Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-03
T HE TIL EAT E R.
Columbia,

The production of a new comedy Oh
| farce ought to be a matter of conside rabls
public concern. The play patron who is
in mood for neither the emOtionalities
of the problem play nor the boisterous-
ness of musical comedy has scant mid
die ground to stand on, unless he can
| content himself with the mechanical
| heroics Of melodrama. A nation may be
judged to some extent by the songs II
sings, but more by the things at which
| 1t laughs. A nations standards of humor
represent it's ethical sense. The things
at which France laughs Gaily are snock-
| ing to America, though sometimes toll
Grated in London because they are not
| IuIIy understood. The work of the
| adapter, therefore. becomes important
| and the EFFORTS OF Clyde Fitch as an
adapter claims as mucn attention as hls
iabors as AN original dramatiSt. His
| latest piece "IouuleS," taken from the
french, was observed with interest by a
| large audience and laughter In aDunu-
ance testified that the whimsical absurd
lty wnicn the production had on It's ma
tive soil had not been lost III transplant
tation. Although the cast contributed
mucn that was excellent III the way OF
character drawing, the element OF dlS-
tlnct and Impressive personality was
lacking. In order to carry on SITUATIONS
founded on palpable improDabiiity, as
situations in farce almost invariably
are 1t is necessary to have all the lllu-
sive persuasion that personal magnetism
can bring to bear. The lnnuence OF IN
dividuallIy is absolutely essential. In
order to follow out the chain or ex-
trava gancies which a comic writer mas
woven together there must be on manu-
a sort of humorous hypnotlst, VINO mas the
mysterious faculty OF separating an au ,
dience from its reasoning faculty anu
allowing credulouS imagination TO hoid
full sway.
.'roddies' is a delightful conceit. 1t
takes up the theme OF man resent
ment OF conventional courtshlp and his
poWerlessness i'll resisting the mysterious
laws governing human attachment; the
same topic which Shaw discusses with lar
more literary grace, though less comic
JUNCTION, in Man and SupermanH The
climaxes are allowed to drift across the
Dorderland of fun into the realms OF
sheer nonsense, and the piece offers the
laughter that it may be able to create as
it's sole excuse fer being. The pursuit
of TOddles from club to musical. from the
fOrmalities of afternoon attire even unto
the privacies of bath and pajamas by
relatives who insist on seeing him well
married, constitutes, in conjunction with
a pretty final love scene in which he de-
cides OF his own accord to marry, story
which offers opportunity for striking re-
suits. With some readjustment Tod
dies" ought to become one OF the famll-
la Laughing plays of the day.
The company includes those well-known
players Jeffreys Lewis and Sadie Mar
tinot, who do everything in their power
to contribute feminine sprightiiness to
the scene. Charles Walcot, as the elderly
gentleman who as the hos feels it his
duty to invite everybody to stay away
from his wifes party and escape bore
dom, gave a capital character picture.
Miss Pauline Frederick was charming
picture of passive beauty. The title role
nj h1y Mr.
who gave a well-studied though some
what constrained portrayal of the droll
young parsonage on whose adventures
interest in the play stands or falls.