The Detroit times., 1915-04-20
DETROIT OPERA HOUSE

1 DETROIT OPERA HOUSE
4 A wholesome. pretty little play
the scene laid IN q small Maine
town with just ordinary folk FOL
its characters, and no abtruse prob
lem OF life 10 worry over, IL "Alons
Came Ruth which was presented
Monday evening. In the Detroit op
era house. before q good-sised AUDI
ence that seemed TO thoroughly en-
JOY the plays homely philosophy
and simple story.
The little coast town OF oldpor'
had become rs dead as the Pilgrim
Fathers. from whom the inhabitants
are so fond OF tracing their ances'
try in boastful spirit until Ruth
Ambrose. a chit OF girl from the
Eastern New York State Normal
school got OF the train at the little
town one day with the most TO
markAble idea In her pretty head
that she might be able 20 earn
living within It's sleepy confines
Ruth's father. an artist was ma
tive OF oldport and the girl thought
she might and some relatives in the
town willing 10 aid her, Her par
ents had been separated for severai
years. and Ruth was not even sure
that her father was dead until she
came TO oldport.
Wandering into ~Hubbards Fur
niture Emporium" otherwise dus-
" junk heap OF impossible truck.
TOO courteously called furniture.
and owned by Israel Putnam HUB
bard, whose forefAthers back 10 the
Pilgrim Fathers had kept the same
store, Ruth. In q few moments OF
rapidly moving circumstances, found
herself taken into the Hubbard fam
lily and installed as clerk In the
store.
The second act OF the play shows
the result Of Ruths shrewd head
for business and her hustling en-
ergy. The run-down-at-the-heels
emporium" has been Transformed
into the Hubbard Bradneld Furni-
ture and Department Store. Win
giIded furniture and oriental rugs
and pretty draperies and general
"citifed" air. -Old Man Hubbard
has become so inflated with pros
perity that he Is hght-heAded. and
swaxxers around making himself .
nuisance TO everyone and becoming
more and more Objectionable until
pride has the Inevitable fall
Ruth IL q sweet. winsome gfri AZ
impersOnated BY Florence Shirley
and she not only sets the wheels OF
industry going again In Oldport.
and perks up that Old town and IL
IN Ia bitants until the sleepiness u
rubbed out OF eyerybody's eyes. but
she has every man In the place
head-over-heeis In lore with her and
more proposals Of marriage TO dis-
pose OF than would have been sum
eient 10 appease the lonesome
hearts Of all the spinsters In the
county. And equally. OF course. shs
ends up by rejecting them all for
Alan Hubbard, the son Of the -oid
man and the curtain falls on q
good. oId-fashioned happy -ever-after
prospect
The play 10 simple In its story
and in It's appeal II 10 capably act
ed by q good company. There 10
much TO comment In It's wholesome
ness. laughter to be aroused BY It's
humor. and because OF Its unpreten-
tiousness. little 10 be said In adj
verse criticism
James Bradbury offers an excel
lent BIT of character drawing -
'-oid Man" Hubbard. and In the Va
rious roles assigned them the fol-
lowing members Of the company are
wei cast: Julia waicott, Evelyn
Hall Mead. Lillian Lawrence, Ethel
Martin, Richard Sterling. Frederick
Burton. Edgar Nelson, r. J. McCar-
thy. Sol Aiken. John McKenna and
John A. Rice. The players are cali
ed upon to enact types and Il Ia
TO their credit that none h over
drawn and all have the semblance
Of real folk. The incongruities OF
the play are not worth vorrying
over because n makes no claims 70
being drama" but offers itself a.
q simple. entertaining comedy.
which II IL.
ELLA MAE HAWTHORNE.