CRAIG PRIZE PLAY MONDAY

The production of "Believe Mc, Xantippe" next week will be an event of no little importance. For the third time, the John Craig annual Prize Play will be offered to the public, and all signs indicate that the latest one will repeat the success of "The End of the Bridge" and "The Product of the Mill." It is a strongly effective and original comedy from the pen of John Frederick Ballard, and it touches American life and manners with a light and sure hand. It never oversteps the bounds of legitimate humor, and its dramatic moments are on a high and perfectly rational plan. All its happenings are possible, and the dialogue is lifelike and brilliant.

The opening act of "Believe Me,. Xantippe" takes place in New York City, and the remaining three acts have for their scene the picturesque mountain region of Southern Colorado. The plot deals with the adventures of a lively young American who wagers that he can successfully escape capture by detectives and police officers after he has pretended to commit the crime of forgery. He makes a successful escape, and the chase continues for the greater part of the play, being developed with great originality on the part of the author in a manner that is sure to continuously amuse the audience. The outcome of the play need not be revealed in advance, the audience being kept in suspense to the very end. Throughout it is laughter-provoking.

The scenic features of the play will be graphically portrayed by effective scenery, and the rough and ready costumes of the Rocky Mountains will give it an added picturesqueness. Mr. Craig will appear as the escaping hero; Miss Young will be seen as the heroine, a sheriff's daughter; and in the other leading roles will be Wilson Melrose, Donald Meek, Walter Walker, George Henry Trader, Al Roberts, Mable Colcord and Laurett Browne.