Evening star., 1936-01-18
BY HARRY MACARTHUR,

"NdE principal lGSIu IOr COIlSlQ-
Grafton during the coming
week would seem to be the
presentation Wednesday and
Thursday nights, at Pierce Hall, of
Noel Coward's 1.-THE Young Idea" !"
The play is one of Mr.. Cowards earlier
comedies and has to do with the ef-
forts of couple of English young
sters to get rid of their fathers sec
ond wife and arrange reconciliation
with his first wife, their mother. 1.-THE
Young Idea" will be the first play
done by the newly organized Capital
Players, sponsored by the Bekefi-
Deleporte Institute.
The two young people who do all
this maneuvering of their fathers and
mothers lives will be played by Janet
Coon and Frank S. Koonce, the IA
ther by John Mann, the mother by
Elinor Cox Karsten and the second
wife by Ruth Perrott, who is the guild
ing genius behind the Capital Players.
Others in the cast are such able per-
formers as Harry A. Westcott, Dick
Stringfellow, Romaine Stevens, Clar-
ence Moore, Carlisle Smith, Arthur
Westover, Crystal Tardy, Mildred
Franckenberg and Kay Palmer.
"The Young Idea" is being directed
by John Mann, who has had lot of
experience, both acting and directing,
at sundry points in New England and
who will be remembered by localities
for his direction of go Minutes to
Co." which last year won the one-act
play tournament for the Man-Tilla
Players, and of "A Murder Has Been
Arranged" for both the Man. -Tilla
Players and the Odeon Players.
The fame of the Blackfriars' Guild
and its coming presentation of THE
First Legion" seem to be spreading,
guild member having heard recently
from relative in California, who told
OF reading in newspaper there that
the group was planning production of
the drama here in Washington. "The
First LEGION" under the direction of
Emmett Lavery, will open February 3
and continue through February 9.
The group preparing Morgan Bakers
new play, Benevolent Blackmail," still
insists the drama was barred from the
public schools because it was feared
1t would excite acrimonious discus
sion in the community" and insists
that all formaities toward hiring the
hall at Roosevelt were met with, while
school officials see the situation in
another light. Therefore, let the
benevolent Blackmailers" be hereby
warned that they will get no more
publicity here in connection with their
housing problems, weep though their
press representative no doubt will.
The play will have its world pre-
miere February at the wardman
Park Theater and will have among
those in the cast Ann Ives and Ro-
maine Stevens, a pair OF the towns
popular and capable players. Harold
A. Weinberger is directing. which also
Is point in Benevolent Blackmail's"
favor.
The Blackfriars' Guild will hold its
third dramatic social tomorrow night
at the studio of the League of Ameri-
can Pen Women, in the Burlington
Hotel. Father Ignatius Smith, o. p,
will be the guest speaker; Father John
McLarney will introduce the cast now
rehearsing "The First Legion" Joseph
O'Donnell will sing, Cecilia O'Dea
Kraggmann will play the piano. John
Dillon Fitzgerald will be master of
ceremonies, Jeanne Bateman will pre-
sent the evenings piece de resistance,
O protean sketch, and every one is
promised rousing good time by the
program arranged by Helen Haltigan.
The entry lists for the one-act play
tournament of 1896 have closed and
tomorrow afternoon at 2 O'Clock the
directors of the plays accepted will
meet with the committee headed by
Dorothea Lewis and Mrs. e. K. Peoples
to plan details for the contests. The
preliminaries will be held at Roose-
yelt High School February 4, 8, 8, II