Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-07-19
By WALTER d. HICKMAN.

GouId's grocery, the drug store, Doc
KennicOtt's office, the electric lights, the
gossipy crowd. the real people, the farm
ers. the trouble makers. the narreW
minds and the fussy hypOcrites, the
good old motherly souls who go to church
on Sunday and gossip during the week,
and with all the others.
It's Main Street, and its life-real, ac-
tual life.
That is what Harvey O'Higgins and
Harriet Ford have done with Sinclair
Lewis best seller, ''Main Street" The
hook probably is the most human thing
ever printed. Main Street" is so popular
In the printed form because it is your life
and nv life. We all have lived on Main
street. and a bunch Of US still have the
dust OF the street on our shoes, even II
the world cannot see the dust.
A new play is a good deal like new
Torn babe. Baby often cries and syells
when it is least expected, and then as
suddenly the tears are wiped away and
the sunshine OF heaven flashes over the
little face Baby must be corrected and
trained. When she grows up, she viii
20 10 a finishing school. The same way
with a play-lOts Of doctoring, treating,
loving and even coaxing is needed to
give forth the finished product.
Last night Main Street" was pre-
scented for the first time on any stage by
the Stuart Walker players at the Murat,
with Peggy Wood as Carol Kennicott
and Mckay Morris as DR.. William P
Kennicott of Gopher Prairie, Minnesota.
As Main Street. stands, it is not I'm
fsbed product. but as ft stands now II
could afford to buck Broadway with
much more assurance Of success than 20
per cent of the plays possess Whlch
tempt Broadway for approval
The playwrights have done one thing
they have left the human element in the
plav as the author intended. Every char
acter in the play is a real human being
They all possess red blood Ihcy are
not dollhouse flowers. They are corn and
beans, hay and straw corn ana oars
real, real, real The playwrights wisely
have permitted the characters 70 appear
on the stage as they do on the printed
mage. The book showed up Main street
better than any photographer ana Tue
playwrights have not damaged the prints
of the master photographer Of HE
The four acts OF the play may De
summed up as follows:
First Act-AIain street, with Its stores
and customers. are shown. Doc henhl-
colt brings his wife Carol to Main street.
II is common TO her. She is disappointed
She plans wonderful things
Second Act-CarOl gives a party tof
the "seIect" Of Gopher Prairie and makes
the mistake of acting a classical poem
in which there-are some high-brow love
utterauces. The crowd yells itself SICK
when Eric VaIborg. a young Swede ana
a dreamer. gets his lines mixed up. Ihls
causes a nasty scene Carol Oreahs
down and Doe tries to comfort her l Ne
next scene shows the bedroom Of the Ken
nicotts. 1t is married Ife-the life IN
millions Of home. A home OF love ana
ouarreIs To my way OF thinking TINS
is the best written scene OF the play II
is the most human scene have ever
witnessed on the stage. 1t is so real
that it will stick to you for hours
Third Act-CaroI has redecorated the
old home. Transforming it into some
thing which looks like a Chinese flop
bousn It is not home. Carol and Doc
ouarreI. Carol decides to give the old
town something to talk about and she
parades down Main street with Eric
The town talks and Doc returns home
He waits The nsighbors telephone 10
tell him that his wife is reading poetry
in the woods with Erie. the Swede and
the dreamer. Carol and Eric return Doc
overhears Eric's invitation for Carol TO
90 away with him. Then the powerful
showdown Carol leaves.
Fourth Act-The living room has been
restored 10 its normal appearan nee as the
Chinese junk has been removed by the
widow. Maud Dyer. who sees her chance
10 get Doc at last as a husband for her
self Doc will have none OF her. Carol
returns and she is welcomed by Doc.
Maud attempts TO get "catty." but the
real woman in her is too strong. Carol
and Doc are last seen arm In arm look
ing out OF the window on Main street
Carol murmurs to Doc as she nestles
close to him while looking down on
dirty Main street, Il wonder how mech
it would cost to pave lit"
That crude outline will give you Just
n wee idea OF the action, in Main
street"
There are six acting triumphs in this
play, rs follows:
Peggy Wood as Carol Kennicott be-
cause OF her natural work in the bed
room scene and her feverish longing for
happiness in the big scene at the close
OF the third act. Miss Wood last nigat
was visibility working under great strain
because Of the hours in rehearsing this
new play.
Tom Powers as Eric VaIberg, the
swede, because Of the reflected hopeless
longing for life and love which he ex-
Mckay Morris as Doc Kennicott be-
cause his acting had an even and natural
tempo during the entire play. His work
IN the bedroom scene was as natural
and sincere as the author intended it
should be- Mr.. Norris has allowed his
personality 10 be submerged in the
character instead OF his personality over
shadowing the portrayal OF the character
Fine work. 8Ir. Morris
Julia McNIahOn as Maud Dyer when
she cried OF fear when Doc Kennicott
told her that her sick husband would be
good for forty years more. Also for the
dramatic outburst in the final act.
Walter VOnnegut as Adolph valberg,
the father Of Eric. for his care IN dialect
work and for the drunk scene in the
third act
Judith Lowry as Mrs. sam Clark be-
cause OF her work in truthful character
Development She hasn't much 10 do. but
how she makes the character stand out
in the first act for a brief minute!
It IS only fair that 1 give the entire
cast because the work done by the
Walker Players is a splendid compliment
to the organization.
The first Main Street, cast is as fol-
lows:
Dave Dyer ............ Robert McGroarty
Sam Clark ........Jsmes p Vabbey
AdoIph Nalborg- .-..-.. Walter. VOnnegut
Aloa Sherwln ----.--...... Muriel Brown
Cy BOgart ....-.............Ed Edwin Noel
Myrtle Cass Lucille NikOlas
Mauo oyer ---..---..--... j ulia Mcmahon
EIlk NaIoOrg Tom Powers
Guy Pollock -.......-.... George SOmnes
DR.. William 2. KennicOtt Mckay Morris
carol OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Peggy Wood
Mrs. Clark Juditb T,oU.rv
Ezra StFoWbody. -Aldrich BOwker
Harry HaEdOck .......- Oscar naviSSop