The Washington herald., 1907-09-29
HECTOR FULLER.
The Ubiauitous Candy Kid .

Mr.. George NJ C0han. 'who styled him
SELF some time ago the candy kid. and
who is quite sure that he is 1T" with a
capital I. came into town last week with
his latest production, Fifty Miles
from Boston" II proved 10 be a distinct
~ Cohauesque show, "a sort of sub
limated melodrama with interpolated
chorus girls and mterpolated songs
unique in its way and the best all-arOund
show that We had in town last week
At any rate. Mr.. Cohan has achieved
the distinction Of creating a style Of his
own both as "a playwright and as a
player His plays-yery hard to classify
are made up of a little bit OF every
thing but humor always predominates
II would seem that The only thing that
the candy Kid" really takes seriously is
himself With the Cohan songs and the
Cohan music left out Fifty Miles from
Boston" would really be a frst-class
melodrama. But there is the CohaH
humor 70 be reckoned with. and every
time the play develops a strong situa-
ton and it looks as if it were to be car
ried through consistently, there comes
some clever touch OF humOr that makes
thecaudience roar in spite Of itself Thus
for instance, the Quarrels between the
Westcotts, father and son, and the Har-
-Tigans. father and son. might well be de
veloped into a strongly fine dramatic sit
uation, but the irrepTessible Cohan finds
the funny side of it appealing to him
most. and the result is that instead Of
drama bordering on tragedy. We have
rather Ti0t0us and clever comedy. ap-
Droaching nearly TO farce.
One cannot heIn out wonder what Mr.
COhan himself thinks of the situation al
the end Sf the second act Here the VII
lain Ot the play draws revolver and is
going to take a pot shot at Joe West
rcott. played BY Mr. Cohan. But West
colts sweetheart grabs the villain from
behind and Westcott's attention being
-lattracted, the villain changes his aim,
Shoots up in the tree, and down tumbles
4 blackbiTd! Climax II the atmosphere
Of the play were more serious; II It's dra-
matic ideal We're a little bit higher, such
situation might Wen be very effective,
but as il is, such is the constant fear on
the part of the audience that Mr.. Conan
as making fun of them, the situation
evokes only laughter. and passes for
Cohan joke
To Mr.. Cohan's credit it must be
said, that he has the grace always to
employ clever people Tor his plays Here
is Fritz Williams. markedly clever
actor. doing a heavy" part that in q
little bit better play would win him fhe
laurels; mere is Emma Jauvler in "a clever
bit OF characterization; George Parsons.
always q conscientious and able actor;
here is Edna Wallace Hopper, beginning
10 play ingenues little late in life. but
doing remarkably we'll and last but not
least Is Mr.. Conan himself. still nasal in
his songs. Still wonderfully cocksure about
his work, and stI most remarkably agile
and wiggly in his dances. II is a great
combination, ana the truth about Fifty
Miles from Boston" is that il is So good
play that one can't help wishing il
were just little bit better. It is in
reality two plays, clever musical com
edy and Il clever melodrama. and Mr.
Cohan has welded them together.
1t is @ unique place that Mr.. Cohan has
won for himself in American theatricals.
lie is, in fact, one Of our leading en-
terIaiuers and he occupies something like
the position formerly held by Charles
Hoyt We may find fault with a detail
of his plays here and there: we may
wish, perhaps. that Mr.. Conan would
not sing through his nose so much. but
after al we have come 10 rely on him
and TO know that when we 20 10 see a
Cohan show we are going to be fairly
wei entertained, without coarseness or
vulgarty. and that in an evening with
The candy kid there will be few dull
moments
Few who saw Mr.. Cohan singing and
dancing during the-week at the National
Theater could have realized how hard he
was working. His bride of few weeks
has been Ill in New York ali the week
and her Woodworking husband more than
once hurried from the theater to the
train. visited his wife's bedside, and got
back here in time not to disappoint the
public. II must have been n herculean
task, as it was fine example Of devo-
ton.