New Britain herald., 1920-03-05
'MAYTIME' PLEASES
 AT LYCEUM THEATER
Road Company Offers Pretty Play
 in Four Episodes

Mayume, charming musical play III four acts, the episodes of winch cover a lapse of 50 years in the life of the Van Zandt family and
 trace the desunies of Ottilie, daugh- ter of the prosperous Col. Van Zandt. and those of Richard Wayne son of John Wayne. foremen of apprentices in the colonel's employ. was present
 ed to a packed house in the Lyceum
 theater last night The play and
 particularly the musical numbers
 was well received.
 It was the first offering of a road
 company to be presented at a local
 theater in several years and the house
 that greeted ''Iaytime'' last night
 was a testim onial of the desire of
 theater-Soers in New Britain to have
 such forms of entertainment brought
 here. The audience was a typical
 New Britain audience in that there
 was little applause. The work of
 Paul Ryman. tenor soloist, and Miss
 Marjorie Davis, who entertained with
 solo and dance act, warranted en-
 cores.
 The play opens with an ensemble
 of apprentices on the greens on Col.
 Van Zandt's home in Washington
 Square, New York city. Rowling on
 the green offers a means of introduce
 ing several of the characters. John Wayne appears to censure the boys for using the masters lawns and while there Col. Van Zandt comes on. After the apprentices have left John gives the colonel a deed for his homo as security for a debt. The paper is lost, later carelessly picked up by Ottilie and Richard. and placed in a. silver chest which they bury beneath la fr.nn wit fJ,a nf Sweetheart written upon it. They little realize that in later years the paper is to serve as cause for a law suit brought by Claude Van Zandt, whom Ottilie has married against the then millionaire Richard Wayne for the recovery of tho property deed ed by the senior Wayne to Col Van Zandt.
 ] A lapse of , years finds Richard with a fortune amassed by his con- l stant work on a patent lock. Ottllie 1 is unhappily welded to Claude and l comes to Mme. Delphine's night club 1 for an evenings diversion. There 1 she meets Richard and he learns for | the first time that she has been mar l ried Claude finds them alone and 1 to smooth matters over, Richard an- l 1lounces that he has come to claim l the hand of Alice Tremaine. They are married.
 l Tn the eighties, the Van Zandt's 1 are in straitened financial circum 1 stances and an auction of their home and furniture is ordered. Richard l arranges to buy all and then proffers 1 the deed to OttilIie who accepts after 1 much persuasion.
 The twentieth century finds Mme 1 Brown, granddaughter of Ottilie, l conducting a dressmakins establish 1 ment oil the premises. Richard. | grandson of the elder Richard Wayne 1 is making an effort to win her hand l and his attempts border on the anus 1 ing. In the meantime the apple tree 1 beneath which the silver chest has | been placed, has rotted away and Is ! being removed When the chest is 1 found, the gardener rushes in with l it and Mime. Brown discovers her l title to the valuable property in the | center of New York city. Being more l nearly his financial equal, she ac- cepts his proposal of marriage and l the prayer of their grandparents is l answered.
 1 Of the musical numbers the l 'SWeetheart'' song was the best, its 1 haunting melody proving most pleas l ing The song and dance. Jump 1 Jim Crow,'' was also excellent.