Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-05-21
Burlesquing Burns
and Sherlock

FIND THE woMAN--A three.aot farce. by
Noel Campbell Springer. Lyric The9trei; 1, sisi.,r
Jane, the Hentieys' cook =. ....,. Julia Blanc
Mrs, Hope Barrellton- Hentley. dvoreee
Walter Mc1ene. a friend of the Hentleysy
Mr.. Elvell manager OF the Keystone Apart. Apart.
Joseph Hodssens, a telephone iInesmsn, ,,...,,
Howard Hentiey. the hush md. William David
Expressman Of Grants Transfer Company; gg;,,,
officer Casey. Barnes personal officer, ,..,.,
officer royle, Of the Metropolitan force, :. ,,r,
Matthew ward, reporter for the Star, ,. ,,...
James J. Barnes the great detesiiyse, H.
Madame zeilcr charlatnn.. . Florence Gerald
Charles Whiting. reporter for the I'a PlsnsT
Rowan Taylor, Mrs. Hentleys, chum. c...u.
MIR. Watson. Henuey's partner, ,,.-,,.-
Tenants n tho keystone Apartments, etc.
ho ne entire action Of the play takes place IN
% Central Park West, New York city, and
occupies part OF one evening.
MIR. Burns isn't the only Sherlock
Holmes in town. Up at the Lyric there's
rival James j. Barnes is his name and
Ralph Herr is his favorite disguise.
Burns may boast a dictaphone, but Barnes
has got a clock. He sets his neat we'd
ding present variety of timepiece unob
trusively on the table. He goes out.
Then he comes back. And the little dear
is all stocked up with gossip to retail
to Barnes ear. The clock may miss most
of the cues that the great one meant II
TO take in the hunting down of murder,
but IL 1t recorded what really happened
at the Lyric last night It should be chock
full of the laughs OF a well-pleased audi
uh In
Messrs. Shubert, Benrimo ct AL. who
came over to see what they had got in
Mr.. Springers farce.
At present Find the Woman" is a suc-
cessful spring "try-out." What It might
have been in the height of a season is an
other matter, but Just now 1t seems vastly
amusing to people who are about to say
good-by to drama for the summer, In
fact, IT even made one particularly sober
minded middle-aged critic laugh, though
whether from enjoyment or the sight of
the end of his labors isn't settled.
The conception Is eXcellent-a detective
of the kind we take seriously in stories
running down a bloody murder which
turns out, when the victim reappears at
the end, to be n couple of profusely
bleeding ducks Much of the working out
is ingenious: friends of the disappearing
couple, an eavesdropping neighbor
clairvoyant, two reporters, a landlord,
numerous policemen and vouble cook
get thoroughly emmeshed in the comic
threads OF the plot.
What is now a laughable farce for the
summer, may turn into an all-season
Broadway success II some one supplies
more funny lines, throws in n few more
complications, and builds up the stage
business" more dlscernngly at the eli
makes.
Mr.. Herr is evidently busy on the lines
The best cropped up In his part between
the sentences of the other people. Even
with nothing in particular to say he is
funny. His first entrance, a lank-browed
eagle of man, portentous as a serial
movie, was mastery. What a pity he
didn't keep that ralSish hat on through
tho whole play to point" the part and
keep memories of Monsieur Polret" and
all the familiar old Herzes out of the
way. If Mr.. Herr had n fault, It was a
tendency toward the end to drop out
of his high estate as a burlesquer of the
sleuths into his customy though by no
means unamusing eccentriclties..
As for the rest of the production, there
were signs of spring about 1t besides the
stage money. But one other spot In the
cast was undeniably perfect, the clairvoy-
ant of Florence Gerald. We shall probably
hear shortly how she spent weeks at
seances acquiring that wandering look,
coarse, breaking voice and that habitual
the effort. 1t made a critical confrere
laugh for the first time this season
laugh bontifully.