The Washington times., 1907-01-15
WdrfieLd Is Artistic
In "The Music Master "

ray" the crushing pathos Of Iris or
the bitter brillianCy Of ''The Benefit Of
the Doubt the portrait is painted with
the same searching divinatiOn and
knowledge. The whole household into
which the unfortunate second wife is
introduced retains the first Mrs. lesson
IN sainted memory. ana uses the odor
OF her sanctuary 10 cast her impulsive
but innocent and essentially right heart
ed successor into bad OdOr.
By a dellciOusly effective yet perfectly
natural device IN comedy, lesson. short
ly after the death OF his first wife is
made To bestow upon the town public
park IN her memory. BY the time the
park Is finished and about 10 be opened,
the second Mrs lesson Is on the scene
and IN a state OF feminine revolt. The
difficulties OF her position in the cere-
mOny bring the family disorder 10
crisis, and with the aid Of lessons
brother Hilary John Drew the truth
about the first Mrs Jesson is brought
10 light
The FIRST Mrs. lesson had been an ir-
reprOachable hOusekeeper and a con-
sclentiOus helpmeeL But she had also
been q woman of passionate impulses
and when she met sudden death in
runaway had been on the point OF elOp-
ing with her lover. The second Mrs.
lesson has evidence OF this-in her hands
but Hiiary-the right-minded liberal
man OF forty odd. whom John Drew
lmpersOnates, prevents her using IT,
10 doing so I'm order to put his narrow
minded. priggish brother right. The
play ends with the esta blishment Of the
second wife IN her proper position and
the turning o. the relatives quietly out
OF doors
Nina lesson, played-and very well
played-bY Margaret lillngJOa. is the
character on whom PiuerO concentrates
the interest But Hilary is the vital
force that moves the whole machinery
= 4 m ? 4 ~ a
compelling study in psychOlogy-high
strung, nervous. self-Willed emotional.
high pitched in tempeTament-a vital
character And she Is married TO Filmer
lesson. the priggiest prig. nerveless,
spineless. and self-sufficieut that ever
strutted the boards
Hilary is a character after John
DreW's own heart, one that fits him
forty, but the wording OF heart and
brain, and OF Infinite tact. The Ridgeley
family Of four are very common, in
! tensely aggraVating 10 live with in
tensely amusing 10 look on. types o
pOmp0us conceit and provincialism.
They certainly do make the second Mrs.
lessons life a burden 20 her
Margaret Ellington. as the young wife
untutOred IN many ways but delightfully."-
Womanly and self-assertive. does decid-
edly the best work OF her career. She
fairly shares The hOnOTs with John
Drew. The scene in the third act, where
she and Hilary read the letters tOgeIh-
er Is a triumph Of naturalism The sup
porting company do excellent work IN
deed IL would be hard 10 imagine the
first Wlfe's disagreeable family better
done than they are.
But IL is after ali the play that will
arouse the most discussion II is the
play that is interesting for its magnif-
cent workmanship. IL is an unusual Bit
of expert dramatic craftsmanship. II
| IS play written without any positive
/ love interest, essentially a drama OF
ideas. There is nothing in il that might
| not come igto any life, no Characters
that might not be met in any friend :
drawing room. and Yet il holds the in
terest and attention to the end. il is
/ Illogical. and yet in it's very lack Of
| logic conVincing-fOr IL Is borne in uDou
the audience that It's un-logie Is the un-
logic OF all humanity. and the very per.
iecuoh OF naturalism. NJ Med.