The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-10-06
THE STAGE
DETROIT OPERA HOUSE.

DctcCtiNSB WaO octcSb. ROAACStAy
polite crooks. real gentlemanly kid
napers. shewd little boy and win
some little girl. with nary Q bit Of
gun-play In its four acts. make up
The Dummy" which began q weeks
engagement in the Detroit opera
house Monday evening.
THE Dummy II q comedy Of laugh
Ing thrills for Just as soon a. its au-
thors. Harriet Ford and J. Harvey
O'Higgfns, has the spectator all keyed
up with excitement clever lines or o
ludiCrous turn To an incident sends
him OF into outlaws Of laughter. The
play 10 built around the kidnapping OF
the little daughter Of . wealthy couple,
Temporarily estranged. and Its central
figure Is q tough hid" from the east
side Who. during MS telegraph messen-
ger serytce life assimilated detective
stories untfl he "burstss TO be q de-
tective. and By Q thrswd more brings
himself TO the notice OF o famous
sleuth. The great detective has been
employed by Mrs. Meredith to ind her
child, whom she thinks her husband
has spirited away In order to bring
her back to her home through her de-
sire to have possession Of the little
girl at whatever cost TO herself and
her pride. The husband, on the other
hand. Is Just as sure that his wife has
secreted little Beryl Mother and
father met In Detective Babbings
apartments In New York hotel and
finally. the sleuth convfnces Mr.. and
Mrs. Meredith that Berry, has been
kidnapped and that he II on the track
of one of the kidnapers whose apart
ments are In the hotel, Few fest
down the corridor from his own rooms.
In planning the case, Babbing uses
Barney. the erstwhile messenger boy,
who adopts the "disguise- Of being
dear and dumb, and gets away with
II, in the very lair OF the -kidnapesz.
until after an exciting flight from New
York to q bungalow In the Catskills,
the youngster falling asleep from
WEAKNESS talks In his dreams and
puts the crooks wise" to the fact that
he has been "stalling" them.
But. Barney set out to be--a real
detective and he sticln TO his orders
from THE boss' and keeps close to
Beryl, finally bringing her triumphant.
ly, II ragged and weary. all the way
from the bungalow to Babbing's apart
ments In the hotel. : s.4&s =.
= The four acts OF the play are cram
med with thrills and laughs ana excft-
ing. amusing Incidents. Moreover. or
FIRST ana last and All the way through,
the company 10 an excellent one,
every role being taken with more than
usual ability. Barney. whose sleuth-
ing fortunes many readers have fol-
lowed In Mr.. O'Higgins' stories I'm Col.
Hers with amused interest, 10 played
cleveriy by George Mack. and Ethel
Downie, whose impersonation OF the
child is Mary Mannering's play Of "A
Mans World" will be remembered By
local playeoers IA the winsome little
kidnapped "chee-ild" BeryL aaa
Mary Stockwell. who plays Mrs.
Meredith. and Clare Weldon, In the
part or Rose Hart. wife OF Spider
Hart. the gambler, who hoped to pick
up .. little extra small change IN the
WY OF ransom. by kidnapinE Berry,
are especially attractive and clever
women. Miss Stockwell has many
warm personal friends IN Detroit. and
made for hsrself a large and admirips
publicity the splendid work aha did
last summer In the Temple when she
appeared 90 leading woman for prank
Sheridan, In Richard Harding Davis
playiet Miss Stockwell again demon.
strated her Unborn talent for acting.
and her excellent training. In the role
of Mfs. Meredith. Miss Melaea,s work
% the woman OF the rambling world
who beneath her common vulearity
and profane tongue hid q woman's
heart could not have been improved
upon.
Detroits own son. Frank Campesu:
who 10 getting 70 be one OF the best
''crooks." on the stage--remembef his
0arson In within the LAwr-was en-.
cellent a. Spider Hart. while Joseph
Conyers. a. his pal Pat Geoghan. and
william Boneili. 90 Q precious spun.
drel Of tAxicab driver IN cahoofs
with the ~gapg." gave noteworthy
OF types. william
Holden. vas the resourceful Babblng;
James. Jim Corcoran. one OF Bah
bins's assistants with q perpetual
"srouch;" Arthur vinton, a. Fisher,
another essistant; Pero1vO 4. Moore