Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-24
New National Theater.

There are few theatergoers who do not
regard Miss Olga Nethersole with admiring
gratitude as one of the exceptional play
ers who are competent to combine intel
lectuality with emotional fervor. Last
nights audience assembled at the New Ma
tional Theater in eager expectancy, for a
Nethersole premiere is an occasion of much
import in the dramatic world. Success
means another contribution of Importance
to the stage, as well as new light on the
talents of one of the most convincing ac-
tresses now employing the English Ian
guage as medium of expression. On the
other hand failure must mark a deplorable
misapplicaton of time and energy. 1t was
not the star that was on trial last night,
but the play.
La Dedale" Paul Hervieu's play as
adapted into English by w. l.. Courtney,
under the title OF 1.-THE Labyrinth was
heralded as great play. There would have
been no hesitancy about welcoming it as a
good play, even without its measuring I'D
to the average of the Nethersole repertory
as hitherto revealed. One of the penalties
of being great player is the difficulty of
finding dramatic material, and allowances
are often made for deficiencies in this re-
spect provided only that the star is con-
genially cast and supplied with one or two
scenes strong enough to call forth full
display of histrionic power. The Lady,
rinth, as seen last night in condition
whose crudity was attested by the length
OF time occupied by the performance, does
not offer Miss Nethersole opportunities
worthy of her eminent attachments. Nor
is the deficiency in this respect compensated
for by any exceptional merit in the per-
formance as whole Even the distinctly
capable work of Mr.. Hamilton 'Revelle was
not sufficient to raise the average of eff
fectiveness to any notable degree.
The topic with which the play deals Is I'M
fortunate. Presented purely as a literary
study, the protest against the remarriage of
divorced people might be regarded with
something that savored of legitimate and
scientific interest. But when offered as
popular entertainment it descends to the
level of petty scandal. 1t goes far beyond
"Sapho" in prurient suggestion and falls far
short of 1t in artistic appeal.
The play was not seen at its best last
night. There is much superf1uous dialogue
which must surely be eliminated. Clmaxes
are so long deferred that when reached
their force Is discounted by the burden of
commonplace talk which they are forced to
carry. Miss Dorothy GrmstOn has the fem
mime role second in responsibility to that of
Miss Nethersole. She Is competent
actress. But the play does not develop any
thing like the interest in the character
that is promised by earlier scenes. Her
height is SO much in excess of Miss Neither
sole's that In some episodes she dominates
the pictorial aspect of the scene to an ex-
tent which the text of the play does not
warrant. Scant skill Is manifested in con-
centrating the action upon the career of the
central character. The most stirring scene
of the play is allotted not to her, but to the
two men who are killed by falling over a
prec.pice This striking denouement is the
result of the discovery that a woman can
not, with propriety, have two husbands at
the same time. 1t is a summary, but highly
effective, solution of a most embarrassing
situation