Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from A Modern Ananias: Comedy in Three Acts
To Amateurs in search of a comedy which is absolutely certain to provoke roars of laughter from beginning to end, A Modern Anam'as is recommended with the utmost confidence. The sit nations into which the various characters are dragged through the mendacity of the hero are so intensely absurd in themselves and Lysander shows such wit and ingenuity in extricating him self and them until he is finally involved) in a hopeless mass of tergiversation, that the piece positively plays itself. The only things absolutely essential are that the lines be carefully memor ized, the stage directions minutely followed and that each actor play his or her part with full sincerity. To the audience, all the characters - no matter how funny the things they are doing or the lines they are speaking, must be in serious earnest with each other. The moment any consciousness of the ridiculous is shown. That moment the fun is lost. The personality of: the actor must never overpower the personation of the character. This is the whole secret of successful farce playing.
It is rarely the case, even in farcical comedy, that so manv distinctly drawn fat comedy parts are to be found. Lysander is the hero, it is true, but he has no advantage over the uncle, so far as part is concerned. Derby Dashwood comes in a hot second and as for Francisco, a clever player can get a laugh on every line he Speaks. Baby, who may be with advantage played by a man, owing to the short-sighted objection of most young actresses to sacrificing personal charms to artistic success, is intensely funny. Nellie is a charming ingenue lead who gains the entire sympathy of the audience while Prudence and Kitty both show to good advantage the personal beauty and talent of the actresses who essay them: but Baby is the great part - almost the star.
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