Evening star., 1915-02-09
Belasco.


'"The Road to Happiness. which
opened a weeks engagement at the
Bclasco last night, is a clean little
play with vein of quiet humor run
ming through it. 1t is story that
might occur in any far-away rural
community in just the same way. with
characters easily paralleling Jim Whit
man, Benjamin Hardcastle, Phil Hunt
and Martha Hardcastle. The star part,
Jim Whitman. is that of a village
philosopher who assumes burden
that comes pretty near to having him
tarred and feathered and chased out of
town. but he escapes this dire calamity
in an exciting scene and manages to
see all the clouds rolled away before
the end of the story.
Opposed to the character of Jim
Whitman, in which William Hodge
scored q success last night, is a choleric
character named Benjamin Hardcastle
in the play. The actor who plays it is
Scott Cooper From start to finish his
stage job is to give the impression that
he is about to die of apopleXy, brought
on by his Satanic hatred of Jim Whit
man. He takes you back to the days
of the plays where the hard-fisted
deacon had mortgage on the good
widows home and refused to listen to
her fearful plea for little more time
to lift the dreadful burden. He is SO
angry that at one or two entrances
he is startling1y like an angry stage
manager rushing on from the wings to
chase off some member of the company
he has fired, but who persists in hang
ing around just for meanness- The
rage of him comes and goes and glows
upon his nose and bristles his artificial
chin whiskers of the rural New York
type with startling realism. Alto
gether the picture of small town rage
that Scott Cooper presents in Benja
min Hardca stle is responsible in large
m o
in watching the simple and sweet
character of Jim Whitman.
In this play there is considerable live
stock, which goes to show that it does
the parts that may present themselves in
play. The canary bird, the collie dog
the real live hen in the barn and the
thirty-year-old horse with the spawned
leg would make big hole in THE Road
to Happiness if left out This horse is
ridden by country character assumed
by A. l.. Evans, who Is startlingly life
like in his ancient hayseed role. The
hen sustains an indifference to the pub
lie gaze throughout one entire act, sitting
in the haylo.t of Benjamin Hardcastle's
barn, and is worthy of note because when
Mr. Hodge made his curtain speech he
referred to his manager. the author, and
the hen by name. Everything else he
generalized. but he dwelt upon the hen
with considerable tenderness and OBJ
served that the company expressed daily
an egg a day on the right side of the
footlights.
This rusty reference to eggs and act
ors was not called for. as the company
does not deserve eggs except for break
fast 1t is a pleasing play and a COM
pany which makes the most of the roles
given it.
An analyst may find flaws in one thing
or another about the acting and the
story, but altogether the play is a rest
full entertainment, with not too much of
problem involved.
George Lund. as James Porter has a
role which demands more dress than
speech. In portraying the small town
sport. Mr.. Lund has evidently devoted
considerable study, his appea rance
would stamp him Immediately for what is
called "a swell guy in the tank commu-
mites. The women in the cast have
subordinate roles, but play them for the
most part satisfactorily. Marie Haynes
as Martha Hardcastle gives evidence of
knowing the American country woman