'The story is one of a pretty daughter, her lover, and a drunken and cruel father. The girl runs away and marries her lover, but then meets with adversities at the hands of an arch villain, with the result that the couple are separated, and driven to distraction the girl contemplates suicide by throwing herself into the Thames. The villain throws the mother's body into the river, and just in time the husband and wife are again united' (The Evening Star (Boulder, WA: 1898-1921), 24 November 1914, p.2).
A publicity blurb published in the Weston Champion (Parkes, New South Wales) in 1912 describes Why Girls Leave Home as 'full of thrilling situations, interspersed with plenty of comedy' (8 March 1912, p.14).
According to the Glen Innes Examiner, 'Miss Howarde is recognised to have the strongest dramatic company travelling the Commonwealth, and she has secured several of the latest London and American dramatic successes' (18 April 1912, p.4). In the same article, the play was called 'one of the greatest dramatic successes ever known ... full of strong incidents and abounds in comedy'.
'A rumor has reached [Miss Howarde] that the name of her play (of which she is sole owner and holds the Australian copyright) has been pirated and used on the rivers. If this be the case the public are emphatically informed that though the title may have been used, or rather misused, the play itself will be absolutely new' (Northern Star (Lismore, NSW: 1876-1954), 1 May 1918, p.4).
'It is the intention of Miss Howarde to produce the most successful and popular melo-drama in her extensive repertoire, a repertoire that enabled this company to play a continuous season of eighteen months in Sydney' (The Northam Advertiser (WA: 1895-1918; 1948-1955), 9 December 1914, p.2).
1912: School of Arts, Bathurst (New South Wales); 9-12 March.
1912: Town Hall, Forbes (New South Wales); 15-16 March.
1912: Protestant Hall, Dubbo (New South Wales); 19-20 March.
1912: Masonic Hall, Cobar (New South Wales); 23-29 March.
1912: Australian Hall, Orange (New South Wales); 4 April.
1912: Town Hall, Mudgee (New South Wales); 8-10 April.
1912: Scone (New South Wales); opening night - 13 April.
1912: Theatre Royal, Tamworth (New South Wales); 16 April.
1912: Town Hall, Glen Innes (New South Wales); 22-23 April.
1912: Guyra Oddfellows' Hall, Guyra (New South Wales); 26 April.
1914: Tivoli Theatre, Kalgoorlie (Western Australia); 21-27 November.
1914: Palace Theatre, Boulder (Western Australia); 10 December.
1914: King's Theatre, Fremantle (Western Australia); 12-14 December.
1915: Empire Theatre (Victoria); 16-22 January.
1916: Armidale (New South Wales); 25 March.
1918: Majestic Theatre, Newtown (New South Wales); season ending 12 April.
1918: Federal Hall, Lismore (New South Wales); May.
1918: (Queensland); 11 June.
1918: Pavilion Theatre, Seymour (Victoria); commencing Show Night.
1922: Majestic Theatre, Brisbane (Queensland); 8 August.
1922: Theatre de Luxe, Clayfield, Brisbane (Queensland); 24 August.