The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-10-27
The Right to Live" a Bold,
Sombre, and Thrilling
Composition.
Goodman Play Well Acted
by Albert Bruning and
Grayce Scott.

duce a new playwright. Jules ECKeIt
Goodman, 10 the local stage. His On
ferine is called The Right 10 Live. Is
/ Il shadawcd but skllIully limned, draw
| ing of NE with its hneness worn away
in pawnshCys and fast restaurants, and
is designed 20 illustrate the ever won
derful power of nature to form IN such
atmosphere the images of pure hearts
and ennoblng love.
The theatrical season which gives Mr..
Goodman his first opportunity makes
room for three of his plays one. THE
Man Who stood Still" has been al
ready produced by Louis Mann. and has
given rise TO much the sort OF discus
sion which may be expected over 'Ina
Right to Live" The third, called The
Test" is shortly 10 be offered at this
same theater by Miss Blanche Walsh.
From a single view of THE Right 10
Live" IL may be assumed, as confident
/ ly as one judges book on the reading
| Of a single chapter that this is an au-
| thor in whom the dramatic sense is in
stinctive, whose inventiveness is un-
forced, and from whom it is not unsafe
to expect serious. thrilling. artistic. and
| rather soTrbre plays not less effective
Z
about the same quality.
Hook shops are familiar to every
stage. From burlesque 10 the Auc-
/ tioneer'' they have been used as Il stock
medium of comedy. So also, with girls
! settles, philanderers, thieving children
/ and parasites. Yet neither this familiar
/ theatrical background nor these accus-
| toned characters have been often drawn
with the sureuess of toucn, the keen
/ eye for realism. the apt selection of
! detail which vitalizes, that characterize
! this writing Mr. Goodman mas ia play
making much the style which more
/ broadly distinguishes the painting OF
Nnuet from that of Gerome, and the
fiction Of Kipling from that Of Jane
/ Austin. He does not tall Of hlnty
hearts; he makes his pawuOroker bag
/ gle down a loan IN sight o. his audience.
Drawing the Shadows Black.
| When q man with such method sets
cut to draw the unIovIiness Of spiritual
decay he does rot palliate IT, Instead.
he points it boldly, eliminates such mid
die tones rs gloss 1t, and compeis his
audience To see IL in all its ugiiness, II
/ possible, but to see Il as ugly In any
event. So there are in this play a pawn
/ broker who bargains with an innocent
| girl for their mutual corruption only
/ to discover that abe is his own daugh-
ter; a pair of brightly dressed women,
drabs at heart; q parasite even OF sucn
parasites, q rich young ldiGr Wasting
| hIs stewardship on women Of the street.
| q little BOY Of seven IN whom the IaIh-
ers degrading weaknesses are plainly
/ fatal; a youth Of sweet and bOyish pur-
| ity OF nuud being shaped IN the vice
! OF the paWushopi heroine who has
! breataed this air from her birth.
/ These characters lose nothing ia the
] embodiment provided by Jhe Alien COM
pany and Manager Gl1en. 4 German
/ Albert BrUning. reveals the eztccuences
OF his home training in an impersOna-
/ ton of the paWnbroker which must
/ have impressed every critical mind IN
/ the audience Those who saw him IN
! Mrs. FisLe's 'ROsueThOlm' company
| Will realize that here IS an actor who
does in fact assume his roles, whose
art II is 20 create new personalities ana
not dress over an old one for each sue
/ ceeding part. There are a fidelity in
/ his acting. an intelligence, a vigOr,
which have not been conspicuous as
! Tie fruit Of tho training voucnsafed
our native act RS. Here is the true
/ But the role OF the daughter. In whose
heart purity rbrtyes despite her ignoble
enVif nment as the .anlmOne Tits Its
pure color above TOtting leaves, is acted
| with al adequacy by Miss Grayce Scott
only few years ago this little woman
| was the iugenue Of local stock COM
1 Tanies Toby she is disclosing true
dramatic power, JuXtapCSlnE the Shad-
lows and the sunlight OF a giTlish heart
subjected TO al normal strains, and in
! Jecting into & voice that once was
/ brittleness vOcalized 1he tenderness of
! feeling. Hers is, perhaps not great
/ representation, but II Is unqueStlOnably
a good one and It promises a large de-
| yelOpment.
| And this is not the enc OF the good
| acting. There IS not an incompetent
actor in the cast. Indeed there IS no
! afIeCtatiOn in the expression of surprise
! that company of eleven persons could
lbe chosen without single name 70 con-
/ jure with and yet produce d perform
lance so evenly effective that Mr.. Brun-
/ ing cannot lift himself high above his
fellows. Ordinary fairness requires that
with his anne and Miss SCOTS shall be
given those Of Eleanor Moretu, Vivian
| Townsend Lulu Klein, Brigham Royce
| Ralph Morgan, Mors an Wallace,
! Charles Latte, Frank Stanley, and de-
| Cidedly not the least of them, save only
in years, Master John Tansy-
A Hard Question Emphasized.
| These actors impersonate their NOR
bid roles in an atmosphere Of telling
cOlors. Outside the window OF the
Ipawnbrokers inner Office boy passes
whistling The harsh chords OF the
AEAl bbc@l2 1lE AtteAA0 AGAi4tAgg Win t4Ag
| shrIIler foot of the railroad trains. A
dog barks in the street On the walls
hang copies OF a Halls and a Rembrandt,
q Japanese embroidered panel, Il paint
ing by one of the Barbizons in worn
/ gold frame, an unmo united portrait, and
] a lutte. over a screen is thrown a
beautifully patterned mandarin's coat.
And in the parlOr of the paWnbroking
! residence in July the gaud Of gilt is
! hidden by the~summer furniture covers.
All tnis-superiOr acting and faithful
/ investiture-Only serve, however, TO turn
the mind back to the r-ey again and
again. 1t is. on the Wno4e, consistent
and possible. There is nothing uneX-
j planned that cannot be made reasona bic
II by a competent stage manager and a
II fountain pen. The faults are those OF
most first performances, and are due TO
a human failing to foresle in library
II the effect Of a line IN a Jheater. If IL is
needlessly long it will be easily short
ened. The large question for this morn
ing has not 10 do with any of these
things 1t Is rather:
Are the projection of such characters