New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-28
THE DRAMA.
GUST OUT OF COLLEGE"
Lyceum Theatre.
ennobled.

George AIDE is quite evidently man wholly at the
mercy of his inspiration. Until THE Bad Samari-
TAM his inspiration did not desert him but in that
play he foundered. The AIDE formula was there,
flashes of the AIDE wit Illuminated 1t, but spon-
taneity and life were lacking In Just Out of Col
lege" shown at the Lyceum Theatre last night with
Joseph Wheelock, jr. as the star, his inspiration
has by fits deserted him. by fits been kind. The
new piece is a curious mixture of truth
full. sympathetic. merry satire and common
place, familiar farce. The first act is Mr..
AIDE at his very best; the other two
acts only favored by Mr.. Ade-their substance
IS as old as farce, and that is very old, indeed.
That the whole play is amusing and likely to please
many people It would be useless to deny. But it is
not another college Widow anything better
than THE College Widow" It marks. a whole.
no advance in Mr.. AIDES art and diminution In
the vitality OF his inspiration. To those who have
looked him for fine things in the future 1t Is
disappointment
The first act Of "Just Out of College takes place
in the ONCE OF Septimus Pickering, manufacturer
Of pickles. and opens deliciously. Septimus begins
the day by browbeating his Office boy, bookkeeper,
head packer and foreman, and then whiting into
sickly smile IN the silent presence of his
stenographer. Eugene Jepson played the part
Of the pickle packer IN a way that made him
the real star OF this act, and IN his hands
this opening episode aroused shout of sympa-
thetic laughter which never ended till the fall of
the curtain. wheelock. the youth just out of col
whose assets were three suits Of clothes, banjo
and a tennis racket. gave a delightful picture
quite In the AIDE vein of juvenile and finally
wrung from the old man $4,000 the promise
not to speak to his ds&gh fr for three months and
to give an account Of his investments at the end
of that period Both the young man and the
old were alphabetically drawn alphabetically
played For all the fooling all the bright, breezy
talk there was pleasant atmosphere OF life about
the act. Mr.. AIDES inspiration with him
But with the second act, which promised we'll
taking place as it did in pure Food Exposition"
the uncomfortable breath Of convention crept over
the stage Young Swnger had sunk his $4,000 In
a rival pickle concern. and was secretly boosting
the Bingo brand at the exposition and getting
himself into all sorts Of complications in the
process ruffiing UP the course Of true love- be-
cause his partner woman. and dodg-
ing trouble on all sides The truth is, Mr. AIDE
got caught in the complications, too. and as the
snarI beanie tighter his characters and his play
became more conventional till the second curtain
fell on scene of the trtest sort Of farce. In the
third act the inspiration lowered again, but the
farce had become too thick, had receded too far
from life to be redeemed. 1t amusing-as
farce. It was favored with the characteristic AIDE
remarks such as the literary comments OF the
girl behind the magazine counter. who said, This
G. B. Shaw's clever amt he? I can't get onto him.
but 1 know he's clever; and who thought
Howells writes beautifully enough. but there's
nothn' dom" Yet it was not the AIDE OF
1.-THE College Widow" it not real.
It sent the spectator home with a feeling of dis
appointment dissatisfaction, that disappointment,
dissatisfaction which come when one has Just
missed what the heart desired, when one has waited
for the sense Of Illusion to come. felt it rise and
hover and then melt back like mist before
the final realization. Can it be that Mr. AIDE is to
he Int writer of farces after ALL that his wonder
full gift Of observation is to count for no more
than that2