Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-02-23
4 whole Day With
porter Emerson Browne

Porter Emerson Browne
-, :, roaay." Comedy in four acts by
"a snFk nFkwerson Browne. Garrick Theatre
tosday AFTERNOON Ann Murdoch
ecrion Blake Pauline Dufrieid
~ RuSsssts. gsg5ge AlllsSn
Gleason .........,.......,.M Milllam flyiie
HaEknesss lockwood ...........M Milllam Holden
hnsmond Lockwood '...' tE3ngn EngGneN eNican5sp Sr5s
bte3,s lockwood '.'''''''' ~ "ttsits Daube
fs,ficla ,1SISr ySbs room Of Gordon BiaEes home
New York city.
..n..t 10 BrIdgeportr'-Bet Lockwood
retts picked out prettV souu last 'is
s..se cor the play as well as his family
rags,ri reius,i ~ Today" didn't start in Bridge
NJ II may end up there when Phil
pe,.,t.h,a and New York get over their
ronentary curiosity. - s,.
ne Garrick is one Of those ready-made
ssst,rs where you can line 'em up like
football team;
GOOD. BAD
Angelica Lockwood
his,nTs Tovsr Lagrand Lockwood
ne i,s. Guardian Belts Lockwood
ny tre,,seLeeper The Lovers Flancee
~, pu,ler The Author
,-,.,ne,s virtue is easy TO explains: She's
-. bsrolne, Lovers and housekeepers
vi hutlers hardly ever fall from grace;
hnu AMT keep their Jobs IL they do.
tus' % tor Guardians, this one is rich and
s.,s. II hate business, it's so sordid."
Now for the reverse of the shield;
tneelica is a climber. Belts ts the
sassbtv sporty humorous boy-Jimmy
raa1i raisy style-who says he's so full
y Wild oats that every time he combs
NJ bair he gets nosebag full. The
% ssse against the Lovers Fiancee is
Sot being the heroine as well. The case
AGAINST the author is the play. But
Iagrand Lockwood stands convicted OF
something really original; he's a self
made man who can use tho subjunctive
twice in a moment of passion elf he
,hooae her. If he choose you') and
~ saws; TOO obvious to believe, too dis
,nrsnnous TO credit" That master
nbrase Is about as easy to understand
ss the exact import of the plays title.
But ii does tell you what kind of man
he is, and that's a great help.
There is one other first aid ad-
oantare In Mr.. Brownies method of play
wrirbting. Before the first act is half
aver, all you need are two guesses about
The rest of the play. The key-words are
swllls'' and "Mills"-the kind the guar
Alan forgets to make, and the kind that
has Frank for first name The minute
a rich man with a lovely ward refuses
10 make his will before going off to fool
with a 60-mile-an-hour speedboat you
lsnow he's going to die and let some
horrid relatives come in for his cash.
And when you find that Charles Froh-
man has hired so excellent and an ex-
pensive an actor as Frank Mills to play
the guardian, you can bet he turns up
In the last act to confound the grasping,
cruel relatives and let the girl marry the
only decent person in the gang or Vul-
tures.
The fact that Ann Murdoch hasn't very
much to do doesn't make 1t any easier
for her to occupy the stage the greater
part of the time. She does her very
best by Mr.. Browne. She looks her
prettiest and wears her prettiest Qor
thls Is a very excellent production of
Mr.. Frohman's, from Miss Murdock's
half dozen frocks down to the very solid
and handsome scenery. She acts her
prettiest She Is pathetic when she
should be, and even dramatic when Mr..
Browne requires her to give up her lover
temporarily in order to save him from
poverty and work. Altogether Miss
Aurdock gives a very pleasing perform
ance-as do the rest of the cast. But
something of direction or positive action
, or originality is lacking In the play. 1T
4 bores
The moral of "a Girl of Today" might
Be that riches are bad for people, but
there is the oh-so-good guardian. 1t
might be that economic independence
Isn't bad solution of difficulties for
either men or women. But one moral at
least is quite unmlstakable: Always
have will of your own.
Rich Poor VS.. Poor Rich
erich Man, Poor Man." comedy in four
acts By Porter Emerson Browne. First produo-
iion on any stage, Little Theatre. Monday
evening
Ea Essyssaant Van ~ pycE Els father. T.'' De"ps'''
EsisF Van. Van P5gycE, hls 6r9tGsF. r q; Mccoy
.n, Dorothy Mitchell
smith. smith her Dodson iIdPiSen Mtehei
Esphemsia E..s Smith her mother. Ada stsrlng
pa Harry of aeT end %aFoa KerSy
Felix Higgins, Lizzles lance. p. r. Mccoy
' ''' - '''e Dodson Mitchell
Act lat the Little Church Around the Cor
ayenue Act IfiNThe Smith residence, Bellows
Falls. VT. Act IVA smithy.
Porter Emerson Browne finished off
Washington's Birthday with little play
y The Little Theatre, which was about
everything that "A Girl OF Today wasn't.
i Isn't great play. The program was
probably little premature last night In
announcing "Rich Man. Poor Man" for
second week as the positive hit of the
season. And a lot of people probably
WIN care at all for II. But IL remains
4 simple. placid. unsophisticated little
piece with some observation of life and
some ingenious turns of idea.
u begins with a siX-minute scene at the
Lutte Church Around the Corner, wherein
me runaway wedding of Nicholas Van
lDyek. OF 9TH avenue. and Ann Smith, of
me chorus, Is handled in a straightfor-
Ward, sensitively written little scene that
somehow suggests reality just as much as
~ eugRegtg fha an aat NJ ha bnxy
and girl
Next, the reception of the couple by the
sEalthy parents. 1t isn't exactly enthu-
Easuei yet II isn't altogether the cold
shoulder The Van Dycks take Ann and
gy % break her In. It is hardly their in
ssauon that the attempt ends in disaster
ana the departure OF the young couple for
e Gs smith home In Bellows Falls, VT,
Where people work"
ne righteousness OF Mr.. Brownies play
soaes right here. The boy gets along no
ICY In Bellows Falls than the girl did
th avenue. The Smiths don't like
spohslng" and Nick doesn't seem good
~ ~ much else He can't keep a job; and
sh the old gentleman, Supreme King
ne Friendly Brotherhood of Man. tries
sst MIN elected TO that Organization in
4sF 70 land him a new job, the commits
~ q nve hands out seven blackballs to
ihsmper OF how many exclusive New
clubs and then threatens Mr.. Smith
h tne recall for trying to push his no
ssooht relatives onto them. So the boy
~ ~ she girl find themselves Just as out OF
lows Falls as 5th avenue
= wandering rOIIud tha cotfntr,y fbau han