Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-01-28

.,rhe Rat" which will thus equal the
,.asI continuous run record of nineteen
lvssts for a dramatic performance. II
Vii Then be followed at the Adelphi ty
"Dos Love" with William Hodge, who
made the previous record with his 1.-THE
Man From Home.
0tber shows remaining are Ladies'
night" at the Lyric, Orphans OF the
stormr at the Forrest, "The Greenwich
village Follies" at the Shubert, The
rntimate Strangers" with Billie Burke
At the Broad and 'The Skin Came at
the Walnut.
Along with the growing popularity Of
that might be called the middle
sged" romance, there seems q tendency
among playwrights
Youth Has Had to achieve greater
pio PART in dramatic contrast
by py,us by writing in very
ie" important parts for
,ounu girls of the fapper period and
Sovs lowering about the age OF adol.
..cence, There have been number Of
nIsys this season in which really big
narts have been given to very young
men and women and three or four OF
them have made decided hits. others
haven't been so fortunate.A
ofband, It is easy to recall five plays
4, which youth had deciding infu..
snce. They are "Bill Of Diyorcement,,,
EFamous Mrs. FAIR Only 49,,
"The Skin Game" and Intimate
Strangers.
In "a Bill of Divorcement, Kath-
,rine Cornell gave most convincingly
true. life characterization OF the
daughter of the she'll shocked veteran.
She played It in an easy, ofhand style
that totally concealed her art and that
almost made her the outstanding fea-
iure of the cast. She Is continuing
this good work In the long New York
triumph of the play and is very highly
snoken Of by the critics there--if that
means anything.
\ The Happer daughter in The
Famous Mrs. Fair" has q part so i'm.
nortant that the inadequate work OF
Marjorie Williams this season almost
DESTROYED the good impression the play
made last year when Margalo Gilmore
did the role so excellently.
"Only 3S" is another case in point.
Mary Ryan was starred, but her work
was unauestionably overshadowed In
interest by Neil Martin, who played
tbe mart Of her son. Here was really
notable portrayal of young boy-the
Young boy as he believably is in real
jlfe and not full Of the eIaggerations
that are usually seen in such parts on
he stage. The daughter In the same
play was written with all the oppor-
tnnities that the part of the boy had.
but Ruth Nero failed to come up to It's
possibilities and Martin carried of all
the scenes in which they appeared to-
gether. And Miss Nero came danger
ously near to making the curtain OF the
second act 60 fooey with her amateur
ish emotionalism when 1t should have
been one of the strongest high lights OF
the show.
1.-THE Skin Came" now at the Wal
nut, has rich part for young girl,
and 1t is handled exceptionally well by
Audrey Cameron. BY the way, 1t is
pleasure to hear that the public is sup
porting this excellent Galsworthy play
50 satisfactorily that the management
has decided to keep 1t here for the two
weeks that had been assigned to The
Man Who Came Back That will
give 1.-THE Skin Game" two weeks more
beginning next Monday.
Miss Cameron's own personality, as
much as any acting ability, puts her
part over. She Is an unusual individ-
uality, with q brusque, almost boyish
way about her, frankness and unaf-
fectedness and straightforwardness that
are inherent and not learned in dra-
matte school. Hers is q fresh and diff
ferent viewpoint Of life and she inter
ests you whether you altogether like
her or not.
THE Intimate Strangers" which
Billie Burke Is giving at the Broad, Is
another play with its lighter side en-
bellished by two youthful characters.
And, as ip "Only 49," the boy gives a
remarkable performance, while the girl
is woefully inadequate. Glenn Hun
ter, who handles the youths role, is,
Of course, not new to triumph in such
parts. His work in Clarence" last
year made such a hit that it gave him
a good chance in motion pictures, and
pany has been formed to star him, and
he has finished the first of the six
scheduled for this year. His role in
Intimate Strangers would score even
better II he had adequate support from
the girl opposite him, but she is so much
the high school dramatic society type
OF amateur that Hunter Is much ham
pered in lines and situations that ought
10 get across big.
pEhEuBER hoo Fanny Brice sang
~ Second Hand Rose" IN the
Folltesr The movies, IN their Wild
scramble tor novelties, haze grabbed Il
"oW. They are turning II into film
out I" University Citv, Calf. Fact.
Mo ONE who goes to see Ladies
~ Night at the Lyric would imagine
that any of the farceurs in the cast
mad ever been a serious minded, heavy
actor in the real dyed-in- the wool
drawmah But one OF 'em has.
~ Edward Douglas, the chap with the
English accent, who is one of the chief
laughmakers in the show, started In to
DO very Booth and Barretty. He was
with Sir Herbert Tree in Shakespearean
repertoire for three years in England
ana ana In the Barrie plays produced at the
Duke OF York Theatre. But he began to !
set taste for comedy when he joined |
Syrll Maude and that taste grew so
mat he drifted into broad farce.
!, Next weeks new conner in the local |
tneatres ,tres is another comedy. 1t is called
Welcome Stranger" and it succeeds
ne "Frolic" at the Garrick. 1t is a
story of small town folk and of the
p.eJudices that are found in SO many |
VI our little communities.
\, Ihe action is laid in Valley Fails, |
n H. On bitterly cold New Years |
I'VE lSidore Solomon, of Boston, ar
ives there with the intention of open
ans up general store. But there are
- sass preludices In Valley Falls and he