The Washington times., 1909-03-09
Plot SwayS Under Heavy
Accumulation of Di-
verse Motives.
MERIT AND DEFECT
IN STRANGE BLEND
The Unbroken Road" Bears
Stamp of Genius Handicapped
by Poor Craftsmanship.

Lincoln Stenens' shame Of the Cities
and Maurice AIaeterlirck's Norma Van
ma" are far apart. Yet they are brought
together at the Belasco this week in
the new play by Thomas Dickinson.
The Unbroken Road" acted by Bertha
Kalich and a Harrison Grey Fiske COM
pany. The result is a performance OF
varied and occasionally intense interest.
uneven. at times sagging, and chiefly
remarkable for brilliant impersonati6ns
by the fereign-born star in the part Of
an American in the making, and bv
Eugene OTmOnde, an American, in the
part of a foreigner graphing for now
er ia our politics
Either of these two reaIizations of
new personality would arouse interest
IN any play. Either of them. in a dra-
matte composition as stir as Brownins's
I'm a Balcony" would be a sensation.
Yet so curiously are merit and defect
interviewer by this new playwright in
The Unbrol6en Road that it is doubt
1ul this morning If both together can
obtain anything more than moderate
attention or achieve anything above
middle success.
Confused Impression.
The difficulty is that this study of
politics and sentiment dismisses its
audiences in a mood OF unrest, due 10
such a piling on Of motive and counter
motive that the mind gropes to under
stand the course Of events while the
heart shudders at the struggle of a sort
or immigrant Hester Prynne against
barriers set up by figures in the play
intentionally like too many of us in
the parquet. The fight is four-sided
one OF me figures is a young governor,
calloused by machine politics, but
quickened by the plight of a former
pupil in a country school whose life has
been wrecked by the son of the Gov
eTnor's Boss Another figure Is the
Boss, whose influence has cast the
young woman into jail to get her out
Of the way. A third is an Italian.
born leader, thrilled with a new sense Of
power, torrentially in love with the
young sufferer, and altogether without
ideals as TO the indulgence of hts love
The last is the woman herself. whose
life is an immoral Blithedale romance
atrsmble with aspirations above her
training. willful, imaginative, her one
tenet of ethics being that she must plav
lair no matter at what cost. a little for
e1gn In accent and bearing. and fairly
pungent in her impotent resentment.
Here are four strong characters. With
the exception Of the Governor. thew are
clearly drawn. Without the turmoil of
party convention, the by-play OF rue
lions IN The charity organizations OF a
capital In the middle West, such strain
1ngs or credulity as the ASSUMPTION that
a governor would not know tho whole
story Of a child labor bill before Il
reached his desk, these characters are
IN themselves enough for a plav. They
could hardly be brought together in
lie without providing material for a
dozen dramas. But under the condi-
tons imposed upon them bv this nla,-.
wright, Frederick TruesdeU. Thomas 7
Coleman, Mr.. Ormonde and Nine. Ks-
Itch can only make a few scattered
minutes thrilling ard the remaindar NJ
two hours and a b If a period of CON
fused strain.
Has Difficult Task.
In the course Of the five scenes Of
the play, the star must convey the
shadow Of jail-life. the hope OF new
found freedom. the auurement Of The
trumpet, and the exhaustion of
woman brought face to face with The
hardest bargain masculine cruelty can
drive. It as all done exceptionally wei.
The natural curiosity 10 see this for
elgner yivify the role Of an American.
perhaps one Of foreign born parentage.
but nevertheless an American. IS
aoandantly gratiied II not the eot;aI
OF Mrs. Fiske and Nazimova. she vet
belongs in that high class over this
wide range OF emotion she DIavs con
ndently ana effectively, and an the ON
pre- gowns and GOdey's Ladv-rloCly
heedoresses in last nights rather NOT
able audience could hardly have eb,,+
out the wireless current Of s,-rnrs+b ,-
winch this woman sent-now IN even
waves and nov in fashes-tO ALI her
EisterhoOd.
OF quite as great an interest WIS tho
acting Of the Italian leader nv Nr or
inonde- Here IS an achievement ina the
creation OF new Self as cOnDlete q <
Any WAIcn recent seasons have offered.
j ne actor is competent in vaaf are
called parlCr parts Ia such rg9es he
was Known 10 hair those present an tho
Belasco last night Yet there was nor
:, al loiit OF me voice, a change
or couhtenance, 10 suggest The OrmOndc
#lo once acted here in stock
j ais must not be taken as judfratipr,
10y ahoJner ALBERT Chevalier achieve
mem IN photography FOR the stage. g,bo
character az Mr. Ounonde's hands baS
pO"ef-Honderful power II There ,-o,l
scene or IKE opportunity the inner
solatlon must almost inevitably ar6Usa
Ire. Juror which followed M Me-
Deld 6 acting OF Baron CIevr[sl vyba[o
ever II vas shown. As in is NJ o.
monde has achieved so brilliant "a s,,,. !
cess that If ne can duplicate f. 60,
Stage may count itself the richer la, al /
actor justified to undertake The JJ,S o. /
roles or Mr. Irving and Mr. Mansfield
Play Well Staged.
In ali its other respects. the ,ro5uo
ZION Is what might have been exnacfa5 /
or Mr. Fiskc. The scenes are attrar-
lively builded and naturally Furnished /
Mr. Truesdeil and Mr. Coleman act The /
governor and the Boss acceDtab1,, ana
interesting contributions OF c6r,eJ,- /
come from E-orine Arnold. RILEY, Cba,--1 /
berlin, and June COHgTeVe The srepa I
OUTSIDE the convention brings 10 fbe I
stage group or political worlcers'' /
VINO speak ana act as though theV bgd \
stepped bodily from the covers ~ M
In the Arena AZ ali \
points, the production reveals siure ~ \
artistic fOrethOught. "a
But these are not considerations which,
supply performance with univ md
comDaetness They cannot clarIfv mo
tlVes. Ihey cannot give comfort to ne
carried away from the theater. These
are The lacks Of THE Unbroken Road -
and there Is something Of resentment T.,
the playgoers mind as he considers bo,,,
Hftrr 81.