"MRS WIGGS OF THE CABBAGE PATCH."

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3060, 3 December 1908, Page 5

"MRS WIGGS OF THE CABBAGE PATCH."

MR J. C. WILLIAMSON'S COMPANY. The Town Hall was crowded last evening when Mr J. ~C. Williamson's ComDany staged "Mrs Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch," a play which has been Enthusiastically received everywhere it has been produced. The caste was arranged as tollowsMrs Wiggs, Ada Dwyer; Lovey Mary, Lottie Alter; Miss Hazy., Helen Lowell; Miss Lucy, Florence Busby; Mrs Eichorn, Helene Raymond; Mrs Schultz, Gustine Armstrong; Asia, Martha Gordon; Australia (child), Pearl Eagan; Europena (child), Regina Seaton; Mr Stubbins, John F. Webber; Mr Wiggs, J. W.. Smiley; Mr Bob, Fred Patey; Chris Hazy, Eugene Shakespeare; Billy Wiggs, Argyle Campbell; H. Hunkerdunkus" Jones, Harold Carr The greater number of readers of light fiction have been moved by reading Alice Hegan Rice's quaint little story of mean life in rural America, but, with the exception ot colour.little has been extracted from it towards the making of Anne C. Flexner and Alice H. Rice's play, which has been constructed out of "Mrs Wiggs," the same author's Lovey Mary, ' and brains. It will interest those who know the book to learn that Mr Stubbins and Lovey Mary have been introduced into the play, and to those who only know the play to learn, that those two characters do not exist in the story, in which, also, Miss Hazy, Mrs Eichorn, and Mrs Schultz areinerely casually referred to as neigh bours. In the comedy these quaint people are vividly ercuntric realities—delightfully clever creations of characters that will be difficult to erase from the memory. Indeed, the real charm of the play is the number of types of American character it presents, without any suspicion of individual dominancy. Mr Wiggs does not die in the play. He goes West, and turns up as the father of a child, whose mother has died, and who has been removed from an asylum where he was placed by the erring Wiggs (Mr J. W. Smiley) by Lovey Mary, on the latter learning that the child was to be removed from her charge. Wiggs searches for his illegitimate child, traces it to the home he years before deserted, and when Mrs Wiggs offers to adopt his little, Toney, the old rascal (who is made a rather picturesque person) hesitatingly resolves to return to his lawful hearth and home. But Mrs Wiggs's affairs do not monopolise the play. The most ludicrously comical scenes are those concerning the pre and post-nuptial affairs of Miss Hazy and Mr Hiram Stubbins, who are brought together through a matrimonial agency, assisted by Mrs Wiggs, who "just loves engagements." In the hands of Miss Helen Lowell and Mr John F. Webber these characters are inimitably played. The Hiram Stubbins of M*r Webber is high art. He is the tired American of rural parts, with a throat as dry as his humour, whose lap«e into matrimony was brought about by a false report as to Miss Hazy's talent for cooking. Another clever performance was that of Miss Helene Raymond as Mrs Eichorn, a sneering person who goes about the-Cabbage Patch sniffing out scandal and talking it loudly. Miss Lottie Alter made a very lovable Lovey Mary, gifted with vocal as well as physical charms, and lending the part an air of simple innocence and loyalty entirely pleasing. Mr Eugene Shakespeare plays onelegged Chris Hazy skilfully, and is astonishingly active. Billy Wiggs was played by Mr Argyle Campbell with an enunciation too nasaline at times to be understandable. Mr Fred Patey was Mr "Bob," and Miss Florence Busby looked well as Miss Lucy. Mrs Wiegs's geographicallynamed children Asia, Australia, and Europena were cleverly played by Misses Martha Gordon, Pearl Egan, and Regina Seaton. Mr Harold Carr played successfully Hunkerdunkus Jones (of the bureau of matrimony).