Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-11-30
THE PLAYCOER'S
WEEKLY TALK
Dissertations on Plays and
Phofopluys Seeking Favor
in Philadelphia

5 which has been woefully lacking in
notable plays. Still there have been
N many strange and untoward conditions
* 1.-The mental strain of more than year
OF war, the Liberty Loans the influenza
which in great measure can be held
responsible. for is it not good logic
to assume that the habitual traits OF
mind of the playwrights and the pro-
dnoers have been turned topsy-turNy,
t,ist as with the rest of us? At any rate
there has been a great deal of expert
& nlenting with the war plays and with
NOT any too encouraging results. From
t,roadway which Is the barometer Cf
our play world come reports of many
y tourneys back to the storchOuse, of fire.
ouent rewrtings and mostly of luke
4 warm receptions for the new plays. But
"c'est la guerre -
At the same time there is no denying
i that the popular taste has been running
10 musical comedies. For the most part
people are fed up on saCrihccs ana
serious thoughts, and the perfectly hata-
raj inclination is to turn TO the nshtet
pIeces for diversion. The GIrt behih"
the Gun" the "FolIies" and ne faSS-
t,r CHOW of 1915" from the box office
point of view, have oeei u"ue","V ,',U,
successes in Philadelphia, just as ON
Iady, Lady," now playing at the
4 ,x,ric also promises to be And once
8 rain let IL be said, "Cest la guerre'
TT is now altogether fitting that the
ii annual Princess Theatre productions
be- t,nt down as hardy perenniaIs whose
opalities are beyond the experimental
Z stare, The lovers of musical plays are
very fond of these "Oh" plays and dls-
piay no reluctance in registering 'heii
epproval The latest edition TO fe""h
d Phijadelphia "Oh. Lady Lady Is
CAPITAL bit Of entertainment, posseSseu
OF ALI the daintiness of last years num-
Der, "Oh Boy although hardly At
tanning the same excellence in It's COM
edy, Although Nivienne Segal mas so
s many friends in Philadelphia that she
is assured of kindly welcome mere
,inder most any circumstances, she Is
deserving of no such hackhandcd com
plnent. but rather through her youth
fni charm and lovely voice decidedly
earns the applause which is so gener-
ousiy being accorded her. as does youth
ful Constance Binney also.
At the same time Philadelphians are
taking to "oh, Lady! Lady" the sixth
= Princess Theatre entertainment. on
MY Dear" is bringing to close It's
frst wee,, In New York. According 10
the New York critics, the new "Oh'' pro-
dsiction is worthy member Of the fam
lily and has none of the earmarks of
being black sheep.
1t is worth noting how +. Ray Com
\ stock and william Elliott have gone
y about recruiting actors from the dra-
matte field as principals for the Princess
B Theatre entertainments Take the case
ok "Oh. Lady, Lady" Edward Abeles
will be recalled for his "Brewster's Mil
lions days. Harry c. Browne for sew
erai years was leading man for Frances
& starr and was last seen In The Poor
4 Little Rich Girl" "Rebecca of sunny
brook Farm" and other successes. Regi
Z maid Mason was former leading man
with Charles Frohman. Florence Shr-
+ ley was last seen in Bunker Bean" and
The Tailor Made Man: Theresa Max
well Conover supported William. Hodge
= IN Fixing Sister," and Helen Bolton
\ last played in Mother Carey's Chick
ems Alf,.pf which probably accounts
+ Tor the finished character of the aching
IN ,''oh, Lady Lady"
FDHE hrst Drama League night of the
IL season has been announced for
December 2, when the members will at
( tend Otis Skianer's revival of Tine
4 Honor Of the Family at the Broad
Street Theatre. Speaking Of this re-
turn visit OF Mr. skinner, the leagues
weekly bulletin says
-Aftei lapse OF ten years Mr. Otis
skinner again appears to excellent ad-
vantage as Colonel Philippe Bridau.
While the play is manifestly one-part
s AFFAIR the Flora Brazier of Miss Evelyn
Warden is noteworthy and shares the
honors of ;re OCCASION
There Is no miStaking the Of
the welcome accorded Otis skinner upon
Z hfs4reappearance in his delightful old
comedy. He mas lost none of his old
Z fire. and depict. the role of the swash-
5 btseR!.ig Napoleonc soldi"r with all the
dasH and abandon of you. Old friends
are best. ahd tie least thal OF. can say
for Otis Skinner is that he wears wei"
DOOTH HARRINGTON. whose pen
& ID sioa" stories have been dramatized
! into a winning comedy, which is now
2 showing AT the G,rrick. has contributed
quite a few typiCally American plays
both as playwright and through the
dYamatization of : books. 1t will be
y xfeealled that the Garrick Theatre had
for It's opening attraC,,on his "Monsieu'
q ReauSaire." In which Richard Mansfield
held the title role His Gentleman
From Indiana" also was dramatlzed
4 teen," another dramu''zation of Tark-
ington book Is meeting with great ap-
= proval In New, York. AS playwright
-Ts arlington brought forth Mister An
tonio. with Otis Skinner in the lead.
Z and Cameo Kirby" in which Nat Good
q win appeared to no great advantage
Collaborating with Harry Leon Wilson
Tafkington produced his greatest dra-
matte success, THE Man From Home. e.
With Julian Street he also wrote ",The
Country Cous!a." which achfeved a mod.
crate success,
3 1.-TWO openings are in order for mex
IL week. when the melodramatic mill
tary and naval spectacle, Seven Days
& Leave" will come to the Chestnut Stree
Opera House, and Mitzi Hajos will dis
play her histrionic and acrobatic power!
IN Head Over Heels" at the Forrest.
The action of "Sevun Days Leave" i.
laid in England with the exception O
enc sscene In the English Channel, wher,
an American cruiser destroys a urkinI
f,-boat. Plenty of noise tunes Mp tn,
Y plot. of the war play. in which Ger
man spies have anything but an cas-!
- l1s6 Of It and soldiers and sailors pur
Z sue their loves back in "Blghty."
The story of Head over Heels" deal
&. with little acrobat who falls in low
With an American In Barcelona, Spain
She follows him to- America, only to b.
feld that he has been lying to her abou
!. his love,s His law partner falls in low
with her and she has more troubles
4. 49, -. .Ist ali kn 70 IN.