Theatre Production - Billy's Little Love Affair

A young man whose principles include one that dictates eternal bachelordom had better not cultivate the acquaintance of a charming girl like Billy Marr, whose description of herself we beg leave to quote in her own words: "If I were'nt a flirt I should'nt always be so sweet and lovable, and it's only my being always sweet and lovable that makes people fall in love with me." Against such charms as this pronouncement suggests what man is proof even though he be bolstered up by convictions, or justified by an impending clerical career. For Jack Frere is about to adopt the Church as his profession, and he has what he is pleased to call "rigid ideas" on the matter - ideas whose rigidity is sometimes sadly strained by a certain contemptuous little sniff, the property of Miss Marr.

"You promised me," says Jack, "ten minutes serious talk - and then during those ten minutes you would either fidget, sniff or turn up your silly little nose. We've not been here a minute-and-a-half and yet you have done all three."

As to the serious chat Sir Harry Harmon, a good friend of Jack's, has his own opinion. Such conversations have a way of ending differently to what the two participants may have contemplated, when one is a good-looking man and the other a charming and fascinating girl. Sir Harry chaffingly remonstrates. He is no believer in Jack's method of cultivating ladies' society in order to "learn what to avoid," and Jack on his part has no hesitation in classing his friend among the "pig-headed, caustic, soured old bachelors" for whom such charms as Billy Marr possesses were not created.

She has been engaged four times! well, what of that? "It is the voice of the Spring," "it is the young blue eye turning heavenward to seek its mate." It is - it is -well, it is Billy Marr, and there's an end of it.

If Jack Frere does not mean to marry he is not blind to the fact "that the fairest and most beautiful thing on God's earth is a young woman." From which the shrewd reader will gather that, principles or no principles, Mr. Jack is in love, and Sir Harry's conclusions will help that same reader to guess in what direction his affections are enchained.

But the matter is of interest to another on-looker who is to play a great part in the story of Billy's love affair. At Harlesden Manor at the time our story opens, among other visitors, comes Lady Duncan, a woman of many qualities, most of them bad. But she has for all that what is known as "a way" with her, and, while not disdaining the admiration of the particularly insipid men in the house, she is able to gain the confidence, if not the affection, of her hostess and Billy Marr. That scandal has been busy with her name we learn at a very early stage, and no less a person than her present host - who happens to be absent from home - is associated with her in the piquant stories that are about. To do him justice he does not know of her intended visit, and his wife is of course in ignorance of any reason why Lady Duncan should not be her honoured guest, and, for her part, her ladyship is particularly desirous that nothing shall disturb her designs on Munkittrick, a millionaire lout, who is one of this very mixed party.

PRESS REVIEW

(The Echo [London, UK] - 3rd September, 1903)
CRITERION THEATRE
"Billy's Little Love Affair"

One visited the theatre last night expecting to be amused, and Mr. Esmond succeeded, in doing so. The play is styled - on the programme - "a light comedy," and at the close of the performance the title seemed quite justifiable. It is comedy so gauzy and light that the figure of farce is occasionally revealed. This, of course, in no spirit of discontent. You were given all the freeness and trippiness of Mr. Esmond's earlier triumphs, with something of maturity to balance it. No longer does the dramatist appear hampered by his own thoughts of some great dramatic innovation, something unthought or unheard of; undoubtedly he realises the futility of such in this age of borrowing and lending; he simply takes a society incident and constructs his play from homely materials. There's nothing uncommon in misunderstandings; they certainly have their ministering value. A group of scandalising chatterers of the gender feminine are surely not uncommon. An infatuated lover who sees "men as tress," and to whom joy seems impossible apart from the object of his devotion. We meet men of this type every evening. Then, again, the ubiquitous lady journalist has come to stay. And who shall say that married men are always discreet. The characters of Mr. Esmond's comedy were familiar; and, as they were on the stage and not of our immediate menage, they were delightful.

The Story

One is bound to confess they were uncommonly witty, sharp-tougued, and accomplished in the art of intrigue. The play opens on the terrace at Harlesdon Manor where Mrs. Jim Greaves reigns in state, her husband, to look at, is scarcely the man who would be convicted of keeping a flat in Victoria-street, yet this flat completely upsets the equilibrium of the household. The auspicious little wife starts upon a voyage of discovery, and returns with some letters. Whilst she has been locked in her husband's study, Jack Frere, whose intentions were purely theological, manages, to fall in love with Billy, or, as she is known in society, Miss Wilhelmina Marr. Theu trouble commences. Lady Duncan, the bosom friend of Mrs. Jim, is introduced to the discovered love letters and advises. Her suggestion is that Billy is the culprit. No time is lost to publish this, and soon all tongues are wagging. Jack Frere hears of the scandal, and confides in Sir Harry Harmon, but their plan is spoilt by some stupid misunderstanding over a newspaper. Things reach a climax, Billy is accused and pleads guilty dramatist makes no attempt to disguise or conceal the result, and, though the second act is really good, it is a pity to satisfy the imagination thus early. Words only accentuate the trouble, and Billy leaves the Manor House, only to return as arranged by Jack, for the luggage and maid are sent on to the wrong station.

