The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-03-19
OF BY TFE PENNSYLVANIA DUTCE
After Gaining a Foothold at the Gaiety
Theatre "Erstwhile Susan Is
Now Firmly Intrenched

year so that the Irish candidates rum
nihs against YOU will not have {
spend any money 20 get elected. lab
soiutely no applausc.l And now that
my train has begun to get under way
NC might even I've said to have got q
gooo Tying start. I want to leave only
TINS nnal message with you: Disperse
quietly. you poor fish. and 60 back to
your n homes. Raus!"
But as Miss Minnie Maddern Davey
herself would say, "rhepiaysthcth,ng.
Shakespeare"
Setting aside such dramatic punches
IN Johnny Williams's "Erstwhils
Susan a. the scene where Mise fade.
line Delnlar. the BdrndbGtt1 Dyeuvy Of
Johnny's show. happens to learn that
n will have TO go to Boston and on
eequentiy decides promptly I o commit
suicide instead. or tho melolrafnatic
scene q bit later In the show where
Miss Davey. tightly clutching a stage
oeby 10 her arms. Is pursued by blood
rounds acroas the cakes Of ico floating
In tho ~Schuylkili River-with tho ex-
cepoon OF occasional tense moments
like these "Erstwhii Susan" IL a dc.
IiehtfuIly true character study OF tho
g~loriously big hearted. high thinking.
q minded. loose as ashes with
their money. open handed. generou, 10
a fault. spendthrift PENNSYLVANIA
Dutch In a small town wherein the
residents don't care any moro for "a
two dollar bill than they ID for their
right and left legs.
some place on the stage early IN
Johnny Williams's show the ABS nc.
commodation IN supposed to pull into
the R~einhartz station from the
imaginary town OF Cedar Center, la..
the train having taken a roundabout
route ! Mauch Chunk. Punxsu.
tawney, shickshinny. Hokendauaua.
Tamaqua. C~atasauQua. Monananua.
Catawissu. Wapwailopcn. Manunka
Chunk JunctioO and Swei,z. all Of
which. believe II or not, happen to be
In a manner Of speaking regular towns
IN pennsylvania. And from tho train
steps Miss Minnie Maddern Davey all
dressed up like q broken arm.
Miss Davey had hardly se. foot onto
{ stage To- explain the theme OF
"Erstwhile Susan in the ayllabies Of
one word quott,l above when our little
group OF serious thinkers happened 10
learn suddenly from the programme
that the venerable Hugh Chiivcrs had
returned 20 Art and was acting up on
top OF the stage In Johnny Will,ams's
show. u noteworthy item Of news
which evidently had not received its
proper need Of publicity from morn
ing after critics. whose excuse. no
doubt. is that most OF them didn't take
up dramatic criticism until many years
after the venerable actor had made
n OF his old time farewells.
Both Of us wanted 10 &c, the snowy
hair actors autograph CHATS n toupee
he g in tho last act Of Johnny
WuliAms's SNOWY. and as Johnny Will
Jams had worked on on us a pair OF
pretty shaggy seats from which We
couldn't zee the pictures On the right
stage wall at oil w decided. once Wa
had got the whole theme Of the play
anyway from Miss Davey's quoted
remark. 10 bat way along u row
Of fussy folks trying to block our egrsss
to a middle aisle. and we went hack
stage early in n first act - call upon
Hug!ite Chilvcrs in his dressing room.
The venerable ;raGcdian was quite
willing 20 civ. W. his autograph. bu,
first IL would be- necessary, he said.
for n volunteer TO go down "a the
stage level m get Ills fountain pen,
which he had l"f, ther. when shedding
] his coat and collar before attempting