Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-16
OLD MASKS MAINLY.
Men and Women Is a Play With One
Strong and Original Act.
ANNIE WARD TIFFANY'S NEW ROLE
sinbad's Second Success, and Marine Mar
vels at the Bijou.
ALL THE PLAYS IN TOWN CRITICISED.

One swallow does not make summer,
and one good act out of four does not make
great play. 'Men and Women" by De-
Mile and Belasco, is constructed on this
plan, and more disappointing method of
building play could hardly be imagined.
Three acts of 'tMen and Women are rather
faded repetition of what the same authors
have given us in 'The Charity BALI and
the ''The Wife" Act III is original
and is glaringly theatrical impressive in a
very high degree. The last act is as mildly
Inoffenssve as a white rabbit with pink
eyes, and as conventional as the animals
appetite for green cabbage. 1t would have
been far more artistic, as well as more ex-
emplary in moral sense, if the authors
had dropped the curtain finally on William
Prescott, confessedly contemplate selfish
william, with the handouts on his wrists.
Messrs. De Mile and Belasco were
frightened at their own boldness in the
treatment of the scene at the bank directors
meeting, and the last act is a solemn and
hackneyed abjuration on their part of all
such pomps and vanities as originality or
powerful scene as the one alluded to should
be sentenced to penal servitude with hack
neyed twaddle, and its effect neutralized
in part by a cowardly concession to the al
legged popular demand for happy endings,
and gathering of all the couples in happy
congress at the plays close.
Little Truth, but Some Novelty.
The story of the play is new to large ex-
tent. 1t is cut enough in the new fashion
to lack complete hero and thorough-going
villain. This is true to life as ordinarily
revealed, but the trouble about
these "Men and Women" is that the
audience is never quite sure how to class
character, and must keep tight rein on its
sympathies. For instance, William Prescott
is put forward no doubt to catch our good
will, but he drops into such despicable
deceit that ones feet ache to be kicking
him-and then at last we are ordered to
accept him as sort of shop-worn hero
at a reduced price. Such hand-me-down
heroism is not attractive. Without
going into details and SO depriving
some possibly of the real pleasure of
wondering how that intensely interesting
act III will wind up, it may be said that
Men and Women's" plot is this: A bank
cashier lends securities belonging to his
bank to broker, who speculates with and
loses them. The broker commits suicide
A panic comes on. The banks embarrass-
ment reveals the loss of the securities. The
cashier to cover his tracks directs the
suspicion to a junior clerk, and after he has
all but ruined the boy who is engaged to his
sister the cashier confesses his own
guilt The great scene is that
meeting-and as acted last night it was the
best reproduction of real business ways we
have seen on the stage for years.
Good Points in the Performances.
The performance at the Alvin Theater as
whole was smooth, but very seldom brill
liant. Byron Douglas, a young actor with
giles hard to make William Prescott attractive
but only succeeded in producing an intense
image of an impossible being. 1t was clever
acting, but the authors had barred out
nature. John Woodward's character
out Mr.. Pendzeton into prominence
unwarranted by his share in the story. Mr.. |
Woodward's droll humor in the trying sus-
pense Of act LII was simply delightful. |
That excellent actor, Theodore Hamilton, |
whose appearance and style always remind |
us that there were giants in his young DAYS, |
figured far too slightly in the character of a |
plifed. Mr. Hamilton's voice and acting |
are alike impressive, but he will have to |
study 4he acoustics of the Alvin if he wishes |
his audience to hear all he saws. |
Miss Ester Lyon gave an intelligent and |
moving Interpretation to a very conven- |
tional image of feminine pathos, and the |
buoyant and graceful humor of Miss Hattie |
Schell was as agreeable as it was in |
Shenandoah and HELD by the Enemv,'
though her opportunities were fewer Mr.. |
Dalton played Israel Cohen, the bank presi- |
dent, with fancy for stained glass windows |
of peculiar style-with some dignity, all |
that the part calls for. The scenery was |
very handsome.
Drunken Mans Speech.
At the most impressive point in the great |
bank directors scene drunken man |
marched down the right-hand aisle of the |
parquet, and extending his right hand in |
friendly fashion over the orchestra, said in |
a loud tone to the actors: 81 am directed |
by the Commonwealth of this State, the |
city government and the Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Children to assure
you that you are, actors and actresses both,
doing your best" Having said this to the
astounded actors the speaker wheeled round
and before the bewildered audience could
understand what had occurred, returned by
the way he had come. He was identified as
3 theatrical attache given to drink, and was
elected summarily. The audience laughed
a little, but really such an incident is
dangerous as well as disturbing. Panics
have been started by smaller surprises than
this.