The sun., 1916-09-02
REDUCING FLESH
In SEASONS PARCES
Vast and Grow Fat" Shows
a
Pcrfls Of Eschewing
Food.
s -
TLAY BASED ON NOVEL
Motive Proves Weak, but Act
ing Keeps Spectators
7 in Laughs.

Tho epidemic Of farce which set in n
week to-day was continued last night
at the Globe Theatre. when Charles II.
birmingham. turning temporarily from
the e~xtravagant productions Of musical
plays with which his name recently has
been associated, took the responsibility
OF Fast and Grow Fat" The new
piece. In three acts. Is made from a book.
By name Five Fridays" which Ia the
work Of Frank II. Adams. The expert
George Broadhurst made the three acts
OF farce. They pass In the room Of n
hummer cottage on an Island In Lohg
Island Sound.
Nobody can say that Mr.. Dillingham;
mad not selected his types with care
when II Is known that Frank Mcintyre
played the part Of a fat man., while Roy
Atwell was his opposite and stood In no
need Of reducing himself by any means.
Try Fasting for Week.
Broadhurst. who has written such
famous farccs as what Happened to
Jones'" and in his time others vastly
euperior to the piece seen last night.
vas evidently moved TO make a play out
OF Mr.. Adams's novel on account Of the
prevailing interest In reducing flesh on
tho part OF those who for aesthetic or
other reasons believe that they ought to
be slim. SO in a house party on the
Island mentioned he imprisons the thin
Mr.. AtrcU and the well, somewhat
Neshy Mr.. Mcintyre. 1t Is the freak OF
the young hostess who suddenly reads
In q magazine that fasting for n week
- good FOR ever body. that leads all
hands TO consent to live for "A week only
On water.
This Is not. OF course. a strong motive
Tor a farce. But all the characters SUBJ
init. There was some fun out Of the
complication Of the second act at which
the audience laughed loud and long.
Their there was starvation facing all the
dramatis persona. The climax OF the
humor came at the close OF the second
act. when In pajamas oil of the men on
the premises climbed down stairs In
search of a dog biscuit 2 The eth mex
oraole hostess recovered mos, Of the
Sefreshment. The fall of the curtain
left three OF the men dividing a single
Biscuit among them.
Nothing In the play was more curious
to observe than Mr.. ~Brosdhurst's conn
dence In the fact that Zelda Sears, play
Ing the part Of the amlable mother o,
the young enthusiast. could act a
drunken scene TO the amusement Of this
audience once and then come back ant
10 II all over again. Miss Sears indeed
continued to show her enduring inebriet,
BY reappearlng at times wearing a diff.
terent frOck which she had assumed un
der the influence OF the original draugh,
which she had mblbed TO bring her gu;
Of a faint induced by lack OF nourlsh-
men
Acting IL Excellent.
Thu public indicated a high decree o,
satisfaction in her maneuvers and In
those OF the rest of the characters. More
cannot be demanded an a test Of sue
cess. II the spectators take the same
amount Of pleasure out of the proceed.
ings there can be no question OF the fate
OF the new play. Will there be the same
Endorsement OF all the developments
from q motive so weak?
Mcintyre was amusing, as a fat man
IN such "A predicament has to be. And
as n thin man with the same taste for
food. Atleww was just us comic. Zelda
Sears played her scene OF Involuntary
intoxication well. IL was the fault OF
~ author. not OF the actress. that she
had to prolong it's emotions. There was
the lot OF the lineman played skilfully by
Myles Mccarthy throughout much OF
the second act. and Frank Deshon acted
q captain amusingly.
Marion Vantine turned out to he the
possessor OF wonderful hair. but the
profile Of the evening belonged TO Vivian
Rushmore. Nellie Fillmore. as a Negro
cook. who was suddenly bcreft OF her
vocation. indicated its hardships enter.
taininRly.