Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-21

NIL have been Maclyn Arhuckle in 'lhe
o,d Town. and Montgomery and Stone
in The Circus Man" The play at the
Columbia was stronger A picture OF
life in an unprogresSive hamlet than III
its revelations of life in the sawdust CIR
clos of the tented arena. The 'id
Town. on the other hand. was more re-
markable for the acrobatic feats OF fred
Stone amid suggestions of circus hard
SIMS than for any pictures or quaint
rusticity such as its title gave reason to
expect.
OF course there is no knowing what
has happened to the manuscript OF fhe
Old Town in the course of construction.
As interpreted it has little of the charac-
teristic AIDE quality. excepting the slang.
which. though serving to introduce the
Indiana writer to notice. was long since
forced to the background by his Keen
ness of character study and his gift OF
bestowinG humorous significance on COM
monpIace incidents. The former Mont
sonery and Stone piece. The Red Mil.
had the benefit of music in Victor Her
bert's most alurinC vein. MI LuderS
has not equaIed the score OF The Red
Mill" nor does the book supply the ele-
ment of substantial merit when must
exist somewhere even in a production of
the fimsiest pretensions. if the pubic Is
TO take il to its heart. Cumbersome
rhythms not redeemed or enilvened
by meiodic originality, and the marvel
Gus athletic versatility of company and
chorus provides the principal suspense
that the plot can boast. There Is eHhli-
aration in guessing what Fred stone VIII
do next And when the answer comes IL
is always amusing and clever when
Mr. Stone secs anything that interests
him nc evidently goes to work and prac-
tees until he can add 1T TO MS hst OF
physical accomplishments Not content
with being Il comic dancer de luxe, ne
blossoms forth tight-rope performer
of no scsnt pretens;onS, and after that
as a really marvellous manipulation of the
Iasso.
How far the stage manager, that auto
Graf whose mistakes are habitlialiy shoul-
dered by others. may have warped the
original structure in order to accorno-
datt, IT 10 the special abilities of the stars
cannot be measured. Sure it is that there
is a buried treasure somewhere in the
pot still awaiting discovery. How Ear
Montgomery and Stone may have insisted
on readjustment in order TO let action
take the place OF ideas is not calculahle
duly authorized signature guaranteed
George AIDE piece, the Indiana writer
should bethink him of the fate of Kip
ling and beware the dangers which po-
litical ambitions invariably threaten a
literary career.
Maclyn Arbuckle is one of the actors
whose abilities are distinctly worthy of
a good play. and there is ground for hop
ing that THE Circus Man will be IT
in capitals-because a good play with Ar
buckle in the star part will be an artistic
triumph and a. public delight. In spite of
the homely types he elects to portray
and il must be confessed that he has
neither the face the figure for a
romantic hero-there is in his every per
formance a personal magnetism coupled
with fine intelligence in reading. His por-
traitures true to humanity-convinc-
ing in sentiment as well as in comedy
The Circus Man has In 1t a wealth
OF attractive material rather diffusely
handled. The first act is talkative, and
the subordinate roles. with the exception
of the peace-makng brother and the
hard-hsted money lender, are not vitalized
into sympathetic importance either by the
manner of developing the story nor by
the actors interpretations. The basis of
the story is none the less a strikingly
original and picturesque situation, and
even in it's present shape the productions
attractions outnumber its flaws.
\ play of genuine dramatic value was
presented in For Better, For Worse"
The appreciation shown in nowise
commensurate with its merits Plays
10.
mediate recognition for briliancy of dia-
logue alone which did not possess nearly
the epigrammatic sparkle of this second
of Cleveland Moffett's contributions to
the stage. And plays of far less emo
tional strength have been welcomed be-
cause of their opportunities for the dis
play of players talents. Carlotta Mil
son has most favorable role in that of
the sensitive, retrospective woman whose
LIE becomes the battle-ground of con-
hlctlng conceptions OF duty and morality
1t Is doubtful whether any other actress
III america could give natural and
satisfying a portrayal of a role involving
such delicate psychological complexities
PHIlANDER JOHNSON
GREAT FIGHTS AND FIGHTERS ON
THE STAGE-Since the days of William
Shakespeare the art of self-defense has
always been one OF the most thrilling
attributes or the stage His many vivid
figures. such as Hamlet. Macbeth. Ro
rneo. Richard III. Bolingbroke, Aumale.
iiotsp!r and Prince Hal, stand out most
prominently i'll this category as masters
OF self-defense. and their battles for 81,
premacy are quickly recalled
The nineteenth century abounds i,
sreat stage fights and fighters Among
the foremost the sword fighters in
Henry Irving's production of Ben Wen
ster's The Dead Heart Dumas The
Faust" In the dramatzation OF Sir
Walter SCOTS heroes Rhoderick Dhu and
Douglas are pre-eminent. Lord Iytton's
hero. Claude Melnotte." in THE Lady
of Lyons" and Dumas D'Artagnon NAV
he classed together.
The late Dion Boucicault's Irish heroes
i'll The Colleen Bawn'' and The Shaugh-
ran were both fighters: one readily re-
ralls the battle between Danny Mann"
and s-Na-Copaleen'' and the reck-
"ning of shaun and Michael Feeney''
these were fstic encounters. In the
Two Orphans there is dirk combat be-
tween Pierre and Jacques" In The
Wages of Sin. THE Bankers Ven
geance'' and 1.-The Curse of DRINK the
lights between hero and villain are recol-
ected as thrilling. Way Down East,
boasts of spectacular fight between
"LennoX Sanderson'' and David" and
Dat.