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Show I THEATERS AT THE ORPHEUM. When .Lawrence Whitman wrote "The Road to Happiness." which was presented at the Orpheum last uigii'., he did a big favor to the public in giving a fine medium of entertainment and he proved himself a philosopher of no little worth, as well as a playwright play-wright of the first order. And when William Hodge was given to the stage, that much talked of fixture on this old globe, received one of the best exponents of the art of acting that has been projected upon it In a number of j ears. Even as "The Alan from Home" and the name of William Hodge were inseparable in-separable two seasons ago, so has the name of the same man bfen coupled cou-pled with "The Road to Happiness." and. though Hodge should essay nothing noth-ing else, his work in those two productions pro-ductions would win him a place as a delineator of modern drama in thf hearts of the theatregoers that would live for a long time. "The Road to Happiness" is a pas toral drama with in the vernacular of the street a "punch" and. in addition ad-dition to the quaint humor and deep philosophy in its lines, coupled with a story of much heart interest, gives an opportunity for some stage settings set-tings that carries the mind of the Reasoned theatregoer back to the days of "Way Down East." "Shore ' Acres" and "Blue Jeans " That this fa t was taken advantage of by the producers was evidenced by the en ihusia -tic applause of the audience as the curtain was raised for each act. Mr. Hodge essayed the role of Jim Whitman, a general handy man about the village, who studied law In his spare moments during the day and until un-til a late hour at night. In addition to his ability to make himself useful, Whitman has a genial nature, coupled with a self-control and patience that many a lawyer might well envy In playing the part. Mr. Hodge never for a moment lost his hold on the audience, audi-ence, and. though the drama at times grew a bit melo-dramatlc. his strength and command of his art carried the scene in a manner so natural that it lost none of Ub dramatic force. As the thoughtful son of a loving mother mo-ther and as a lover himself, his act-ins act-ins reached every heart. Second to that of Mr. Hodge, was the work of Scott Cooper, in the role of Benjamin Hardcastle. The part is an unpopular one and Mr Coop er's success in it Is, for that reason, a greater compliment to his ability as an actor. In the character role of Phil Hunt, a typical old New England farmer, A. L. Evans made one of the hits of the performance and he and his old horse "Senator" will doubtless be remeru-!ered remeru-!ered lor some time by last night's audience Howard Morgan and Marie HayeB handled the character roles of William Ackerman and Martha Hardcastle In a manner that furnished a big portion of the comedy that went to make the performance enjoyable. Eugenie Woodward showed herself to b a chnracter actress of no mean ability, her role being that of Mrs. Whitman, Jim's elderly mother. The scenes in which she had a part were made big through her presence Reeva Greenwood as Eva Hardcas tie acted the innocent country girl in a commendably natural manner and the sweet toned voice and ingenuous acting of Miss Gertrude Hitz was one of the pleasing features of the production. pro-duction. The other parts were also well taken. 00 |
