Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-05-05
And the Hit of the Piece i
'Boney," lust Out of tine
Nut-Factory

A roaring farce, with lurid high
lights of melodrama and some rather
badly.applied splotches of the society
proplem play"--such is The Mislead-
ing Lady, offered by the Lytell-
Vaughan Company as the weekend
billsa the BijOn r." ......- 4.
The Cast.
tin the order Of their first appear
ance.) ...-.. -.
Amy Foster. Jessie Schouler
Grace Buchanan -. Jane Darwell
Sidney Parker. Ernest Van Pelt
Jane Wentworth. 49,. Mae ThoTne
Helen Steele. Evelyn Vaughan
Stephen Weatherbee. Phillip Tead
Jack Craigen. ............ Bert Lytel
Babe" Merrill ..... William Archer
Spider" Sanborn. 49,. Mr.. Johnson
Mrs. John w. Cannell. ......,..
.. George Knowlton
John w. Cannell.. Ethelbert ID. Hales
Henry Tracey. Alexis Luce
Keen Fitzpatrick. !. William Amsdetl
'Boney" ...........H Henry Simmer
Sandy McPhearson ............
-. Ethelbert d. Hales
Bill Pagan ..........C Charles Elder
eThe Misleading Lady" offers a
strong contrast to the two previous
bills presented by this excellent COM
pany. and last night the comment
made by theater-goers as they left the
house showed some difference of opin-
ion as to which of the three plays Is
the best. The first two we're keyed
to the tensest of melodrana, while
the current offering is most sheer fun.
The story is that Of society girl,
Helen Steele, who on bet flirts with
a young American returned from the
wilds of Patagonia, Jack Craigen, and
extracts from him proposal of mar
rage. When he realizes that he was
the victim of practical joke, he
seizes her, bundles her into his car
and takes her to his mountain home
some 40 miles away in the Adiron-
dacks. The second and third acts
take place in his cabin there, the
theme being the conflict between his
matured. powerful. but thoroughly
manly character and her girlish, rather
superficial and unawakened qualities.
Just enough talk about sex and sex
appeal is INDUCED in to stir the audi
ence with anticipations of stronger
scenes to come, but in this respect the
play is both cheap and disappointing.
The Injunction of this discussion is
rather tawdry. ~.
What makes the play very enjoy
able indeed is its bubbling fun anG
one unforgettable figure-a harmless
lunatic who imagines he is Napoleon
Bonaparte, escapes from his nearby
asylum and takes refuge in Craigens
cabin. .... /
This chap 'Boney'' is the real hit
of the piece Henry Simmer by care
full characterization and subtle but
effective methods steers clear of the
danger of poking fun at an unfortunate
Of nature He does the remarkable
thing of making the audience rather
pity the poor nut" at the same time
they are laughing uproariousiy at him,
and yet without giving any offence
One must see ''Boney" to appreciate
how even the viriIe action of the story
sticks less in memory than the i'm
beetle with the tri-cornered hat whn
declames generously wellington must
not reach Quatre Brasl" 4
Bert LytelPs work as Jack Craigen
is beyond reproach and Evelyn Waugh.
ans portrayal of Helen Steele is par.
ticularly good in one or two of the
cabin scenes where her petulance is
shown. Aside from these three char
acters, there isn't much for the res
of the company to do. Henry Tracey
plays the part Of Helen's original lover
with considerable Vigor, but it is a