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| Clever. Farce Receives Warm
i
<-dorsement ‘at ‘Premiere.
-- Howard Shelley. achieved a: rea
é q : :
é 3 with a’ farce from his pen, “The Famil.
a | Pree,” presented. for the: first. time’ on>
f ; the. stage.” With “more expert: farceurs,
f | and with more: rehearsals. it’ is likely)
(that. “The Family: Tree” would chal-:
lenge many. a farce of recent: success for |
; popularity. ~The. dialogue is erisp, the *
repartes is witty aud. there ‘are: many:.
| highly amusing situations,-made the more.
¢ L’sue-. }
cess last. evening at, the Little, ’Theatre °|
pleasing. by»-reason “of | the. originality :
and: cleverness. of. discussion. “ “|
“The Family. Tree’? is a: satire. upon’
thefad of ancestor. worship, and t 4
fun arises from: the attempt of-a- brew:
<
in: making - a place. for herself in, the +:
highest social circles. . An accommodat- I
ing but wholly unscrupulous genealogist [:
supplies her with just the'kind. of, arti: ™
cie in the way of a family. tree. that: she |:
demands.» But: the imposture is diseov- |:
ered by an alert woman. seeker for the |
truth, and. the » humiliating ©exposure |:
threatens to be tragi¢. Then the brewer |:
himself is’ taken. in’ by~ the: genealo: ;}
gist’s young woman ‘secretary, and. the
pedigree he obtains quite puts anyother}:
inthe shade, ; ‘The upshot. of the: com-1)
plications that come. with rapidity is thei!
discovery- that: the woman-of. the‘ cam- ;,
mupity,: who holds her head most’ high, [
iz related to the brewer's’ wife, regarded’
‘as socially -impossible,- and also’ hag. ‘al!
‘yokel cousin from the country.:.°3° 9): |
The play 'is well contrived and moves!
\awith briskness.. The « Stage’ Society 5,
Players gave a fairly smooth perform-!
ance, although the possibilities for char-:;
Lacterization. were not as well realized:
sas would ‘be desirable.. Especially was |!
‘the’ work of ‘Charles M. Hinton ‘in’ the
-role of the genealogist wanting: in’ the |!
‘proper farcical spirit, and the conception}
‘of the part was hardly in accord’ with {
‘the author’s writing. Margaret O'Neill, ||
‘a newcomer. in’ the company, gave a}:
Ca
; al
\. -well-drawn portrayal of: the role of the};
\ grand: .daine. of. -haughty social preten- |
mY sion. Margaret HH. Cooper.was charm-|.
as _the‘love-lorn: daughter of © the}:
“brewer and his-svifé, andthe role of-tire-
‘prewer jwas Well’ presented > by «Henry |
‘CA Sheppard, Dorothy Marle as the sec-
‘retary of the genealogist: played with |
naturtiness and with: effectiveness, Ma-/!
‘bel Sheppard.as a social leader enacted
‘her role with enimation.. Henrys Li. Fox }
as
eralior-to the-part,_ but owas. de:
}dly, aiuusing and really gave a clover:
“pycatures Clark’ DP. Horne as a butler
“family” and others in’ the cast were
apable. The large audience: was un-
jyuestionably well pleased ‘vith the play
fund. oon. A speech ‘from
he ° : nos
fand-was insistent ur
e cousin. from: the: country gave |”
of
/-
Shee
¢
ree
;
Howar
solved ‘by a rural relative,
1 colic memory proves more accurate than
{the wild speculations of. the
| genealogists. f .
j the piece is admirable. |
‘| the country cousin, ‘David Smithers, ex-
‘| hibited not only a droll make-up, bu
‘lreal comic talent that lifted. the. piece
PrN
PS SOCIAL FOIBLES ee
« IN SATIRICAL FARCE
r -Shelley. in’ “The . Family
Tree?’ Makes Gentle Sport of.
wf, Ancestor Worship. . es
+: Competently acted. Howard “Shelley's
“satirleal, ‘farce, "The. Family.,: Tree,”
which: recetved its first performance last
evening ‘at. the ‘Little ‘Theatre, could. be
a witty and effective arraignment of one
sort of, social’ climbing.’ Played ‘as ‘it
‘was last evening. by, a cast of the: Stage
Society, it ‘was. still “witty,’ merry, and
clever, ‘but lacking .in'the sparkle,: snap
‘And speed,:a "competent company . of
farceurs could have ‘given’ it... Since its
deficiencies \were of interpretation. and
not of construction it may, well’see the
lights of Broadway, 20°): .
‘Mr. Shelley, whose earlier “success,
“The Beauty: Doctor,” is proof. that ‘the
art.of play making .is,as. akin to him
as i$. promoting: the interests, of opera
stars, hag selected as the target of his
wit, a rich and- socially impossible. fe-
male. who-. is. endeavoring. to collect
enough-ancestors to entitle her. to: mem-
bership <i a mythical’\’society, , the
Daugliters of Colonial Heroes. The cor-
respéndence in title is sufficiently close
to permit surmise as to what.society is
actually. meant,:and since the incident is
said. to-pe-foundcd-on-a social fact the
situations - resulting ‘should. make . par~-
ticular, appeal .to. a Philadelphia ‘audi-
ence.}- > pes ree :
‘Pursuing her desire, Mrs, Biers; wife
of a-man- whose. ambition to collect: a
flock of breweries has been successfully
realized, falls.into the toils; of a fake
genealogist, one ‘Tracey Root, and his
clever assistant, Miss Ivy Branch.: Be-
“not only ‘Mrs. Biers,
gree, and the resulting fun is finally re-
whose bu-
two alleged
°"As a study of perverted social values,
pie. -There-are apt
characterization, smart lines and well-
planned situations.’
yet in the formative state, it has: so
much worthy ‘material that any neces~-
sary teshaping. will be a matter of se-
lection, and not. of. filling out an insuf-
ficient skeleton. 4
a great deal is to be said.” Many of the
players: were unsure of their lines, | and
not io0o sure ‘of themselves, | A’ striking
exception .was. Henry .L... Fox, - who .as
was on the stage.
erceptibly. when he
R e ¥; Henry C. Sheppard,
Margaret JT, Cooper,
Margaret’ O’Neill
may also
the cast was negligible. © enh
and~:‘Dorothy Jarle |;
pe mentioned, ‘but the rest of}:
YT NE
While. the piece is}:
For its interpretation last evening ‘not }}