New Britain herald., 1916-05-23
FAREWELL WEEK AT
 LYCEUM GOES B|G
Alfred Cross Players Surpass All
 Previous Attempts in Comedy

1 at the Lyceum has been over now
 some one hour and a half, and yet it is
 not forgotten. It has left a smatter 1 ing series of thought. There is some l thing about that play, something | about the players something about everything connected with the entire 1 production that leaves a lingering, l lasting memory. Perhaps it is be- 1 cause this is the last week the Alfred 1 Cross Players will occupy the boards at the local playhouse. There is al ways something strange and mystic l about farewels, and this may be the reason for these varied emotions that
 seem to turk hereabout; conflicting emotions they are, filled With all the gladness and mirth of a million youth ful hearts, and yet overflowing with sadness, sorrow, bangs of pain This time next week it will be all over. The old friends who have stepped before the footlights in comedy, in tragedy, in melodrama, in the various vehicles of stageland, will have gone. Then it will be less difficult to explain the
 feelings that prompt the heart on leav-
 ing one of the merriest farces that
 ever adorned a local stage and being
 peremptorily plunged into the very
 depths of darkness of despair. His
 Dream Girl'' is the ephcmeral title of
 the play They should have called it
 Maid in New Britain,' for it has all
 the ear-marks of having been written
 by one we'll versed with the local col
 or of this particular spot on the map.
 If by any chance some travelling
 salesman from this immediate locality
 were shanghied in the remote regions
 of Arkansas, say in some town on the
 border of the old Indian territory and
 a "fly-by- night" company showed up
 with His Dream Girl" in the exact
 manner that it was put on at the Ly-
 ceum last night and this salesman
 happened to be in the audience, the
 salesman would have pawned, sold,
 gotten rid of everything he had worth
 while and invited the entire cast of
 characters out to dine in the most
 fashionable restaurant in the town. It
 would do his old heart good to hear
 so much about his native town, New
 Britain. The play fairly OOzes with
 local color And the meal would be
 an eniovable affair, notwithstanding
 the fact that Philip Sheffield would
 probably be called on to sing his
 song. some Little Bug Will Get You
 If You Don't Watch Out,' ditty that
 fairly reeks with bacillophobia, and
 morbid dreams of microbes. And this
 does not mean Philip cannot sing the
 song. He can. It is funny sort ot
 a song and it took six encores last
 night to satisfy the audience.
 Wherever Mr. Sheffield gets all these
 funny "stunts' he does this week he
 has a wonderful fount of fun. Prob
 ably someone found a new and revised edition of old Joe Miller's joke book. At any rate. it is all cleverly done, and this young fellow Sheffield, gay Lo- thario at best, has everything his own way from start to finish. He has one of the best character parts given to him since coming to our fair city. And he "gets away with it.
 Here is gone half a column, and we have not yet gotten to the play. AS no authors name is mentioned, we take it this musical comedy-farce- 1 vaudeville is from the pen of Alfred Cross. Or, there might have been a l ollaborator called in to work qover | the manuscript. Anyway, the wits were let loose and the punsters given free rein with the result that a clev- l CT. capable comedy was matched which every man, woman and child Tn New Britain should avail himself, her self, and itself of seeing. Alfred Cross has the part of husband who IS under the dominating influence of mother in-law, the like of whom has been seen never before, nor since, ana mght never be seen again. Such a horrible old creature To even attempt to out line the plot of this play would be ! greater feat than the hero, or villain, accomplishes when he reads the entire ioht One Nights,-in single night Moral: It can't be done.-not without Q makeup.
 Having disposed of the plot in that fashion the players now remain to be dispensed with. There is Miss Julie Herne. She is the sweet, de- mure, little wife of Arthur Running top who gets into some sort of mix-up ,, after reading the Arabian Nights. She too mas experiences, for she is tracked all the way from Wallingford to Der lln junction and then to New Britain by mysterious man in a iitney. Hor- 1 TOTS! She does have a terrible time. 1 And when she gets home she discOv- l CTS her husband has been untrue to ] her. He has been carrying on a fir | tation in Walnut Hill Park. Think ! Of 1t! So she is going to leave him, l and this gives her a chance to sing a l charming little ballad "Auf Wieder- l sehn,' which, as Philip Sheffield l would say, is German for "Over the River" or "Good-bye." Then Miss i figures in one of the song hits of the night when she joins vocal forces With MT. Cross and they sing Hello Hawaii, How Are You?,,' a very clever topical song. In this number the leading man performs a dance ] that promises to be long remembered in this vicinity, rather an acrobatic l