The sun., 1919-09-15
Story of a Rich Father and
Spoiled Relatives Delights
Audience.
adam AND EvA"-AT THE LONG,
ACRE THEATRE.

CHARTERED in the homo Of a rubber
manufacturer somewhere on Long ISL
and when adam and Eva" began at the
Longacre Theatre ON Saturday night
were the owner. rich. harassed and
driven by his extravagant family. which
used him only as a banker: his married
daughter and her husband. English,
youthful and lazy his younger daughter
flirting with Scotch fortune hunter
and worldly little doctor at the same
time; an uncle who had been invited for
q week end ten years before and had
been in the house ever since nursing mis-
imaginary ills, and a sister-in-law who
spent most of her time attending meet
| ings, while nobody looked after the
household. There was also a piquant
nursemaid, and later the business man.
| ager of the rubber business appeared on
! the scene.
But he came only to take the place OF
| the head of the house, who set out Tor a
| long trip to South America for rest and
especially to give his exacting family
| the opportunity to get along without
him for a while. Its administration was
| handed over to the younger business
man. who stood exactly in the fathers
place, paying the bills, advising the
| selfish family and trying to keep down
its extravagance. How he did this made
| up the new comedy by Guy Bolton and
George Middleton. and. moreover. 1t is
entirely proper to add, highly amused
the spectators who witnessed the first
production of the piece. Not this sea
son has such genuine laughter been heard
in a playhouse as that which followed
| the efforts of this household to find a
means Of earning a living. Here the
entertainment was spontaneous and
hearty.
| Three Acts of Good Comedy.
| Throughout the evening. indeed, there
was most excellent discussion. Jus;
why Robert Milton, the stage manager.
elected to have the three acts played at
such slow tempo 1t is not easy to tell
But the actors, and of course the drama
itself, proceeded at a snairs pace. Half
| the fun Of the labor seeking scene came
| from the sudden accelerance at THE
| point. The actors for the first time
seemed to shake Off their lethargy,
adam and Eva woke up. --s
| The authors have in their new play
vivaciously travestied some OF the fah-
ings OF stage men and women, which
/
| fellow craftsmen In the past. There Is
the painful lot of the rich who have only
money to spend. there are the faithless
su,tors who scurry away the minute
there is a suggestion of waning fortunes
there is the honest young man with his
own sentimental ideas Of modest home
and above all, the view Of the family Al
work which the last act offers.
Its lazy members have been brough,
by the father pro tenn. to a New Jersey
farm. Chickens and bees are occupying
the attention OF the women while the
English son-in-law sells "snappy" cloth
ing, the hypochondriacal uncle peddles life
insurance and the Scottish earl is pros
pering with livery stable. OF course
there has been no real loss of fortune
OF course the young BUSINESS manager
has arranged all this Transformation oi
the family. or coursevit was the fault
of the real father now returned from
the rubber plantations OF South America
that the family was after all SO self
indulgent and SO extravagant 1t mus
be taken Just as much matter of course
that the wise young man who hat
brought about all these changes was ir
love with the heroine and she In love
with him. So her fortune seeking lover
who had shown himself q real man re
tired IN favor of the savior OF the fam
lily. After all the family fortune. more
over. had not been LOST
The Acting OF the Play.
All this material might not have me
with the great success II found on Sat
urday merely on account of its familiar
ity without the deft and humorous toucl
of the two authors. Then the excellen
acting of the entire personnel was a de
light In itself. Otto Kruger brough
youth and intelligence to the role of thu
prematurely wise young man OF business
and Ruth Shepley, who has gained in re
source with no loss of her girlish pretti
ness, was the spoiled daughter of riche
who of course had her heart Away
where It should be. Roberta Arnold
pretty. 80 grotesque in gesture at time
as to suggest that Charlotte Greenwood
is her artistic model and original in he
manner of speech, with Reginald Masol
formed the married couple of the fam
lily. The most artistic OF the womei
was Jean Shelby, who as the self-sacri
ficing maid in love with the hero. LEI
him to the heiress's side. She was no
only plausible and humorous but real
her lines with real naturalness. Their
was an Irresistible plaintiveness abou
her impersonation too. Ferdinand Colt
schalk, irresistibly funny as the old par
asite; CourtenAy Foote. as novel in hi
treatment OF the lord as the role itsel
was, and Richard Sterling. with his dr.
humor as the physician. these were fig
ures in a success that Is certain to en-
| ha NJ