Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-04-11
LAURETTE TAYLOR IN
PLAY BY HUSBAND
Her Husband That Is-"Wooing
of Eve" His Play at Broad
But Largely Hers

| Philadelphia's fortune It has been in the
! managerial mutations that arrange book.
! inss' to witness several-well. two, any.
| how-Laurette Taylor plays--minus Lau-
! rette Taylor. A Baurette Taylor play has
| one advantage over well-known drama
! by the tercentenarian bard whose day we
| celebrate this month in that IL can be a
Laurette Taylor play with Lsurette Tay-
lor left out 1t Is just as much Baurette
Taylor play with Bessie Barriscaie as
Luana in The Bird OF Paradise or Flor
ence Martin in the title character of peg
o. My Heart"
But how much more agreeable II Is to
have the Hamlet of the piece as we had
last night at the Broad where Miss Tay-
lor-herself! count her--aud the house.
for the matter of that-began an engage
ment In The Wooing Of Eve" which is
billed as her husbands play. but which
is largely hers by the token and virtue of
the inspiration she breathes into II. This
Is the first of series of three comedies by
j. Hartley Manners in which Miss Taylor
is TO star, though at the rate of her runs, -
It will be something before the quarter
century mark before she ends the trilogy.
In any event, Philadelphia has had the
distinction of seeing at last a Laurette
Taylor play with Laurotte Taylor the
FIRST season out" Philadelphia. we were
told In yesterdays morning papers, by the
Ter symphony, found a locus on the musi-
cal map This morning 1t finds itself in
the proud possession of n spot In the
topography of Laurette Taylor, by the
grace Of somebody unknown but to be
thanked for the privilege.
1t is green spot. too, and one that will
remain verdant in the hearts of theatre
goers who are Laurette Taylor fans"
just as it was privilege to see the pert
and piuuant little star after several years
of waiting. Her last Tecollected appear
Rnce here was in slight affair called
The Maid at Waiting" If memory serves.
but substantial enough to win the coveted
stellar lights above the theatre entrances.
The Wooing of Eve" is much better 1t
is not correct to say that II is as good a
comedy--of the genuine type that chas-
tens manners with n Smile--as tho same
playwrightS THE House Next Door" But
it is a bully good medium for the arts and
articles, the graces and spoutaneities of
the demure star. II affords ample display
for her unaffected manuersms, If the
paradox is admissible, for her staccato
and monosyllabic utteranCcs, for her tart
turns of enunciation and her quickly shift
ing moods. The charming awltwardnesses
of her poses her lovably angular gestures,
her quaint ntonation-all were there.
"All the world loves smile" she SAYS
in the last act And she makes her part
of the world smile. Hence last nights
very considerable success.
The merit of the Manners dramaturgy
is that 1t just strikes the level of the
average intelligence. II is obvious in plot
material and extremely popular" in sense
of humor. Hence the laughs. many of
'em. y letter figures in the plot of THE
Wooing of Eve" rather awlIwardly intro
duced, and the situation of the girl who
visits a mans apartments at night is
busted off to furnish the crux Of the "in-
trigue." But this well-worn device Mr..
Manners employs with farcical and ell
joyable satlrlcal effect. His play is not
a master work of construction, but it
gives his wife a typical part of an alien
not Irish, this time--in
the midst of the English. And II serves
to whet anticipation of neutrality-suspicious.
for the others of the trio II Is in Il
word acceptable entertainment
1t is played acceptably, too. w e.
last seen at the Broad as the
Devil in one version of Molnar's drama
had a role rather below his admirable
ability. Philip Merivale, last seen at the
theatre In "PyEmalon." maintained the
standard set in his acute Shavian charac-
erzation. Violet Kembe Cooper looked
| deal like Efiie Shannon and acted bit |
ess like her, and others who were excel |
ent included Ramsey Wallace, Lynn Fon- |
anne, Leslie Austin and Herbert Yost,
w