The Players

The tangled skein seemed un-rightable. But by some well-conceived strategy and the presence of an honest servant, the feminine habitue of the flat is proved to be Lady Duncan, and not "Billy." You know the end, as we did soon after the play began. Love always triumphs, and if the hero is patient he will win. It is a charming little comedy, full of crisp, smart sayings, though occasionally Byronic. It is a story of to-day, but set in more cheerful colouring than one is accustomed to. The love scenes between Jack Frere (Mr. Allan Aynesworth) and "Billy" (Miss Eva Moore) were delightful pieces of acting, refreshing and vividly life-like. What an atmosphere of gaiety, delight, freshness Miss Eva Moore can always command! What range of human feelings she is able to touch! Her performance was perfect. After her in merit comes Miss Florence St. John as Mrs. Jim Greaves, who was always ready with some sharp reproof or counsel. Speaking to Sir Harry Harman (Mr. Charlee Groves) on one occasion she said, "You were a barrister before your poor aunt's money made a man of you." Her vivacity, energy, and uncontrollable ability for misplacing words provoked great enthusiasm. It was a great piece of character acting. Mr. Charles Groves added to his reputation, and his make-up was a perfect disguise. The wretched, whining Jim Greaves did not suffer in the hands of Mr. Sam Sothern, and he reflected with credit the author's idea. The play was a treat to watch, so pretty, if not so great, and the situations and curtains were excellent.

W.F.B.

That there is good reason for something more than circumspection is very soon apparent. Mrs. Greaves has, in the course of her not too scrupulous investigations among her husband's papers, discovered some letters which, to say the least of it, require explanation. Some are dated prior to their marriage, but there is one in the same writing as the rest and with the same preposterous signature of "Wang," which speaks of a flat in Victoria Street formerly occupied by Jim Greaves. If the others witness to a great affection on the part of the writer, this last seems to point to a recent and close intimacy between her and Jim Greaves.

It must be assumed that when a rich and middle-aged woman is married to a young and good-looking man, many uncharitably disposed people will suggest that the considerations that prompted the young man are to be found written in a bank-book rather than in those records Cupid so assiduously keeps. It is not unlikely that the lady herself may come to accept this view too, and if he is a Jim Greaves with a bundle of old letters accessible to his jealous wife, his position may be an unenviable one. But while inside the house poor Jane Greaves is creating a hubbub over her discovery, Jack Frere and Billy are having a long-anticipated serious talk. Principles firm and irrevocable are the topic, but without doubt there is a lack of backbone in them, as Jack puts it, there is influenza in the air. In fact, he is next in succession to a baronetcy with ten thousand a year, the present occupant being eighty-three and a victim of that dread disease.

It is true he has all those principles still, but he begins to doubt if he has any right to them. It is obvious that influenza followed by complications may upset the most definite and rigid ideas of life. In this case they do, and the serious talk on the avoidance of matrimony ends in a declaration of love. But the engagement is to be kept secret for a few days, to enable Billy to finish off the small flirtations she has on hand.

There appears to be an almost invariable law which leads people in love with one another to seek information as to whether any other ever claimed the affection they possess. Jack no sooner knows himself loved than he becomes a victim of this law. Was Billy ever engaged before? Billy isn't sure, and he does not press the point. Was she ever in love before? And so on through the usual lovers catechism.

Billy, as a matter of fact, has had a little romance in her teens, and while it lasted she had distinguished the sharer of it by the name of "Toodles," while he had called her "Wang," an interchange of lovers amenities which Jack somewhat sarcastically describes as "brilliant repartee." These pet names might have been committed to oblivion but for the important part they play in the development of our story. For the letters discovered by Mrs. Greaves bear no other signature than these preposterous pseudonyms. To Jack comes Mrs. Greaves full of her new trouble with a whole sheaf of letters in her hands, which he promptly refuses to read. But he cannot help listening.

Only a few minutes before Billy had told him of the pet names used in her love affair, and here they re-appear as appendages to apparently incriminating letters. Lady Duncan has also seen them and is aware of the old romance between Billy and Jim; it suits her plans for obvious reasons to divert suspicion from herself, and the present fortunate discovery affords her an easy opportunity of doing so by casting' suspicion elsewhere.

Upon Jack such a move is lost, but upon Mrs. Greaves, ready to suspect anyone, it has the desired effect. By a number of skilful manoeuvres she turns everything to her advantage. Unfortunately the affair has already been responsible for a quarrel between Jack and Billy. The former had taken the matter to Sir Harry Harmon and he had advised an immediate recourse to Billy who probably with two words would clear up the whole affair.

