Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-04
is THE NEW YORK
IDEA DIVORCE !?
ONE WOULD JUDGE so BY MRS.
FlSKE'S PLAY
Rather Humorous Study of the En-
crossing Subject Given in Usual
Perfect Way-Lesson Back
of All the Comedy

Is divorce 'the New York idea?" If
not, why label a semi-humorous, semi
problem play, with divorce as it's motif,
by that name? If not, why does New
York pay so much attention to divorce,
and way do what perforce one must re-
gard as New York's first families spend
80 much of their time in the divorce
courts? Was subtle cynicism concealed
In this name of a clever play, and was
there sting intended by it's writer be-
meath the coat of mirth?
Be all this as it maybe 1t fact that
here is presented a severe. lesson on the
divorce evil or merely brilliant bit of
fun with the separation motif as basis
III remains that Langdon Mitchell, in
and her excellent company presented at
the Burbank last night has created a
breezy, bright and brilliant comedy out
of what. to most playwrights, would be
material for tragedy. 1t Is in the very
daring with which he does this that one
finds most cause for congratulating him.
packed with clever lines, overbubbling
with exceedingly telling contretemps, nor
aboundingt with epigrammatic .utterances;
all OF these Will be found In 1t. But the
crux of it all is that here is a man who,
having conceived theme which is both
timely and portentous, has had the wis.
dom to drive home whatever argument OF
serious import he may have to make-lf
he have one-with. the deft lightness of
humor and the shafts of ridicule and
sport, rather, than to hammer out on
anvil with sledge a weighty lesson Of
gloom and obsession,, which after all
might never reach half the people, with
d fraction of the same force as will this.
his present offering. For This, congrat-
ulatins and thanks be.
THE New New York If Idea is play Of t;t,s talk
and what one might think lay back OF
its subtitle, it is clean There are close
approaches to the dviding Ssa gsrld line but they
staggerings toward the brink, but they
pass by with smile Notwithstanding
Its lack of action, it is anything but
sion that is usually concentrated in move
ment and it sparkles In Shavinian
fashion, albeit cynical yet kindly withal,
And there is romance in it,. too; there
are two marriages, and though one Is OF
convenience, the other Is of pure love;
no doubt is left as to the writer's view of
which will be the happy one. Side by
side. they throw great light on matri-
mony in general. and form an amusing
and admirable comparison of character.
Yet both are thoroughly true to life|in
New York at least-and often have they
one at all familiar with the circles In
which the story is laid, it is not hard
to f6 find RSaraels Nor for lfdbe eash might have
preached a somber sermon; from the
other, painted picture of glowing light
ness, he has been wiser. he has let each s.a
own conclusions. That is the charm of
his skill; that and his many-faceted lines.
Although all the leading pc persosnages "s lasar are
illness; not forbidden kiss, suggestive
attention, a surreptiticus clasp of the
which certain erotic poetess. Of passion
SO loves to sing It is smart 1t is w9r,dty, 25,1i
but It is p Phadeiphlsnb rather than Pitts
AS Mrs. Karslake, Mrs. Fiske is interest
ing and unique. Her well known charac-
. teristics are all noticeable. Her sharp,
crisp, nervous sentences are just as hard
to understand; she still sometimes talks
with her back to her audiences, and she
is as restless as of yore. Yet she has in
a measure returned to her former loves In
this role; one instinctively thinks. of
"Divorcons rather than OF Leah or
'Mary of Magdala." Not that this Mrs.
times when feelings are strongly shown
in the third act, for instance, when she is
talking with the Englfshman, she is so
annoyed over the doings of her nearby
husband that one feels that her very tears
are real.
But in the main the role calls for the
deftness and lightness OF touch OF her less
tragic impersonations; 1t is sort of rest
full interlude between strenuosity of the
past and possibly greater emotionalism of
the future She acts now as ever, with
uncommon taste and charm; she is always
the artistic woman, possessing delicacy
and polish attributable to few indeed of
her stage confrereS. So that, though one
may miss slightly the overwrought mo-
ments of other plays, yet one finds much
recompense for them in the more delicate
tints and traceries which, interpreting q
woman Of vastly higher class than Tess
or ''Hedda," reSstill the more difficult to
convey across the footlights with airiness
and fnesse. 1t is phase of her art in
which she is supreme, and few similar in
stances of such exactingly fine work done
so perfectly have come within the writer's
ken.
is superb. Indeed, it Is perhaps the one
perfect acting organization today. 1t
! seldom changes in personnel; most of it's
members have been seen here before
They are picked men and women; true fol-
lowers of this mistress of her profession
They are cast admirably. Charles Har-
bury is properly pompous as Phillamore;
Mr.. Mason is strong and very possible
Karslake; Mr.. Clinton does the SNUG
parson of the 400 delightfully."-. and of
course George Arliss is most happy as Sir
ever the cultured. the cultivated English
man to the life The women are effective,
especially Marion Lea as Vida Phillamore,
and in many cases strong, and the fine
balance of the whole is maintained with
out fault. One can imagine that .'The
New York Idea," requiring all this, as 1t
does, would be a nightmare with one
poor parsonage in a role To say that 1t is
a thoroughly happy and appreciable ex-
ample of perfect stage art Is therefore
none too high praise; there isn't a place
where the writer would suggest an i'm
rrnuoOnenf