Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-02-13
FAIR AND WARMER"
Is GOOD AND WARM
Chilly Monday Brings the Gar
rick an American Farce Full
of Frenchy Fun

Ayers ,Hspwood. Sansscmep3 ssiwyn co.
Garrick Theatre.
Billy Bartlett . Ernest Cosssrt
RiaseSe Csanny'j whe,icr; d. g. Edna ESSSsrS Sr!
Philip Evans. ........... s........ Kenneth Htn
na, nnarsishn Gan Wihsm b'un,d un,d
Act / Drawing room Of Rly Bartletts apart
ment mem h,snt ? M Act u The same: sly nonrs nTns
next morning.
Americas budding dramatic literature is
beginning to develop a real aptitude for
French farce. They used TO say that our
playwriehts laid on it's stupid ignorance
and were vulgar That was before Baby
Mine" Since then our plsywrights lay
or in entire innocence and succeed in be-
ing as charmingly risdue as the French, but
without r single broken moral chord See
Baby Mine See Twin Beds See--and
this is good advice for the person who
Warmer
There isn't mite Of real improperly in
any OF the principals, unless II ia the
fellow who wants Laura Bartlett TO leave
her husband for him Laura is just tired
OF her husbands perfect propriety. Hus-
band is just too good. So is the wife Of
Jack Wheeler. But. oh !! Jack Wheeler He
goes out TO the Mystic Shrine" once a
week, just to keep wifey wondering. He
takes a Turkish bath" sometimes He let's
Mr.. Bartlett into all these shady alibis. He
tells Mr. Bartlett that he's too good to
Mrs. Bartlett "lf wife's happy and con-
tented ANOn't know she's married, And
all the time he's really going round the
corner to play poker with the Elks.
But his wife doesn't find out the truth
about this hunting club" OF his until he
has planted the seed OF rebellion in Mr..
Bartletts innocent head an antidote--if
that mixedmet will go through-to the di-
Vorce which Mrs. Bartlett is proposing TO
start. And as Mr.. Bartlett gives Mrs
Wheeler a highly decorated version of the
Mystic Shrine and the Turkish bath, rebel
lion seethes in her only less naive head
Result a frantic endeavor on the part
| OF the babes in the woods to compromise
| each other with cocktails and champagne
| while their spouses are out. Further re-
| suit. a second act of hilarious bibbing tip
ping and pot-tossing with most marvel.
| ously concocted beverages Final result
| upon the return of the better and worser
| halves. an equally hilarious act of hiding
| in bathrooms and under beds and the
achieving OF reconciliation.
The first act s--or ought to be--Avery
| tIopwood in the fip vein of "Nobody's
| Widow" The last Is Avery Hopwood doing
| over Seven Days" in thirty minutes But
the middle one is Americas share In thu
| Entente Cordiale
| That Ought to be- refers to the fact thai
] an air OF sophisticated good breeding ant
| reality isn't present in quite the degree thai
| made "Nobody's Widow as produced b,
| David Belasco so delightful. 1t isn't pres
| ent in the settings. which are bright bu
| hopelessly unreal little flats" 1t isn't pres
| ent in the acting of Ruloff Cutten or Edna
| Hbberd. though the latter must be cred
| tied most emphatically with very amusing
set OF gasps and whines and fail-like arms
Janet Beecher is, as always, charmint
| and well-bred player. Ernest Cossart. wht
! plays the innocent husband is something
/ more-when he isn't Raging the part fol
| the sake of farce. His enunciation is clean
| His pantomime is precise and characterful
| His eyes--but they are the essence OF hi
art They must be seen to be-etc. etc,
If there is a little less finish in the actinl
| than miss be desired, it may be accounted
for by tn new method of sending out New
| York cast for the road which has developed
| this yea We used to stand a chance OF
| getting mo companies" Now the,
| should be described as by the symbol 20
| In New York last season Common Clay
boasted John Mason and Jane Cowl. Thii
| year. while Chicago saw John Mason a
| the head of one cast. Philadelphia saw Jan,
Cowl at the head of another. Very GooC
| Eddie" used Ernest Truck, John Hazard
Alice Dovey and Ada Lewis last season or
| Broadway Now Philadelphia takes tn,
| Truck -Dovey end Of the deal and somebod,
else gets Hazard and the rest In both thes
| cases the split reel idea hasn't worked
badly, because the "flers-in' have beei
| better or almost good as the originals
! But when you read the New York cast o
| Fair and Warmer" somehow you can't he'll
wishing you were in Boston. Philadelphia
has Janet Beecher, but II is some other cit!
that sheds Goldfish tears of JOY over Mis-
| kennedy. h. NJ.