Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-05-25

A casual reader of the program who
took the property" list too seriously
might have thought himself about to
witness product OF the recent religious
revival But right below the line "Egyp-
tian deities used exclusively In this play
was the real key to the piece, "uphol-
stery and curtains by William Burns
Yes, 1.-THE Three OF Hearts" is a crook
play. Like its sister "try-out," Find
the Woman''-and all the rest Of the last
three seasons plays-it Is trying to make
two virtues grow where only one vice
grew before.
And like lot more, it is pretty subtle
about II. No more ringing CURTAINS"
A climax, then some little nondescrlpt
I've got real job for you tonight, Hag-
gerty." The effect is Just as II the play
wright said, "Of course, l could hand
you three or four more punches but
really prefer Art. Like Bernard Shaw"
No more tense drama. either. Plenty
of laughs at its own expense. The Jap
anese valet with the complicated coGno-
men agrees to take the place in prison Of
the gentlemanly young criminal, who
wants to reform. Some foolishly senti-
mental person says, But he'll lose his
good name" And the detective comes
back with, "Did you ever hear him try
to say it?'
play is topical reform. The present case
fu 3ha Enf,t ftnt, ~ HA tot Ia
Ford. We hear a lot about Warden Os-
borne, of Sing Sing, the Good old
Tom of the hero. tom Osborne and
are old pals" We not only see Henry
Clay Hamilton Csaid hero) take in a con-
vict, fresh from 'up the river" as sec
retary; but we watch English Jimmy"
stealing stolen goods from young society
thief and backing up his master. with
all the resources of a second-story man. in
an attempt to foil the robber but return
him to his mother unspotted by the law.
We not only see the convict as an
efficiently righteous citizen. We not only
see the society criminal started on the
road to reform, via that old homeopathic
cure, a Texas ranch. We have a good
laugh at all this moralizing as we'll as
at the melodrama: that is another fea.
ture Of the new crook play. This time the
hero kids" the heroine about her pro-
pensities for reforming criminals; he
simply pretends he is the thief himself
and gets her SO far ready to marry him
10 reform him that an engagement is the
simplest thing in the world, when some
body tells her he is really a Henry Clay
Hamilton with S1O,OOO,OOo. A real girl
probably couldn't stand for all this spool
ing and still love the man. But as she
always stood for just as bald romance
on the stage, we have to give her the
benefit OF the doubt
The play has the beneht of the doubt,
too. Just now there are the raw edges
of spring try-out. Mr. Rogers wears a
perfectly good Southern accent and the
worst gray hair In years. Mr.. Woods
lines at the third-act climax were under
no better control last night than his eye
brows. and the climax itself needs build
ing up. But the play has excitement and
humor, little touches of novelty. some
good acting and some room for more The
women are uniformly excellent. while
William Devereux plays English Jim
mie'' with rare and admirable feeling"
AS for Mr.. Nash. he is both blessing
and detriment 10 the play. He carries
on the greater part OF the melodrama