Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-06-08
"THE LITTLE MINISTER" DE
LIGHTS LARGE AUDIENCE At
oDEoN ThEATER.
AMATEURS PRESENT COMEDY
TO CREDIT OF SENIORS
Cast Shows Care and Thoroushness Of
Miss GaIIagher's Careful Training
Miss Bess seIby and Sherman Nc.
NaIIy Take Leading Roles, Supported
by Excellent Minor Parts.

j. NJ. Barrie's comedy, 1.-THE Little
Minister" which has delighted so many
theater goers by its humor was pre-
sented by cast from the senior class
at the Odeon Thursday night as the
annual class play. Probably no more
successful theatrical effort has ever
been attempted by seniors Of other
years than this play, which was SO we'll
interpreted that it won an unstinted
measure of praise from an audience
which filled the theater.
The members of the cast made dis
tinct hit and thereby reflected credit
on themselves. the class, and especial
ly Miss Carolyn E. Gallagher, whose
efforts over long period of weeks in
training and coaching the amateurs
was so successful. In fact the evidence
of careful training that the seniors had
received was one of the satisfying de-
tails Of the presentation Not only were
they letter perfect-which OF itself is
by no means common-but they were
successful in Interpreting the many odd
characters, whose oddities and prejud-
ices make some of the delightful bits of
this comedy.
Miss seIby as "Babbie."
The story of 1.-The Little Minister"
| has been SO widely read and SO often
seen on the stage that it does not re-
qure repetition. Briefly it is the story
of country preacher who falls in love
| with bewitching creature who ne
supposes is Gypsy, but who turns
out to be Lady Barbara, quite the first
lady of the kirk. Much of the comedy
of the piece is in the scandal the par
sons hayward love affair provokes
among his congregation. Eventually,
| when he is to marry "Babbie," and her
identity is disclosed, the congregation
is delighted.
Sherman McSally was Gavin Dis
hart, the Little Minister, and Miss Bess
Selby ha6 the double part Of Lady
Barbara who masquerade as Babbie,
the Gypsy girl.
Leading Parts We'll Taken.
The part OF Babbie. the winsome but
hayward miss, whose flirtations with
the parson led to real love affair, to
be presented understandingly and with
feeling, calls for a very high degree OF
dramatic ability. All the niceties OF in
depreciation to develop the character to
its fullest could not be expected Of an
amateur. but Miss Selby was credit
to the difficult part. She was sprightly
and winsome, and put much Of the
youthful abandon into the part that It
required.
Sherman McNally had fully as diff
cult part for school senior to un-
dertake. but he made very good
young parson who became bewitched
by the girl he afterward won.
Other characters that were especial
~ well taken were those Of Mamie
Webster. membr Of the congregation,
| in which Miss Eta Jansen was cast;
Lord Rintoul, taken by Arthur Meeker.
and Felice. Lady Barbara's maid, taxi
en- by Miss Mary McKibben. Miss jan
sen as the gossiping Mamie Webster.
was quite the hit among the second
AIRY parts.
Cast Of Characters.
All the minor parts were take cred
itably and capably supported the prin-
cipals in the Interpretation of the story.
The cast follows:
Joe Cruickshanks, atheist ......
/ Sylvin Thorne
i ItOD DoW, TelCTINeu
i .-.... Cara Brown
| Thomas Whamond, chief elder. -.
4 Observation-Disclosures. Franklin Battin
Snecky Hobart, elder. Russell Prescott
Micah Dow, Dow's son. Donald Beeson
Gavin Dishart, The Little Minister.
/ Observation-Disclosures. Sherman McNally
Lady Barbara (Babbie) Lord Rim
toul's daughter .......... Bess Selby
Lord Rintoul The Baron Bailie ...
Il ............... Arthur Meeker
Captain Halliwell, Babies suitor...
Il Devine elem
Mamie Webster, q member of the
congregation .......... Eta Jansen
Jean, Manse servant Dorothy Balch
Andrew Mealmaker, elder ....
Observation-Disclosures. Harold Merryman
Il Silva Tosh elder ........ Leland link
II TWaltS, butler Oliver Seim
Felice, Lady Barbara's maid ..
II ............ Mary McKibben
Soldiers ~. Harold Balch, Lloyd Mil
II Ter, Gilbert Cooper, Howard Goshen
In addition to the cast ten or twelve
seniors made up the congregation Of
the kirk. The stage was in Charge Of
Harold Balch, as MANAGER. Howard
Goshen, property man; Miss Bina Doty,
mistress Of wardrobe.
.