In the middle of their discussion Billy herself enters, and misled by a written sentence of Sir Harry's in which he advises Jack to get "her to explain once for all," she indignantly demands what it is she is to explain, and why she is made the subject of a smoking-room discussion, and so from one misunderstanding to another until the ring is returned and the lovers estranged.

Quickly following on this development comes another - the visit of Hagson, Jim's former valet, from whom the irate wife hopes to obtain a clue as to the identity of the guilty woman. Though Hagson is discreetly silent, the interview is not entirely without fruit. Jack had noticed, and his friend, Sir Harry, too, that Lady Duncan had anxiously repeated his name when his entry was announced, and, for the moment off her guard by the suddenness of his appearance, had given a vague clue to Billy's watchful lover. On this he determines to work, but not before Billy has acknowledged the authorship of the letters signed "Wang," and also of the one addressed from Jim's flat. Mrs. Greaves will hear no more. She unloads all her wrath on poor Billy, who prepares to leave the house.

Now it would not have been difficult to prove that Billy Marr lived in the flat with her mother, having taken the lease over from Jim on his marriage. But Jack is determined to find who was the culprit, since culprit there undoubtedly was. He wires for Jim, who has gone off to Paris, and he sends a further wire to Hagson, and by a skilful manipulation of the clue Lady Duncan had afforded him he elicits from the loyal valet all the information he requires. Now follows a well-fought duel between Jack and Lady Duncan. What a man may know is one thing, what he can prove is another. But Jack is not going to stick at trifles, nor will he risk a public scandal. If the matter is to be righted it must be done by Lady Duncan's own confession, and this he determines to wring from her at all costs. Lady Duncan has become engaged to the millionaire, Munkittrick, and it is not likely she will let him go. Jack uses this position for all it is worth, and begins by veiled threats when his skilful opponent shows him her engagement ring.

"Wouldn't it go to your heart if ever you had to return it?" he asks in Munkittrick's presence, and adds hastily in reply to that worthy man's astonished ejaculation, "You see I was thinking of my own case, mine has come back to me once already." "Oh, a lovers' tiff," laughs Munkittrick, "may happen to anyone of us," Jack's monitory conclusion is a skilful argumentum ad feminam.

"If they say it takes two to quarrel, so we may rely on Lady Duncan's good sense to steer clear of one." A good beginning, but the battle is not won on remote threats. She is disturbed at his evident determination, but one counter-move is at her disposal. Munkittrick had expressed himself eager for the marriage, even to the extent of availing themselves of a special licence. At first she had refused, but the danger appears sufficiently imminent to justify heroic measures, and she agrees to go to town, ostensibly for a shopping expedition, but in reality to make the millionaire the happiest of men. Munkittrick is overjoyed, Lady Duncan exultant; Mr. Frere now can do his worst; once married she cares nothing for exposure. But the plan fails: a telegram from town recalls Munkittrick; he hastily leaves a message with Jack which enlightens him as to Lady Duncan's ruse. Once more he puts on the screw, and by a final twist, assisted by Munkittrick's return, compels Lady Duncan to sign a brief confession, and thus right Billy Marr, and bring peace to the hearth of Mr. and Mrs. Jim Greaves.

Two of the prettiest dresses in "Billy's Little Love Affair" are those worn by Billy herself (Miss Eva Moore) in the first two acts. One of the handsomest is Miss Florence St. John's evening toilette in the smoking-room scene.

Billy's initial appearance is made in a charming little afternoon frock of old Ivory-coloured canvas, and made short enough for tennis. The skirt is inlet with a broad band of coarse scallop lace, the precise tint of the fabric it adorns, and the bodice has a new combination yoke and upper sleeves, also deep cuffs of scallop lace to match.

A successful feature of the gown is its cleverly arranged belt of blue shaded silk, which at the back rises in a high point to the shoulder line and below the waist has short twisted ends, a repetition of which the narrow twisted scarf threaded through the bodice in front provides.

Miss Eva Moore's second frock, an evening one, is quite an epitome of daintiness. It is a girlish model made of pure white soie do Chine mounted upon silver tissue, which just gleams through the other diaphanous fabric, and is trimmed at the edges of the full skirt and of the angel's wing sleeves with inch-wide embroideries of silver spangles closely set together.

Intentionally flamboyant and handsome is the full dress costume of the wealthy Mrs. Jim Greaves in which Miss Florence St. John looks so winsome and comely. It is a toilette of the softest amber tulle decorated with bands of gauze elaborately embroidered with tiny gold, sequins, just sobered down a little from their most intense brilliancy by means of a deft admixture of jet discs. These bands graduate in width from the decolletage to the foot of the skirt, where they are separated by bows of orange panne.

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