New-York tribune., 1908-11-23
LONDON DRAMA
A French Company Miss Ethel
IrJiHg in Comedy.

There have been striking contrasts in method,
OF playwrights and actors this week on the Tor.
don stage French company under the man
agerrent OF Miss Andrews has appeared Al
Terry's Theatre in comedy and tragic usio-
drama and Mr.. Frederick Harrison has pr1
duced at the Haymarket a comedy o. MIDI.
class manners by Mr.. Henri Arthur Jones vii,
A favorite actress in the leading part. The rneio
drama IL Grand soir~ is a serious WORK q,
high dramatic intensity depicting 4 struzxia
between love and duty with snvironment az
Russian nihsm. misery and terrorism II
stands by itself ss a brilliantly contrivaA rs-
diurn for the denotsu1ant cr p9thos and passie,
I The comedies may properly Be compared. as each
has a slender lacewOTk framing. and - based
on familiar idea. lie CosuT a Sss Raisonss
recites the woong Of francois Vernierss bv tVo
lovers one OF whom employs the other to plead
his causs and Is finally rewarded for bis oen
bashfuIness Dolly Reforming Herself ia
| comedy Of New Years resolutions astsr a
Watch Night sermon, with sequel year after.
ward. showing that everybody mas remained ua-
CHANGED
In the French work the motives are sin1pls
and are carried out decisiv ely albeit with tHs
Ifgatest touches. The deputy agrees 70 psad
the bsshfu1 lovers cause and TO hand him either
/ one glove or both when he returns "a an indi-
cation OF success o. failure. there is no signal
because the underssudy has been vooins on hi,
own account and arranged to take the Ia6v n
dinner and the opera; during an interval tho
modest foxer is encouraged 70 make q proposal
and is accepted: and FgaHcoise goes OF with
him TO tine opera after he has borrowed from
his exasperated rival the money for the dinner
Mile. Suzanne Th6ray makes the acceptance et
both lovers reasonable by her vivscftv and
charm and her womanIy preference for sx-
cessive mOdestv which has 10 he coaxsd inyo
action. I'm Mr.. Joness play Miss Ethel Iryirz
has as much fascination and individuality a.
the French actress. and more power wh-n TIA
time comes for tenpestuous quarrel with her
husband over he- unpaid bills, but the comedy.
amusing as il is lacks unity and deAuitensss.
and moves In circle, ending where il begins.
DolIy's weakness for which she goads herself
after hearing the wears Watch Night honfly. Is
extrav vagance: but instead Of refornlins herself
she devotes her energies to reforming her cousin.
an AIdershot captain. and Mrs. StUrgess who
are carrying on an indiscreet Irritation under
her roof When the bills are finally taken I'D
the highest pitch in the Crescendo OF comi.
quarrel IL reached in Jealous ~ou'nents on Miss
Smithson's capacity for giving lessons on econ
Cmy: and in the end nothing is scc1n0lished
for the unreforFneG Dolly at the end OF yesr
has fresh, set OF unpaid bills playwright
does not need to be in earnest when he writes
/ =
idea like that Of reforming human conduct he
ought at least to have a definite purpose
The New Years party at the Tslfords con-
tains vicar two skeptics and four backsIidng
penitents. The vicar is aggressive in The pulpit
and genial in the drawing room, and he has
faith in the disciplinary effect Of village blanket
club collecting boxes Professor StuTgess au-
thor OF Man the Automaton.' is one OF the
skeptCs because he does not believe that free
will is anything but subjective illusion when
states ot mind are dependent upon the arrange
ment Of atoms OF gray matter in the brain.
According TO his view. faults are iucurabls. and
reforms cannot be deliberately undertaken The
other skeptic is Mr.. Barren. DoTy's father. a
cynical man of the world who offers to lay
sovereign against the permanent reformation
of each penitent. the money to be paid at the
end OF a year into the treasury OF the village
blanket club. The sinners are the sentimental
Mrs. Sturgess, who is separated with difficulty
from her soldier lover: Captain Wentworth. the
carpet knight. who has 20 5e reIeRtessIy bun
died out or the house and sent back to Alder
shot in snowstOrm: Harry TeIford. who loses
his temper so often and uses such shocking
language that he has 10 hide the collecting box
in the wine cellar TO prevent bankruptcy. and
Dolly who has spent over 5000 on frOcks bought
thirteen hats. up bill OF I'll on stockings
and been charged * shirings for three pairs u
blue silk garters- The cynical NJ. Barron as
sists in separating the foolish lovers. and vainv
seeks TO keep peace between the irate Telfor5s
over the bills: and the learned professor has
| final outbreak OF Jealousy when he inteTcepts
one Of his wife's love letters At the end the
vicar reappears with collecting boxes: Nr Bar
ron pays his sOvereigns for the village blanket
club. and everybody is conpHmented for virtue
in keeping resolutions. Reforms are. how ever,
exceedingly superficial The lovers are fool
ish as ever: Harrys temper needs f1cessaHt
mending. and DoIiy's drawer Is filed with bills
which she is afraid to show 70 her husband.
This outline does not DO justice 70 the comedy
which contains continuous fcv Of bright
staccato dialogue and one extremely droU act.
The quarrel over the bills. preceded by "swesd-
ling which is defined a blend Of svindlinE
and wheedIing." and ending with psrozysrls -
rage and tears. is a remarkably effective ccue5v
scene With Miss Ethel Irving as the coaxirE.
captivating. frightened and resentsuI wife al
Mr.. Lorraine the angry husband this scs1s
saves the play snd commands the appreciation
or critics. Miss Irving may not have az
strong part as she found in Lady FREDERICK
hut she acts admirably in this amusing sceus.
moving about the stage like a frightened Bird
until her temper takes FIRE. and then carrying
everything before her hy outbursts Ct anger snd
grief. She has one of the most individual meth
ods and interesting personalities on the English
stage. Without having finished technique.
she has the combination cf power distinction
and charm which commands success with Eng
lish audiences.
Yet good is this performance II Is entirely
outclassed by the work Of the French artists
at Terry's Theatre. They have mastered the
art NJ avr,ra =io ~