Evening star., 1917-09-11
Relasco.

lombard Ltd" a comedy by Fred
eric and Fanny Hatton. was presented
by Oliver Morosco at the Belasco last
night This new play may be said to
have been born with the traditional
silver spoon. since it's authors know no
such word as failure and its producer
STANDS no less consistently for success
1t has just closed a triumphant run
in the west and is playing the week
here on its way to New York 1t also
serves to illustrate the reward which
merit sometimes achieves. since it was
in recognition OF the splendid work
valet in II pstairs and Down'-the
Hattons' big success of last season
that the authors wrote the present
comedy and gave him the leading role
And his vindication of their faith must
be JOY to his sponsors, as it was to
the audience that packed the Belasco
last night and which expressed its ap-
probation of play and players with in
%iSteut applause and recalls.
As lombard. a fashionable dress
maker, Mr.. Garlic was Latin in the
fervor Of his gown inspirations" boy
ishly New York in his every day ideas
and, in his sympathy with the show
girl. and his manly way of fighting
and testing his own love troubles gave
Il very genuine touch of the human
nature that makes the world akin
Lombardis establishment provides en-
vironment for the three acts, and each
I
different, has for its background a gor-
geous realism of all the weaves and
colors that go to the creating of an
exotic. v omans wardrobe. There We're
slim young mannequns, who. on ocCa- =
sion shed their picturesque black for the
magni6Cence of wraps and toilets with
, which to allure such customers as the
wealthy Mrs. Warrington Brown whose
minSiines OF society sweetness and
bad temper We're funnily overaraWn.
/ There was i.ombardi's assistant-of the
. gra y-robed, quiet-haired type that may
always be relied on to catch a mans
heart on the rebound-a role played
/ with girlish naturalness by Janet Dun
bar, and for contrast there was the
emotionally jealous show girl (Maude
/ Gilbert), who had been thrown aside by
! n man around town that he might
marry the pretty girl who was L-om-
| bardi's fianCee, and for whom she did
| not care. Grace Valentine was laugh
ably iniquitous as Daisy. the audacious
! little mannequin. whose study of movie
morals encouraged her to sacrifice
! everything" for lombard. who violent
! ly objected. and who happily married
| the first man who asked her. This was
/ an all-around wise proceeding, since
her husband was the generous young
! theatrical manager, who had money
| enough to put the Lombard establish
nent in the desirable locality OF Easy
! street
/ Hallam Bosworth as the bookkeeper
! who had to wrestle with the financial
! baCkslidinGs of LON hardi Ltd, was as
| natural as any bookkeener that ever
! sat at a desk that Was in a store in
stead ~ Il stage, and Marion Abbott
/ as the dear sniffy, wholesome -souled
filter" scored her tribute of applause
| Ruth Terry as the gum chewing model
was cute1~ common, and Sue MacMan
amy wore u succession of stylish cos
tunes in her we'll acted role of the
/ girl who could discard one man aud
7 marry another without the slightest
! regret for the two hearts she trampted
! in the process. Warner Baxter won his
share of laurelS as the "FermiCelli
/ King" and Harold Russell was lovable
! chap who made every body happy with
! the checkbook.
| II is "a cheerful play. brimful of every
/ ,iav emotions: beautifully acted and
splendidly soWned.