Press Agent Gets Revenge

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 440, 23 August 1928, Page 9

Press Agent Gets Revenge

Interrupts Play and. Causes Uproar “ELMER GANTRY” NEW YORK, August 14. An amazing interruption occurred when Sinclair Lewis’s much-discussed novel, “Elmer Gantry,” which has been turned into a play, was last night presented by William Brady, tbe wellknown producer. At tbe opening of the second act, Sharon Falconer stood alone on the stage when the curtain rose, admonishing the audience to accept religion. (She is a woman evangelist, around whom much of the story revolves,) Actors who sat in the audience began to yield to her exhortations. At last Elmer Gantry himself succumbs to the silver-tongued exhorter, goes to the stage and begins a confession of his sins. Just then a well-dressed individual with a straw hat in his hand arose and walked on to the stage. Sharon looked puzzled and paused helplessly, while Elmer gave him an angry look. They then recognised Robert Long, tbe Press agent for the show, -whom Mr. Brady had dismissed a few hours before. Long threw himself at Sharon’s feet. “Save me! Oh, save me!” he cried, “Save me from William Brady.” The audience broke into an uproar, and the curtain was dropped. Twenty minutes elapsed before the play wfes resumed.