A comedy in three acts by Laurence E. Johnson, Produced by David Belasco. Setting by Joseph Wickes. Now playing at the Tremont Theatre.

As a general thing there is something about a play produced by Mr. Belasco, which makes a visit to it a pretty good gamble. But in the piece under consideration the odds are no more than even. It is a play with a decided number of good hearty laughs, is well staged, and is at least adequately cast. But none the less you come away feeling that at best it was awfully thin stuff.

This can hardly be held against it, as long as it amuses, and yet comparing it to "The Bachelor Father," another and much more amusing endeavor of Dr. Belasco's, it ends up far in the ruck. The thin matter, of which the play is cast, happens in this case to be illegitimacy of birth, but in this instance it is prospective not retrospective.

It all revolves around a small-town girl who, to dismiss one suitor, indicates to him that she is about to become a mother. The rest of the action involves phrases and situations which do not exactly become a mother, but are at times quite amusing. In the end it turns out that it was all in fun and that no one is to become a father.

All the thunder and most of the comedy is stolen from the leading man and woman, by the maid-of-all-work and one who is billed as Cool Kelly. Practically everything either of these touches turns to laughter, partially the result of their being given good lines and equally the result of their natural comedy gifts.

Joseph Striker and Minor Watson as two of the suitors give creditable performances, while Harlan Briggs as the rejected fiance, a local banker, is genuinely comic. Mildred McCoy as the prospective mother just fails to produce a characterization; but is at least that far ahead of the rest of the ladies of the cast.

Taken as a whole the play provides an amusing evening, declining slowly from the first act until it sags quite badly at the end of the third, but none the less enjoyable.

Taken as a whole the play provides an amusing evening, declining slowly from the first act until it sags quite badly at the end of the third, but none the less enjoyable.