The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-30
NEW FARCE OPENS
S9TH ST. THEATRE
"The Last Laugh" Free From
Probabilities and Anus
ing in Spots.
EDWARD ABELES Is STAR


The FIRST scattering drops Of the theat-
rical season fell last night on Broad
way In advance Of the heavy downpour
scheduled to arrive within a few weeks.
II was a farce which marked he OPEN
ing OF the present dramatic year. The
Schuberts presented at the little Thirty
ninth Street Theatre The Last Laugh"
a farce in three acts, by Paul Dickey
and Charles Goddard. Edward Abeles,
a brisk actor Of farce, had the leading
role.
These two authors, who have 80 far
collaborated in their dramatic work.
have proved the capacity to devise en-
tertaining scenes. They proved this in
The Ghost Breaker" and later in "The
Misleading Lady" Both pieces also
showed that they had mastered certain
technical phases Of their raft, although
there was much they still had to learn
about life. They can impart to wholly
impossible scenes a certain aspect Of
plausibility. They are able to make
what Is In the highest degree theatrical
amuse an audience which on the least
analysis would see how far from proba-
bility all the playwrights have to offer
really Is. But to produce this appearance
OF probability Ia one of the highest
ACHE vements Of the writer OF farce.
Essentially an "Actor's Play"
Mr.. Dickcy and MIR. Goddard produce
what are actors plays" In the highest
degree. since they sacrifice all pretence
Of depicting life to Theatre effectiveness
Certainly IN The Last Laugh they
wandered far from all probability. The
three acts pass In the laboratory of an
old surgeon who thinks he has solved
the secret Of restoring life. His family
believing that he should be INDUCED in
this delusion. pretends to agree with
him. His daughter even ~pcrsuades his
assistant to hire somebody who shall
represent the man who comes to life
under her fathers illustrations. This
appears to deceive the old man, although
the sufferings of the substitute Frsnken-
stein are more humorous to others than
to himself. There enters a Foxy Grand
pa motive In the new play. however, as
II turns out that the supposed creature
he was going to bring to life is In reality
his chauffeur. whom he had engaged for
this part. So the old doctor was neither
so simple nor so. naive as his family
supposed.
1t was OF course difficult to establish
the prtlnises lot any play tnat uepenueu
from Mary woolstonecraft's 'Franken-
STEM" which was evidently the inspira-
ton Of the two playwrights. There was
no end OF pipe laying in the tiresome
first act. which was so dull that the
spectators stared at on another In as
t~onishment that anything so naive
should have been put before the public
In this year OF grace with the idea that
II might be accepted. Then. the second
act required more mechanical aid than
any play seen in recent years. The
wise and infallible Belasco placed the
last act OF The Case of Becky" in the
laboratory OF a quack. But he never
had the courage TO make his entire play
a study in medicinal apparatus. There
was no end OF mechanics in the second
act OF The Last Laugh
Laughter May Last.
Blu there was sufficient 70 keep the
audience-the first night audience-in
laughter during the greater part OF this
second act. The public laughed for
months at The Misleading Lady" In
which the fun was supplied by an idiot.
The same good luck may fall to The
Last Laugh" We hope II does for the