New-York tribune., 1908-03-24
THE DRAMA.
NEW PLAY At THE SAVOY.
THE Servant in the House"

,.rr7s remarked by an old poet that They also
ui,o only stand ard wait In the singular
= a,ouotonous fShric OF colloquy that was
-. known yesterday afternoon, at the Savoy
-Ass--e under the raz1e OF The Servant in the
-. an las. indian bishop pretending 70 be
-, err,ioved in the v:carage of an English
,-r1--,ar Illustrates that poetical observation.
-, a .ssaerence-because he not only serves by
,.qinc and waiting. but by exhibiting carefully
-,oc-ea resernhia-.oe 70 accepted ideal por-
- of Tes,.s Christ. and by emitting, sometimes
- curt precision. sometimes with "a forty-par
= ,ow-er- the mos obvious and irTeproachable
ss.1,ses that mental r1eGic~-ity could devise or
.vcv sulness ad-:-e- concerning morality ana
- r-ofherhoo6 Of mankind The scene OF his
.-,s--stioa is The rural residence Of his brother
-, whom ne has been long absent and who
s,,s not recognize him That brother. welded TO
: s-,evr..at worldly minded woman. who dearly
- n;rl and who has steadfastly iabored Cor his
lssissIical advancement. is revealed as sufferer
- ..-he late reFnorse OF love" IntimaLion is
- thst many years before this cleric has neg
s-e6 the physical and spiritual welfare Of still
,osnsr brother. who had taken TO drink be-
.-,s disgrace TO the churchman's family. and.
hssnc repu6iated and -epeIled. gone to parts un-
1~av7 leaving rothe-Iess infant daughter
rat eauehter mas been adopted by the respectable
-s-sa1 and 6eiicarelv and carefully reared BY
- bv the outcast returns. desirous TO see his
.-r=- he three brethren meet under roof; and
=. necessity becomes obvious Of reconciling family
s7~ersnces and restoring domestic tranquility The
.c-o,r ish-1ent of that task is undertaken by the
r-tst-Iika brother, who has come back from India
trdsr TIE name OF Manson. and who ful1is that
ask partly by means of e rhapsodical DISCOURSE
<c4te7luz the ob6urate heart Of the outcast and
st enoe efecring his spiritual redemption. and
rsr-lv by means cf a mysterious deraeanor which
- -be part Of butler. IN English household,
--5ehr vel be expected 70 do wonders viewed d
+. rn-1-sit.ra a actual life. anywhere the fabric
& completely incredible. not to say preposterous.
Viewed as sort Of anegorz. tsending domestic
s-s-A win religious implication and consloereo
ss -re work Of didac-ic fancy IT such a facuitF
.b.-s ~ II lacks not either Coherence. or CO..
IN -rfre moral significance There Is one telling
riece Of equivoke in =. when the nutie7' 'ae Va
-sn- Hrs q respectable. pious humbus, caiieo
.bs -3ish7r q I.auca shi-e.-the latter being haH
ass< bsaF blind. and altogether ulercenaFy'
h-.e--+icsl conventional. and contenaptibly mean
engage III a conversation during Nhich 'i'7
Lancashire fraud. nistskinG lis lnteTlocu1oTs,
-e-=sls himself as 4 saCerdotal charlatan. o.
-e worst kind The ancient situation of the meet
i7r between tne vsErant father and his innocent
lovely daughter. neither Of them knowing the
cre- i effectively managed. but its antiquity mas
somewhat modified It's pathetic effect Each OK
n principal Characters seems to be intended as
ee-scrifcation Of some abstract vice or virtue
o. sr-fr5.sl condition and there is more or less
ohriaus streak Of symbolism r1eanderIug through
~. zork-z7 attribute that persons Ike and
o-5e-s ebhor. Much is said about a defective
Drain perrnesting the earth beneath both the
,f--s house and the Wears church. and II IS nnaly
made known that this drain originates IN =
sapulch-e under the church fun OF corrupted
-orpses. Blended with that odoriferous expedlert
re suggestion is remotely made that any kind OF
-sisahooa UNDERLYING q human life must neces-
sarflv corrapt that life 81 its foundations Henry
Arthur Jones noticed that tTuism in his play o.
--JEdzh''-a truis1 SO manifest as 10 deserve
TIE respect Of silence All the other lessons
of mis- piece are Of the same order. There Is
Tot one thought il Il that has not been ham
-nered into velvet cushions and sonnolent con-
gregations by all the pulpit performers that
ever assaIed Satan since preaching became
= custom As sermon M kennedys dialogue
& exer!pIs-y and should be recorded as Tespecta-
HE effort in the cause Of virtue: Forgive US our
--erasses. forgive those who trespass against
us as = play # Is exceedingly tedious-or would
he = Il we're not exceedingly well acted The
East Indian is transparentas, OF course. IN play
ne ought II be. but lis disguise would not as he
conducts himself. conceal his identity from his
relatives for half hour TIE Lancashire bishop
Is gross caricature There are clerical humbugs
-'-.j they are always downy. and the worse they
s-e -re douuier they become. The chief interest
RI The representation centres in Tyrone Powers
representation Of the w-etched father-at first half
sara-e- then reveal ling himSel- tortured with
mental and emotional conflict. and AZ last heroic
r. szif--orasresr Arthur Lewis acted the Rev.
Nakeshsfte with absolutely Photographic fidelity
. a definite ideal OF respectable, base, tricky
Eelhshnrzs TIE difficulty is in the part for. IN
s---aI -@e as a rule every jzsJtties
himself 70 himself oE some ground or other,
snd taat clergyman left himself no ground OF
self-approbation whatever Miss Edith WynnA
asttnfsoE. warmly welcomed. gave q cold, hard,
ueta-lr. lutsexible and completely unconvincing
PORTRAYAL cf woman who Is neither one thing nor
another YOU cannot have 2 good heart and a bad
r-rpos= al ~ once. sIr Walter Hampden seemed
indeed fitted 20 shine il the sacred desk. ana
~ Charles Dalton declared his sorrowful self-con-
eict in . way rend the bosom Of every sinner
within hail interesting performance now
erer ar Miss Mabel Moore. ss the niece Mary
Tse h5.e= was crcwded.-tile audience being large
3 COMPOSED q members OF the stage and OF ;he
othz- earned professions. There vas frequent and
Ez-a APPLAUSE fo- the acting The second per
ta---are= 7zT occur to-nighr- The piece is curl
ost~ L inspires = certain languid interest 10
know how -he targie VIII be Strengthened and the
scrl1z in i : generally excellent Probably Il
WI harz a carec--as something above reproacA
and li-tle Ou- cF the usual Tut-