The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-06-21
WRANGLING AND ROMANCE
Varying Elements Unite to Make Pro-
duction Both Entertaining and Arts
tic and One of the Best Amateur
Performances Given Here.

exit Gloom, enter JOY" were GER
tainly the first stage directions for the
Senior play Monday night, if the roars
of laughter and storms of applause
which came from every seat in the
RHODE, were as genuine as they ap-
/ peared. A galaxy of humorously seri-
| Gus characters in series of comically
tragic circumstances comprised :" A
/ Night OF, one of the most generally
| entertaining amateur productions ever
/ given in Kenosha John Drew or even
the great DAILY himself would have
found little to criticize in the presenta-
| tion, if they had known, to be sure,
that the actors and actresses were only
| high school seniors with little or no
experience; for from the beginning of
the complication in act / to the happy
elimination in act 4 the play proceeded
| without hitch or single embarrass-
| ing moment such as usually make an
amateur production entertaining if not
successful.
To attempt to name stars or co-stars
from the cast which presented the dra-
ma of Monday night would be impossi-
bic for any except trained directors or
real actors. Every role in the play was
well taken Each participant seemed
to have caught the spirit of the char
acter portrayed and proceeded to in
terpret it with a skill which at times
suggested the professional IF there
was, however, shade of difference be-
| tween the various interpretations, hon
ors should go to Vernon Kraft, as
Justinian Rabbit, brilliant but mis-
guided professor and playwright; Ar
thur Heyman, as "Jack the Rascal,''
prodigal son of Lord Mulberry; Susan
Whitaker, as Nisbe, the rollieking
frolicking daughter of the unfortunate
Rabbit; and Ward Quinn, as typical
theatrical man, who added "Snap'' to
every scene in which he appeared.
Reeva Goldberg, as Susan, pretty and
privilege maid, also made the most of
a small part.
The story of the play presents
truly comic situation. Professor Bah
bitt on a time killing expedition has
unearthed the manuscript of Roman
tragedy written while he was half
baked undergraduate in a classical
school,, Marcus Brutus Snap, "bread
and butter theatrical man, persuades
him to attempt production of his
play and offers his services as manager
Of the performance. The old professor
without the guiding influence of his
wife is misled into an acceptance of
this offer and embarks upon "a career
Of g crime' which almost ends in ship
wreck on the reef of domestic diff
Guilty. His wife arrives unexpectedly
from White Sulphur Springs and it
then devolves upon him to conceal from
her at all hazards the secret of his
theatrical venture. In the process he
entangles both himself and his son-in-
law in hopeless. web of lies. While
the evidence for two divorces is accu-
mulating in one part of the house the
material for a pretty romance is de-
veloping in another "Jack the Ras-
cal now playing in the company OF
Marcus Brutus Snap, has Hcome and
seen, and conquered Nisbe is madly
in love with him, actor or no actor.
Everything is lovely'' except at the
theatre where Snap is having unheard
Of difficulties in -ehearsing the volun-
teer fire department for the Roman
mob scene and in making the red fan
mel shirts of his actors serve as the
conventional toga for the followers of
Titus
Of course order gradually comes out
of this chaos and everything ends hap
PLY. The professor s wife, scandalized
by the apparent failure Of the play, is
reconciled when she hears that it has
been a fhowling success, as a result
of the mob scenes; Angelica is no long
er suspicious of Harry when he finally
confesses that he has no past and that
everything he had said had been lies
IL FS-AoSo W AidA0 1GI fDtlltN6 bifdb he
had implicit confidence in her ability
to keep q secret; last and best, Nisbe
and Jack have declared themselves and
received permission from Lord MURDER
ry and Professor Babbitt TO marry i'm
mediately By way of celebration the
three happy couples plan to go to New
York for 6 A Night Of, as the cur
tain falls on the play.
No little part of the success of the
production is due to Miss Grace Robin
son, the director. With a inc appre-
citation OF character and dramatic stu
alton, she possesses the ability to i'm
part the same to the various actors
working under her supervision. The
result Monday night, as always under