A comedy in three acts by Viva Tatterstall and Sidney Toler, now playing at the Wilbur, with the following cast: Edgar Smith  Richard Taber Nancy Smith  Edna Hibbard Tillie  Muriel Owen Mr. Peabody  Bennett R. Finn Louella McKenzie  Ivy Merton Maude Mooney  Henriette Farley Oscar Mooney  Lloyd Nolan Charlie McKenzie  James Spottswood

The new comedy which opened at the Wilbur Monday night, has definite moribund qualities. In fact it has been many long months since this reviewer has squirmed through a play that offered less in the way of entertainment. Billed as a comedy, "High Hat", for such the incipient theatrical corpse has been dubbed, presents a paucity of humorous dialogue, of amusing situations, and of adequate acting that is astounding in its completeness. It is easily possible to choose, not at random, but with scrupulous selectiveness the cream of the jests.

Such are the inducements to mirth: at a dinner party an unskillfully inebriated gentleman spys some hors d'oevres in the form of anchovies and exclaims expectantly, "Ah, oysters. My favorite fruit." On an equally high level was another very popular remark; the wife, in reply to the husband's complaint that her uncle owes him fifteen dollars remarks that the debt has probably slipped the avuncular mind. To which her spouse nearly rejoins. "If probably has. And how" so much for the play's good points.

The situations are scarcely so felicitous. The authors have told the story of a young married couple modest means who inherit, a considerable sum upon the demise of the lately maligned relative. Previous to this there has been much talk condemning all forms of snobbery. Naturally the sudden windfall of shekels goes directly to the heads of the young people, and they become the incarnation of their own vitriolic epithets. In doing so they make considerable asses of themselves in the eyes of their old friends, although a representative Boston audience looks on with good-natured indulgence. Of course, the third act reveals that the news of the legacy was false, and the inflated pair eat humble pie with obvious relish. There was also a colored maid whose paraphernalia consisted of a grotesque walk, and an inadvertent un-negroid voice. This young lady was a friend of the advertisers in the programme.

Viewed as anything you like "High Hat" can hardly rank above a noble experiment, Edna Hibbard and Richard Taber, capable as they have in the past proved themselves to be, upon this present occasion suffer from a lack of inspiration. Their best efforts were expended in the first five minutes when they gave a natural portrayal of two people getting up in the morning. Once out of bed they seemed to lose interest in the proceedings. And to lapse reluctantly into the vernacular, the play simply didn't "click."