years, and many as
young as 10. delighted their audience as
well as themselves In a slSilful and un-
usually buoyant performance OF the toy
comedy Each toy as 1t came to life
during Katy's dream added it's share to
the happiness of the afternoon. made
more enjoyable by the wholo-hearted
abandon with which the children entered
into the spirit of play. The sudden
breathing spell Of happiness and life
given to the doll-characters was as real
a,,1 ,aDt,r a.
tho street themselves, as to the shut-ins
of tho medieval toy-shop.
Katy Is visited by Sylvia, the old fairy,
who has retired from business" because
the children believe in her no longer. and
who. when In practice used to do all
sorts of things' She leaves with the
toymans daughter q bottle of magic
smellng-salts. with which the girl un-
consciously awakens the dolls. Soon all
the animals are free and a short spell of
terror reigns in the hitherto peaceful
shop. However. Katy calls on Sylvia to
come to the rescue, and the retired fairy
sends the Sandman, who awakens the
girl from her dream.
1t would be manifestly unfair and as
impossible to say that any one player did
better than the others Nor was the
prominence OF the part any indication of
worth. All did splendidly and contributed
equal shares to an afternoon OF unusual
pleasure. The children showed what they
can do when given the chance
Mrs. Mable F. Scheiner directed the
play. She was assisted by Miss Marie l..
Jackson who taught the dances, and
Miss Margaret Musgrove Smick, accom-
panist. The dancing and singing of the
little actors were especially enjoyable. AL
though the size OF the audience was kept
down by the inclement weather, most of
the seats already had been sold, and in
dlcations are for a large attendance at
the last performance, tomorrow afternoon
at 2:So o'clock. The proceeds are for the
benefit of the Southwark Neighborhood
House.