Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-11-22
n1HE EASIEST WAY"
SCORES ONCE MORE
frances Starr Returns in Noted
Success Of Dozen Years Ago
and Repeats Triumph

,,.o.d--A dozen years ago Eugene
u.,,or startled the American theatre
,,;ns public by a frank and admittedly
s onolysis of condition that thea
...socrs knew existed, but .smugly re-
,J IN admit except in the privacy of
fuS".,ay'i fuSe"H 'v affair. But when 1.-THE
a,s;sst Way" had run its first course
La9aan,nSotionalism it was accepted as a
o. of fundamental worth, and Mr..
Ply had been granted place among
nai'S Sorrmost young American play =
wrights. a., .,o,,o vo,rs-vaors in
,i.b sex prob ems are discussed as
WIZ, In the theatre as in the dissect-
openS S,oon--whpn the bedroom farce
my lnsr,ingIy has not worn out its well
Nen'|rhc Easiest Way returns to
eVm' its message to new generation of
SOotrcuorrs. So And last ntgnt one of the
, tne% sSt distinguished appearing audiences
nV Iftbo season acclaimed the Walter play
=, T.onces Starr, once more in her most
ff..nhino roc, and iast, but not least,
poasro, the master stage craftsman.
Pe pe' those who saw The easiest Way
Jecnac ngo one pleasure OF the revival
T. tbot two of the most essential OF the
Characters are in the hands OF their
sria,naI pOrtraycrs. And the receptions
Vrrorued Joseph Kilgour, as base man
about town, and Laura Nelson iall, as
'bc Glib, slangy chorus girl friend OF
,be Incklcss Laura Murdoch, were sec
ond in cordia.ity oniy to that given Miss
Starr. ,,,,,,, III, $40
viyal much speculation was aroused as
"a 'nIt nv n
.So yrrtlitncSs of q certain phase of
Now York life would have. The Phila =
aoInhin audience, last night at least,
Shaved itself us kecnIy sympathetic to
Tho tripulations OF the girl VINO tried to
t"rcr her way into the realm OF fame,
ony TO find ncrse.f confronted By the
alternative of joining sc,t-reSpect to
fa,urp or aCce pting comfort ut the cost
Of rcspCctabIIlty.
Tint Water had the courage of his
CONVECTION ana refused to coy his story
oyrr with saecnurlue Couting or a
happy ending ana DOW to u single mo-
ranu view pUIIt Dy permitting all to
and happily, meant more then tnan to-
day. But that ms message is as vital
now as tnCn, moray as well as dIa-
xatl,aly, was plalnly evident.
MISS Stufr us Luulu, luC blIl WIN
fell ON to tue iure or the Gay White
Lights ana luCm, COnIIOntcN Mltn the
loss of a love tnat seemed large enough
TO sCurn c"nNcnliUns, swept Dack into
the whir.p pool, returns with the maturity
Of her art gained in twelve years of
staruOm. ans surencsS Of herself dra =
mutrauy mgmt seem TO take SOmCtulng
from the wnsomeneSS of Laura III the
time Vi nvr otIugglcS IN physical sense,
but 1t also hau ITS compensatIOnS IN the
finish OF her performance.
hugJur ANA MIsS lIuu received their
welcome. rruc, Emma Dunn, as the
cVUred slavcy, Ii, longer accepts bits
even IN revival, and Wllnam Samp-
son, 0. the Urlglnar cast, was not pa es-
ent to add to the hshtness of some
gccues as tue cheerful press agent. but
Robert hcly, J"un L. Brown, Marion
Kirby ana 1crIs LOilng served Mr.. BE-
laScO wei. III rounding out Miss starr 1
support.
AN IN ali. it seemed Philadelphia s
verdict thai Inc Easiest way de-
serves Il pace IN dramatic history that
will be hard to uown-at least wnllC
Mss Sturr Is wlnIng to continue with