Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-06-17
AMATEUR PLAY PLEAsEs
ENTHUSIASTIC AUDIENCE.
Rain Prevents Larger Number Wit.
Messing Performance OF "Are
You h MaSOn?"
CAST DISPLAYS REAL TALENT
Gales of Laughter Greet Many Conf.
cal Situations, and Farce Is Car.
ried to Happy Finale in Splendid
Style.

Are You Mason?" we'll acted by
amateurs, at tho Academy of Music
last night. gave full instruction to
wouid-be truant husbands OF Rich
inohd how to escape the fiery eyes OF
men peckinG wives. The cast produced
the farce in good style, but the rain
winch came up just at the hour an
nounced for beginning. kept the audi
ence down below the 200 mark Tho
play was staged under the auspices OF
Safnis Grotto, Yelled Prophets OF the
Enchanted Realm.
, The complications of pretended Ma
sons in their efforts to pass themselves
OH TO each other brought peals OF
laughter. From the first. the audience
caught the secret of the plot. and
whiie the stage people stammered in
CONFUSION and sadly tore their hair
roars OF mirth went up from orchestra
and gallery. The finale easily ar
ranged happy settlement of the mix
up with the successful elimination OF
two love affairs.
Mrs. Caroline Bloodgood the strong
minded female who dominates her
household. and who is no longer sur
prised at anything men do, controlled
me whole action of the play. and
ehoed by being completely and for
tunately deceived. The other charac-
ters feared and obeyed her as was their
duty. 1t was from bitter experience
that her son-in-laU advised his friend
early in the play. III you must marry,
marry an orphan" The friend obedi
ehtiy TOOK unto himself another daugh-
ter of Mrs Bloodgood
MISS FIGNER LEADS
WITH SPLENDID ART
This firm and man-wise woman was
or the opinion that the only safe plac
TOT married men was the lodge For
! twenty years. poor Mr.. Bloodgood's
oniE night off has been lodge night.
AS matter or fact. instead of joining
the Masons. he had been devoting his
nights to poker The son-in-law OF
the family had Independently adopted
the same plan of pretended lodge
mem oersnip. With this situation, into
Whlch was interviewer several minor
threads OF confusing mistakes, the
farce mad ample room for interesting
developments.
The cast of Are You a Mason ~
was well trained and up to the anna
teur STANDARD Cneasiness at the start
was quickly overcome. and tho Enas
rang out clearly and smoothly. There
was slight tendency to overdo the
hurrah parts of the comedy. but
the audience laughed appreciatively
through il all
MISS Josephine Figner, as Mrs Blood :
good. was perhaps the most comnosed
and at home on the stage of anv ner.
son In the cast. f. C. Cosby, acting
the part OF the prosecuted Bloodeood.
was admirable in his possession Of
that tired look. lilly Burke. both in
mis- male and female parts. was the
leading comic figure on the stage. and
ne carried through his difficult part
with rush. The Irish brogue and
servant-girl manners of Miss Margaret
wood, in the part of Nora, the cook.
were perfectly consistent The other
members OF the cast filed their places
with exceptional ability.
Inc complete company in addition
to those mentioned was ms foIIows.
w. a. Grant. Otto Meister Luther TIL
Ter. CLYDE c. Rogers. Mr.. Mullen. Miss
RUBY Floyd, Miss Helen Richie, Miss
RUIN Moncure, Mrs. lone Wade, Miss
LINDA Ralston and Miss Annie Reddv.