Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-06-02

= William Brockton . Guy Hitner :!
& John Madison. ....... Mr.. WEBB ::
- Annie. a servant. -. Marie Baker ::
= Jim Weston Jack Beigrare y
s; Effie st. Clair. ..... ,IneZ Ragaa !:
4 81
q :: :: = {: !. {: . :: ): /: = = ;: {: !:
"The Easiest Way" the current Of
fering OF The Players at the Bijou
Theater, is billed as "A powerful So
Geological drama" Possibly it is, but
| from a close observance of last nights
performance it is hard to find any
legitimate excuse for the offering
THE Easiest Way" might as well be
billed as dramatization of the one
time popular melody "a man was the
cause OF II all" Or it might be press
agented as The drama that leaves a
dark-brown taste" .-a..
About the only positive lesson car
ried by "The Easiest Way" is one that
would shake the faith in human ma
the cast is small, each of the mem.
bers proves to be character that
could be thoroughly detected, with
ease-the single exception being jim
Weston, former circusman and adj
yance-agent, who never had any large
| opportunity to enter the crooked
ranks. 81 ..-- q
Eugene Walters undoubtedly was
writing for the coin and figured on
striking a popular chord by laying
down four, acts of heightened filth.
New York's Stanford White.Harry
ThaW ring was undoubtedly drawn.
upon by the dramatist as also was the.
George Graham Rice episode of the
early Goldfeld days. The muck that
is raked in The Easiest Way" is
most positive but Walters fails to
/ point remedy. He portrays the filth
and leaves an open fostering sore. He
has probably worked well for box-of-
1 flee receipts and the royalty but has
i failed to offer any Improvement of a
condition that is as old as the ages
but has had better opportunity to
blossom into a studied profession I'M
Il der the present day economic system
l of mammoth fortunes and indolent
miflionaires. The Easiest Way is e
lplay without an excuse for being.
! We Meet the Crooks. i
| The action opens in Denver and in
PRODUCES an actress, Laura. Murdoch,
minus ability but long on looks, who
holds her job and lives on the fat of
the land through the friendship" of
II William Brockton, a wealthy Wall
street manipulation, Of crooked inclin.
ations.
Laura meets and falls in love with
John Madison, yotng newspaper.
man, who is as poor as Brockton is
rich. Laura decides that John is the
only man and that she will renounce
the life of ease for which she has bar
tered herself to Brockton The act.
tress goes to New York; the newspaper
man stays in the West. Laura goes
to make good" in the chorus and
proves q dismal failure. Madison
stays West to make a fortune, and,
reversing the traditions OF the news
paper game, he makes it. However, it
is only drama.
Before the parting of the ways
Brockton promises Madison that,
should Laura tire of the straight and
narrow path she has chosen to tread
and decide to return to the luxurious
life that Brockton has to offer her,
he, Brockton, will insist that Laura
notify Madison that "love's young
dream is DER" When the time comes
for this action, Brockton dictates a
letter which Laura writes to Madi,
tson and then proceeds to feed it to
the flames.
Peevish Over Little Lie.
This, it appears, makes Brockton
cut to be liar and on this particular
point he is very peevish. Living a
life that is a lie from beginning to
end; admitting that he is within
the law brand of crook and that he
barters in women, this one particular
little lie that he has. inadvertently
told, appears to have peculiar effect
upon the man: He takes this particu,
lar. lie real seriously and as above
stated it makes him particularly peev'
ish. Thereby hangs the plot of the
play.
Act ii. shows Laura in her hall
bedroom. No work, no chance of get
;. ting any for the reason that Brock,
/ ton is blocking her every effort. An.
/ other woman. OF the kind Laura has
been. pays her visit at about the
time the landlady is demanding the
back rent. With but a little coaxing
Laura is willing to return to Brock
/ ton and the letter is written
The third act shows Laura and
Brockton in a fashionable hotel apart
ment, paid for by Brockton and en-
joyed by both A little morning at
ter fight is in progress wheH tele
gram arrives for Laura. More lies
and more fighting result in Brockton
learning that the message is from
Madison, announcing the arrival in a
few hours CT the erstwhile newspaper
man-now a Goldfield bonanza king
. The secret OF the letter that was
. never mailed comes out. A scene en-
sues and Brockton grows most peeved
over that single lie: BTockton leaves
and Madison enters, all set for the
marriage ceremony. and, once more
Laura overlooks an opportunity Of TN
doing that lie. She is given every OPP