Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-09-30
NEXT WEEK IN
THETHEATRES
sally" Is Sole Opening-"Up
the Ladder" Has abundance
Of Comedy

Marilyn Miller sharing chief honors,
will be the only opening here next week,
when Il takes possession of the Forest
Tor what is expected to be n long visit.
The advent Of sally means an
other increase in the horde of comedies.
with and without music, which have
ruled the. situation here this fall
.Dulcy" and "Pomeroy's Past" COM
plcte their runs at the Broad and Gar
rick. respectively, next week; MAR
jolaine' winds up at the Lyric and up
the Ladder" starts its second week at
the Walnut. The Shubert will be dark
until October 0.
DLEASANT theatrical surprises are
i both welcome and rare in this city.
and for that reason the light but
pleasing quality of Owen Davis latest
play, up the Ladder" at the Wal
nut Street Theatre, is all the more
gratifying.
Last season this indcfaticuabc
author of melodramas of the "Nelly-
the Beautiful Cloak Model sch o o |
surprised NIL thea
Queen Darts tire going New York
Is Changinq by presenting a Sc
His Style riouS ana sincere sincere
''The Detour" The unfortunate but
Electrically logical result was that this
author of n hundred financial but in
Nrtistic successes. found himself the
loser with his frsta drama Of note.
'The Dctour" had a brief and dismal
career and is now to be enjoyed only
on the printed page.
I, All this news Of Mr.. Davis rcgcn-
GRAFTON drifted to US in this city, but
nothing half so interesting or encourage
ing was broadcast from Manhattan.
To all intents and purposes. 1t was an
utter relapse to the earlier Owen
Davis.
But "Up the Ladder" is distinctly
not that. 1t is play whose general
Theme is 50 hackneyed and uninspired
as to need n crutCh. but. luckily. that
crutch has been supplied by strain
Of comedy which requires apology. Just
when the plot stumblcs into evil ways
Mr.. Davis resCues it with n comedy
scene that is cut from the same pat
tern which served Mr.. Harrington IN
''Seventeen."
The idea of presenting, in n rather
episodic fashion. the married life of a
young couple VINO rise from compare :
tive poverty to definite riches. only to
find their happiness decreasing in a
corresponding scale. is typical OF the
old Owen Davis. The characterizations
Of Lucy and Jerry, the hcro!ne,s sister
and brother. and of Rosalind Henley,
the super fapper. mark the new Owen
Davis, and. thankfully. the latter wins.
The peculiar situation which results
Is that the audience merely tolcrates
the action which advances the main
plot, and eagerly awaits the more or
less secondary theme of the adventures
of the young people in their first ex-
periences in society.
! The first act. with its chickering's be-
tween the brother and sister and their
fathers Intellectual interference. with
the arrival Of the family next door for
the evening game of 'rummy, with
the tolerant attitude of the young pro-
pie toward their elder sisters love nf-
fair--all of this is of far greater inter-
est than the periods OF the pay ir
which Mr.. Davis becomes didactiC and
solemn. and attempts TO point out the
evils of riotous living.
And the scene in which Lucy and
Rosalind, at odds with the world in
general, sample much too freely the
punch with q generous stick is st
good that we forget TO sympathiHe viii
the heroine for her domestic difficulties
Cup the Ladder" is full Of pre-
carious moments with all signs point,
ing TO n descent TO banality, but or
almost every occasion, the fall is
averted. For example. At the fna
curtain. it looked for all the world n,
II the dramatist was about to lead hi,
hero and heroine back to the inevitable
vine covered cottage of moderate mean,
and happiness. Yet, at the last mo
- lnt-tg t1- yiI do y.n, ,Nnl
and had the hero remark. apologeticaII IIy
TO his wife, that he was afraid Shs
would have To continue being rich. II
the same act there was every indication
that the millionaire was about to sax
TO the young wife. II like your spirit :,
much, that I've decided not 10 break
your husband. but to make him rich
again instead" But he never said it.
As for Rosnlind. the fappcr. every
on" felt morally certain that she was
going TO be afflicted with n laSt.oc,
repentancc and reformation. but instco(
she slapped young Jprry's face ana
went out In her old incOrrigble manner
And every time, throughout thr fam,
acts, that the action and conversation
drifts around to ''higher finance" and
dig business, along comes Jerry
Lucy and Rosalind with lines that
possess a sparkle which no one knew
o"NA i'uNlS pDSS'NNtu.
THE playing of these three rorts +,
L matter of some difference ~ oriu,
Ion. Albert lIaCkett. as Jerry ynn,n,
TO have succeeded in pleasing Aims
everyone. 1t would seem. perhanS, I'm,
he faltered a bit in the last act as tL,
harrassed and entirely innocent sncon,
party In ROsaind's c'onement hrt ,Ln,
can be forgiven and forgotten in ,ron.
ory OF his keen sense Of the droU in tL,
scene whore he stepped to thr brooct
In defense Of his sister who srfrnrc,
from the maIady commonly called ",b,
morning after"
IL seemed 10 us that Martha Nodi.
son, as the fapper. while NOT in ,h,
least photographicaly real, wos anti,
Nep People imgon~o nI"S' m,h"r,nt
for "Up the seen an tbo "" s,an nan'
NdoaeT IdSt since Audrey Cana,
eron spoke Of he
father ms "Dodo" in Mr.. Galswortby'
"Skin Game" BY the same token. sh,
seemed the most interesting, bur man,
others took execution, and now. we nm
derstand, Miss Cameron herself is bcin,
rushed ia the part. being at present q,
ber way from England.
And Anna Marston. as the aoxou
hnired sister, who tastaJ tba ,,,,,.,I