"BABY MINE"

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3125, 2 July 1917, Page 7

"BABY MINE"

A LAUGH-IMPELLING FARCE "Baby Mine/' a farcn in three acis, for Margaret; llayo. Cast:— Jimmy Jiults Robi-rt Greig Alfred Hardy Kenneth Brampton Michael O'Florety I. B. Atholwood , Inspector Thompson Edwin Lester Constable Donovan ... Raymond Lawrenre '[ oh V atml • Clivu Fnrnlmm i'BEio v ip ,p t Yorke , Itosa Gatti Marion Marcus Clarke Maggio O'FlaTOl.y Esther Mitchell ,lol ° Bealvico Holloway -\.n audience, that 611 ed every seat in Iho House laughed till it could JauguT no moro at: tho generous hilarity and compelling drollery in dialogue and situation of "Baby Mine," which was presented by the VVilliamson Comedy Company on Saturday evening. TJiitSxsrco, ■ which mado tho narao of Margaret Afayo, puts up a barrage of i'uii that thoro is no escaping. If ono , shot misses there is another the next moment that is suro to get home, until tho action becomes so wildly comical that every shot gets overyone, end restraint is thrown to tho winds. Had it not been written somo years ago, "Baby Mino" might bo hold up to be a farcical retort to such subjects presonted in tho pictures as "Tho Divinity of Motherhood" and "Wliero Aro My Children?" but it is more, correctly placed by naming it a grandchild of that very amusing i'arco Jane," in which a. baby has to bo produced to prevent chaos. Tho idea in "Baby Mine," however, is carried further—it goes into the heart of the business with great- thoroughness. Alfred Hardy, a young Chicago business man, with yearnings to be a father, discovers his wife.to/ bo a hopeless fibber, and trips his baby-loathing Zoie up so badly on one occasion, when sho denies having lunched out with a man, that lie decidea to jcavo her altogether. Her refusal to- have tho children ho yearns for, mingled! with tho suspicion that sho is playing up," ends in. Alfred leaving her. ioie is really quito innocent, selfish through being spoilt, but in love" with Her liusband almost as much as slie' is with herself She must get him Back, she.decidcs-but how? Her friend Aggie Jinks, wife of Jimmy Jinks (the man with whom Zoie has lunched in all innocence), after being consulted and wept oyer, eays she has it, and decides that the only thing likely to bring Alfred to heel is to produce, after tho essential lapse of time, a baby. Zoie thinks tho scheme a great one, and Jimmy, a big lump of good nature, is commissioned to procure a baby from a home, of which, one of his -friends is tho president. Tentative arrangements aro made to that end, and Alfred is to be telegraphed to mat evening, but, Jimmy forgetting to mark it a. night message, it goes twelve hours before it should, and, ■naturally, it is supposed it will bring Alfred on tho scene too soon. Jimmy is commanded to bustle for a baby, but at tho eleventh hour the baby's Italian mother refuses to trade, and Jimmy is forced to steal the baby from her. Beforo ho can get back with it, Alfred, crazy with delight, has arrived, anxious to gaze upon his ron and heir. Tho women tell him that it has gone for a walk with Jimmy. At length Jimmy smuggles in tho baby, Alfred is tho happiest fellow alive, and 4pio is a darling. But Nemesis is after Jimmy in the Italian woman, who threatens to take.direct action. When it becomes' imperative .to part with tho youngster, tho washerwoman's daughter surprises' tho gathering with the news that there aro tiviiis at home. Jimmy—poor old Jimmy-is commissioned to trade for one of them, and does so, but arrives back beforo tho first- has departed, and Alfred, coming in abrupt'ljy has to bo informed that he has twins, winch only increases his hnppiness. The Italian woman is now making trouble at tho flats, and must Imvo hor baby, so Jimmy-to mako up tho twins—liaa to rent tho oilier baby from tho washerwoman. Again they aro caught by Alfred, who is informed that ho is the lather of triplets. This had to bo done, a.s Jimmy, who was returning tho Italian woman s chiid, was stopped bv a. policeman, and ordered to return it to Mk Hardy, Alfred having provided police protection on being told by ?,oio that' the poor woman was a crazy nurso, who wished to steal his child. Tho third act culminates by tho houso of Hardy being stormed by tho Italian woman crying for hor bambino n.nd a wild Irishman looking for his twins! Both secure Ihoir treasures, and all seems over when tho policeman, carrying tho threo babies, re-enters to report to Alfred that ho has caught tho kidnappers l-ed-hattded. Ati this Zoie, Aggie, and Jimnjv break down completely, and Alfred is cut; off from fatherhood at one fell swoop, as tho curtain falls.

The farce could hardly bn played much better than it is by the Williamson Company, which has givon so much •pleasure, in Wellington before. The cast fits .like a glovo. Miss Bea.trico Holloway was jf> the. manner. born as the charming, but pelulent, wife of Alfred Hardy. Zoie's glib fibbing, her proliy pleading with her exasDeraled husband, her posing in bed, and the slceplec.hasing eho has to do when caught out of it at her husband's approach, found Miss ffolloway always ready, alert, and highly-in-telligent in her. comedv work. Mt. Robert Greig as "poor old Jimmy'' was always a droll figure. Having been the one to send Alfred tb« fatal wire about his son, he has to stick to Ihe. other conspirators,' and, in doing so becomes a. comically dishevelled wreck, plunging deeper into the slough of misery with each succeeding baby he, smuggles in. Tho smilclesr. gloom' of the big stout baby-sna.teh.er was funnier than-anytlung eho in tho show. Mr. Konnoth Brampton has done nothing better than the cajoled husband. He revelled most naturally as a father; indeed, his naturalness was the mainstay of tho illusion, and no performance was of greater value in Ihe general success achievijd. Miss Violet Yorle-was excellently suited as ihe scheming Aggie; Miss Marion Marcus Clarke gave a vivid character sketch as the distracted Italian woman, Rosa, Gatti, .and Mr. .1. B. Atholwood was hijariously droll as the Irish father of the twins. Tho comedy is charmingly mounted, the bedroom- set being a. gem in its wav." and the production reflects Hie highest'credit on Mr. "Robert Greig, who. had to plan it all an unmarked raanuscripl. "Baby Mine-" should draw big audiences throughout tho week. The GovernorGeneral and the. Countess of Liverpool were amongst those present, on Saturday evening.