New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-25
BY HAYWOOD BROUN.

"Rucgles of Red Gap" is just about
as amusing as bad play can be. 1t
tells its story in thoroughly I'M
dramatic way. In fact. one act tells no
story at all But for all of that il is
a pleasant entertainment for at least
three quarters of the evening. Some
little time before the final curtain the
numbing sense that one Is in the pres
ence Of the undramatic is likely TO be
come oppressive. Prior to hat time
the play is full Of fun.
The fun is chiefly in those places in
which Harrison Rhodes has stuck
closely to the story OF Harry Leon vii
son. Any number Of lines have been
Fitted bodily from the book. but fort
unately these proved 70 have the
requisite dramatic snap. George Has
sell, conspicuously able actor, is rare
~ diyerting - the Hon. George and
Ralph Herr. although he loses his aud
fence before The end o. the play. per-
forms exceedingly we'll in his good
moments, which are quite plentiful.
Frederick Burton ie effective IS Cousin
Egbert.
Possibly the most cheering portion of
The play is the after part of the first
act. when The Hon George loses Rug
giles in playing cold hand with Mrs.
Fife. And this. too. in spite of the
TACT that he held "three of the eights
and two other perfectly meaningless
cards"
The earlier session Of drawing
poker which was sufficiently unfortu-
nate to cause the Hon. George 70 gam
bic away his valet, was also amusing.
!. is always expressing to see anybody
lose money at poker, whether on the
stage or rot. The second act finds Rug
giles in Paris with his new found North
American masters. Two songs have
been added TO this scene, and Il is
bright and merry enough. but after it
is all over you discover that it was no
more than an interlude.
Interest begins to flag instead of
mounting when Red Gag is reached.
The third act is al least fair. but much
% the fourth is a bore Partly
this Is merely because The play
is a good many minutes too long, but,
even more. il may be traced to the fact
that at some point in the evening the
audience says TO itself: "This fellow
and his friends now, they are amusing
enough. but what about them? What
are they going to do. and Why" For
the most part "Rugges' leaves that
question unanswered.
Those who have not read the novel
Of Harry Leon Wilson may not know
that "Ruggles OF Red Gap" concerns
the adventures OF an English valet who
is transplanted TO small Western
town.
Somebody or other described The
Man from Home" as a comedy of bad
manners That fits "Ruggles." But the
viewpoint is refreshing. In the play
which Hodge made famous Harry Leon
Wilson and Booth Harrington held up
provncialism as virtue. The philos-
ophy of the small town was sentimen-
taliZed In such a way as to appear
admirable. "Ruggles' is different.
Here provinciaism is satirized. snob-
berry is just as prevalent in Red Gap
as in the efete lands across the ocean
and much more ridiculous. This may
be described as the angle of the worm
which turns. OF course we do not
mean to imply for a moment that
"Ruggles" is anything like so effective
a play as "The Man from Home"
George Hasscil and Ralph Herr are
interesting lu the scenes which they
share on account Of the obvious con-
trsst in methods. Herr Is an excellent
actor Of the school which plays FOR
points. lie gets his audience much
more quicklv than Hasre.. but be- does
not hold IL so tcraciously Hasseii
builds more slowly. and tor that reason
more souud'y.
The scene Of the leayetaking Of the
Hon. George and Ruggles seemed to rs
ore Of the best played bits Of the sea
son. The teamwork Of the actors made
u So