The Redwood gazette., 1917-04-18
Senior Class Play
Friday, April d
Fanny And The Servant Prob
LEM to Be Presented by
High School Cast
NINETEEN IN CAST
Clever Lines And Peculiar Sit
uatiOns Make Play of
Great Interest

senior CLASS Ol IIC IiISu oCilOOI
will give the senior class play,
Fanny and The Servant Prob
lem," by Jerome K. Jerome. Ow-
ing to the fact that some of the
senior boys wish to go with Co.
L when the call comes, the date
of the play has been advanced
two weeks from the date first
settled upon, in order to enable
them to give the play before en-
listing. This has necessitated
some very hard practicing on
the part of the cast which is
busy every night in the week.
In Fanny and The Servant
Problem" the seniors have got
ten away from the trite themes
so often used by high schools
for senior productions, in which
a youth from the farm goes to
the distant college where in the
course of few months he car
ries away all honors-as well as
the most popular girl. Fanny
and The Servant Problem is an
English play which could hap
pen in any English family today
1t shows the veneer of the Eng
lish social strata in the insist
ence of the Misses Wetherells
upon family" connections for
Vernon's wife, the stolidity OF
the old English butler, Bennett
who has "stood behind English
society for forty years." the
business manners and methods
of the theatrical manager New.
tie, and the fire and vim of The
former chorus girl Fannie. The
play offers some very real ex.
perience to the seniors in the
art of acting in delineating The
character OF these English types.
ACT l.
The play opens with scene
in which the two old maiden
aunts of Lord Bantock, (Vernon
WetherelD are arranging the
boudoir of the new Lady Ban.
took whom they have never seen
They are discussing her prob.
able family connections when
'Bennet," the butler announces
the arrival of "Dr. Fremantle,' y
the family physician, who "has
helped Lord Bantock into the
world" He encourages the la
dies to ''buck up" and with a
word Of advice to the ladies con-
cerning their health, departs. In
the cleaning of the early even
ing Vernon enters unseen, with
his wife, Fanny. The old ladies
hesitate on greeting former
actress into the family, and 8;
o..,~ v7gIn questioning her con-
corning her family connections
Fanny then tells them she is ar
orphan, but had lived some time
before with her uncle and his
family. She could not get or
with them and took to the stage
as relief. In the midst of hel
TRADE against her uncle anc
other relatives Bennett enters
On seeing him Fanny is frozer
in her chair. The old ladies anc
Bennett go out, leaving Vernon
to tell Fanny that he is Lore
Bantock and she is Lady Ban
took, a fact she had not known
up to that time. Finally Ben.
net re-enters and Vernon re.
tires to his room. In a tense
scene between Fanny and Ben
net it develops that Bennett i;
the uncle Fanny had run away
from, and that all the rest OF
the twenty-three servants are
her uncles, aunts, and cousins
Bennett realizing Fanny's family
history and her lack of training
for her new position, announce:
that he and the rest of the SER
wants shall consider it their
duty to train her for her posi-
tion as Lady Bantock. The ques-
tion of greatest concern, how.
ever, is how to inform Vernon
that he has married into his
own buffers family. Fanny de-
cides to seek the aid Of her old
theatrical manager, Newte, for
whom she telegraphs secretly
with the aid of Earnest, a young
footman, her cousin and "pal."
ACT III.
In the beginning of Act II.
(Cnntin1nd On lant ranenA