The sun., 1919-03-11
PENNY WISE SHOWS
LIFE IN LANCASHIRE
Two New Authors Study Odd
Phases of Old Familiar
Theatrical Subject.
PLAYED AT THE BELMONT
Life Insurance Fraud Plot
Forms Basis Of Family's Eff
fort to Win Prosperity.
Penny wi.e--At the Belmont Theatre.

Mary Stafford Smith and Leslie Nyner
who wrote Penny Wise" which was
seen last night at the little Belmont The
atre, are English authors hitherto un-
known here. although their medium was
by no means unfamiliar. They wrote
play Of Lancashire life. Plays OF
Lancashire life have been coming to
this country ever since Miss Horni-
nanns stock company at the Gaiety
Theatre in Manchester became impor-
tant in the English theatre. Sanlsy
Houghton. Gltha Sowerby. Harold Brig
house and others have taken some phase
OF existence in this part OF England as
their inspiration and sent II out to the
world. Inevitably the reception of these
contributions to the American theatre
has been varied
Perhaps 'Hobson's Choice" was liked
best. Yet all OF them have contained
some element OF originality, some whim-
sicality OF motive, or some freshness OF
treatment, which made them different
from the ordinary run OF plays The
same sort OF quality was dlscernible last
night in Penny Wise" Its humors, for
instance, depend from an attempt to de-
clare dead a youth whose life insurance
Is to bring about the prosperity OF his
family. The background for the play is
the kitchen Of the household in a small
Lancashire town. There its three placid
acts pass. Here are spoken the lengthy
plans that set the plot under way.
Anecdote of n Funeral.
1t was not enough that the youth
should be declared dead TO start the
anecdote, but the doctor had TO be terri
fed into believing that his wrongly de-
ltvered medicine had caused tho acct
dent; the neighbor who saw the corpse
walking about the second floor had to be
modified with bride and a brother had
to be summoned from a distant point 20
act as undertaken. Such elaborate lay
ing OF pipes takes time. 1t was not &C
complshed last night in hurry. as the
patient audience in the Belmont Theatre
realized.
To be sure. there were occasional
flashes OF homely humor in the proceed
ings- Amusing traits Of character were
at times displayed and the odd position
OF the unfortunate who had been selected
for pretended sacrifice because he was
insured was divertingly revealed. But
the amount OF preparation and develop
ment that the authors seemed to find
necessary was out OF all proportion to
the Importance OF the plays content.
And no less an authority than Freytag
has observed that We must be important.
Such a play as Penny Wise" impresses
the spectator with the fact that the prin-
ciple is not a platitude,
All the humor was moreover edged
with black. There was an inevitable
perponderance of the fun mortuary. One
rarely departed in a manner OF speaking
as the characters were fond OF saying,
from the bier OF the hero. When he was
not talking about death himself all the
other figures in the play were discussing
his presumptive demise.
Maybe only sensitive souls find that
there is bitter tang to this sort OF
joking. but the odOr OF crepe was rather
strongly over the proceedings. And
Penny Wise" is farce which blends even
less readily with such an opposing ee-
ment. The Lancashire school has NTH
erto shown this same Indifference 10 the
attempt to mingle death and slapsticks,
welcomed here.
The Acting of the Play.
Generally the characters were anus
ingly performed. The mere aspect of
William Lennon who was the unfortu-
nate victim OF his insurance, provoked
laughter and he increased In grotesque-
ness as the play went on Louie Emery
played with considerable resource and
no little variety the uncommonly long
role Of the mother who invented the plot
TO get the insurance money But all
that she and her associates did was not
sufficient TO overcome the improbability
81 .