The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-12-22
Kennedy's Great Play Still
in Favor With Capital
Audience.
HISTORY OF DRAMA
STORY OF SUCCESS
Crowd That Greets Second Appear
ance Breaks All Records for
Christmas Week.

An appreciative. an almost reverentiaI,
gathering of Washington theatergoers
and a large number OF those who fire.
quent the theater but little united to
/ pay a splendid tribute to 1.-The Serv-
ant Of the House." at the National last
evening.
! Few plays. barring the classics, GER
tainly none Of recent years, are so we'll
, known. To review the play again would
! be needless repetition and little can be
added to the praise which greeted its
| first appearance in this city or the ac-
claim accorded by blase Gotham critics.
It's history is unique. Little interest
was attached 10 its coming last March
save that centered about the associate
player Of Henry Miller. After the first
I performance critics were dazed. The
| earlier verdicts were curiousIy reserved.
Each felt that the new play was out
] Of the ordinary, but feared that it's APP
/ peal had been but personal, that he
4 had been led astray by overweight
enthusiasm. Each hesitated TO voice
1 his Impressions In othe. words. it was
( 100 good TO be true Before the end Of
the week the play came into its own.
Whether it is The play Of the century
/ time alone can tell. That il is an epoch
making production has already been
| established beyond the shadow OF a
doubt
Play of Paradoxes.
II is a play Of paradoxes. II teaches
! a lesson with telling force while It holds
the attention with tremendous grip. A
play with q purpose, or a moral, II you
will; nowhere is the slSiIlful unrol'ing OF
The plot sacrificed 10 preachment- Its
! adherence to accepted rules Of the
drama is as rigid as its stern conformity
/ with the classic unities OF time, place,
, and action.
1t was no easy task this or creating
play which mas been read as we'll
as heard which is likely to take its
place in dramatic literature as well
as scoring a popular success, which
/ is primarily q play Of types, almost an
allegory, but has an intense human in
terest. which teaches, but never preach
! eS or rants or SCOldS. Attempts at each
/ Of these combinations has met with alb
| jet failure Mr.. keunedy's mastery or
/ all of them marks phenomenal al
most a unique, achievement.
| Teaches Old Lesosn.
Powerful plays have been written TO
/ assai institutions or TO exploit new
! Creeds. This does neither. It is aimed
, at abuses Of the church. but It makes
I
lgion Of Christian charity and brother
hood In the originality which Cloaks
this old lesson, in the brilliancy OF the
I lines which develop mas, erful plot,
/ I'm the sustained action which unfOlds
/ situations with kaleidoscope rapidly
( lies its power and its charm.
All this has been brought out and
! realized since the play startled Wash
/ ington critics.
Back Of the play IS a cast scarcely
/ less remarkable than II play. 1t is diff
/ hcuIt 10 imagine that the lines could be
/ Interpreted with more understanding
/ than by these actors. whose work was
/ all that was needed to crown the play
| with success. Tyrone Power, Arthur
/ Lewis. Miss Edith Wynne MatthiSOn,
and Walter Hampton were received |
with open arms last evening and their
welcome amounted 70 an ovation
Tribute TO Miss Moore.
More finished, II possible. than las1
year was the work Of Miss Mable Moore
as Mary. niece Of Vicar Smythe Her
/ part is one Of rare possibilities that
call for display of ability apt TO be
/ overlooked
Another feature which has been al
most entirely neglected is the touch OF
humor afforded by Rogers. the page
! boy. The introduction OF this element
| IS tic one marked change made since
the earlier performances Humor OF a
rare and delightful kind is injected into
this part by Ben Field and the innova-
ton proved Just what was needed 10
relieve the srimness-
But a Single Flaw.
To pick flaws in any part OF this pro-
ductiOn is a thankless task. Frank
Mills, playing the Rev. William Smythe.
calls forth the only adverse criticism.
While Mr. Mills measures up TO the
roe in every respect he showed a tend
cncy to relax so completely, when not
! speaking that he detracted from the
| effectiveness Of the stage picture. Byi
| standing in careless attitudes with a
seeming lack Of interest in the pro-
/ gress of events around him ne sned, al
most as effectively as if he had re-
moved his makeup, the Illus. on that
| he was a rector.
other than this 1t would be hard for
/ the most captiOus to pick q flaw in his
/ splendid drama. Its coming at this tina
/ is peculiarly appropriate. as L hreathes
I the true spirit Of Christmas, and from
indications last evening 1t promises 20
draW houses which will be a revelat ION
/ TO The management for whom Christ
/ mas week generally means a financial
I loss