The Washington times., 1908-12-15
THE CHAPERON"
LACKS SUBSTANCE
New Fairfax Play Pleasing,
But Neither Spirited Nor
Entertaining.
OPPORTUNITY SLIM
FOR MISS ELLIOTT
Offering Exceeding Thin Spreading
of Marmalade Over Three
Acts of Zwieback.

4 polite comedy 1.-The Chaperone"
written by Marian Fairfax. reintroduced
Miss Maxine Elliott to this Capital At
the Belasco Theater last night This is
the drama in which this actress aims to
dedicate a new playhouse in New York
which shall bear her name. Under such
circumstances there would be special
pleasure in appraising it-as other
critics have done-a spirited and enter
tainir 8 success. Unhappily, it is neither
spirited Tor entertaining.
For such a stage personality as Miss
Elliott's, the requirements have ap-
peared 10 be about these: an opportunity
TO wear many beautiful gowns and hats:
lines to speak which shall not rUfrle a
bearing " hich is gracious. quiet, serene,
and a little statuesque; other roles
which shall provoke laughter without
sinister equivol1e or suggestion; a happy
ending Out of these ingredients va
rious playwrights have mixed for her
such prosperous comedies as Her own
Way and when We Were Twenty
one"
Miss Eliott's Role.
the Chaperon'' approximates all this.
Miss Elliott finds In it occasion to ap-
pear as an American girl who has per
mitted a mother socially ambitious to
marry her to a cad with the title Of
count. A chain Of circumstances makes
her chaperOn to a group Of four
younger girls. An old sweetheart ap-
pears in all his American force Of char
acter- The two float across one of the
lakes in the Adirondacks. and are ma
roOned over night on Hog Island"
They return. disheveled, to the lodge
OF the four girls. There is much mis-
understanding, and cross-firing. and
some laughter. And the play ends with
the count bought of, the four Young
girls all under this easy chaperonage
engaged 10 be married. and the
countess leaning forward from a swing
IN happy surrender 20 the American
Less incident has made brilliant farce
as in The Marriage OF Kitty" '.Di-
vorcons, and The Duke OF KILL
crankie." Here II serves as inst ENOUGH
narmalade to spread nightly thin over.
three small pieces or Zweiback II is
possible TO sit through the performance
81 II with conteDtment and smiles. There
were those last night who seemed to
enjoy IT, But the most hopeful among
us. those most willing TO see this gentle
lady enter favorably upon her career
as actOr-Owner OF 4 spacious Gotham,
PLAYHOUSE, could not deny that on tbs
whole and at most the audience was
only mildly amused.
Charm in the Picture.
Miss Elliott is at neither her hest
rOr her-least- She fits into her role
as frame and the resulting picture
has some charm But there can he
little for such an actress IN a PLAY which
requires her TO shuttle through an act
and a half in a bedraggled pettfcoat-
an evening waist, a. mans evening dress
waistcoat, and with her hair strinrino
round her ears. II is not badly done.
there is nc element or immodesty In
u no more Is there grace of bearing
or loneliness Of aspect
or about the same brilIiance is The
acting Of the others I'm the cast. Mr.
Grant Mitchell Vignettes a native Of the
WOODS with a Vigor and faithfulness
Which make the real hit OF tia evening
He IS on the stage twice, for a sum OF
perhaps ten minutes. But the rollsine-
Suffaws which followed him Gn them
seIyes an unfortunate measure Of the
less impulsive fun otherwise in this
comedy could not have been heartier.
one other scene went with dash 1t was
that OF the return to the lodge of the
Ehaperon.s uncle and aunt, by whom
she had been placed in charge For the
rest, Julian Strange and Eric Maturin
as sweetheart and husband and the
double quartet Of young people carried
tAASLL AOclu Will oCcliAlllB NOuCndldnCe ana
in the language Of the street got away
with Il.
For those that like this kind of play.
tins is just the kind Of a play they
like The rest OF us will hope that be-
lore The ChaperOn" reaches New
York II may be enlivened, given color
and beauty, and so far re-enforced that
this comely actress may not rue the
chaperonage Of her new theater With
out that rebuilding, II is hard 10 foresee
anything for it's future beyond mild
mediocrity- ALLEN d. ALBERT.