The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1924-07-29
BY WALTER D. HICKMAN
I'll ARRIAGEITIS.
lMI Ever hear Of this new sol


According to George Clark, a
neighbor, who lives next door to the
Webbs, this germ gets busy in the
second year of married life. George
had been married seventeen years
when h. gave Will Webb Informal
ton on marriage
The symptoms are complete rest
lessness and a desire to think OF
former suitors or flames" That
is a very bad sign. Hubby generally
thinks of certain moonlight nights
with another woman. The wife gen
orally feels that she needs self
expression and takes up art, acting
or something like that.
Then marriageitis becomes a dan
gerous disease. Many times it
breaks up the home. 1t gives every
one the fever, even the neighbors
next door and the mother-in-law.
Marriageitis got hold Of the
Webbs in a most dangerous way
Even a baby was nearly forgotten
for a time. But marriageitis can be
cured with large doses of common
sense. Even horse sense has to be
administered at times.
You will bump into marriageitis in
New Toys" by Milton H. Grooper
and Oscar Hammerstein, End, at
English's this week. The Webbs
have an awful case of marriageitis.
The husband thinks of other moon
light nights and attempts to repeat
EN-. The wife takes up acting when
she learns that a former sutton is
going to present a new play, called
Walter Raleigh" She is to play
the role Of Queen Elizabeth.
The first act of New Toys"
placed on a Sunday afternoon in
the Webb home is a clever and sin
cere bit Of domestic life. Hubby
goes on petting parties with an old
fame. Their temperature is hot.
The dinner scene on Sunday at the
Webbs Is nearly a domestic master
piece. Relatives drop in to eat
without an invitation. Even a
neighbor hints so successfully that
he is invited to dine although other
guests are invited. Mrs. Webb's
mother drops in" to take look at
domestic conditions. She Is natural.
She talks.
New Toys" has a corking good
and big first act. I thought that
here we have a really big and hon
est play of domestic life. but the
playwrights became theatrical in the
second anad third acts, but get right
at the very end when Mrs. Webb S
mother delivers a human talk on
married life. One human act will
not make a play a big human docu-
ment New Toys" deserves a bet
ter second act than it has. And yet
the sincerity and honesty of the first
act will make many people happy
and a little bit more thoughtful.
And yet I do not want to go too
critically into the workmanship of
! this play. The audience when I was
present at English's accepted both
the human and theatrical qualities
Of the play. There are many laughs
present and many Of them are due
to the expert business Of the play
ers. New Toys" could have been a
big play if it had not become theatri.
cal in the second and third acts.
But as it stands it will entertain and
amuse.
AS Will Webb, Eddy Waller has a
chance to show that he can play a
human characterization. Waller
must consider his character just one
Of the many married men in the
world today. In that he is right. He
tries to steer away from some of the
theatricals used by the playwrights
/ The fact is that Walters conception
Of the role helps the play as a play.
/ Miss Jean Oliver is cast as the
Tong suffering wife" When she
falls under the spell of self-pity in
/ the second and third acts she goes in
for the theatricals (dramatic) Of the
play and that is just as the play
wrights intended. In the first act
she is naturally gorgeous.
Herbert Dobbins as the wise old
married bird who lives next door,
gives us another honest and care
full Characterization. 1t is too bad
that the playwrights didn't under
stand this character better, but Dob
bins understands it. Mary Hill is
cast as Mrs. Warner the mother of
Mrs. Webb. Isabelle Arnold crashes
in with another triumph of acting as