New-York tribune., 1909-10-17

lily American, a iowerlike, high-bred American
girl. One of Mr.. Zangwirs stage directions reads:
"A touch of the exotic in her appearance" This
is the only stage direction that Miss Herne does
not follow. There is no touch of the exotic
about her She is indigenous.
There is every reason in the world why David
Quixano should fall in love with Miss Hernes
Vera. There is at all why this delicate and
delicious young Christian woman, whether she
comes from Kishinen Massachusetts. should
fall love with Mr.. Whitesides unorthodox young
jew unless it be that he plays the violin dviney,
which, with some women, would be reason
a-plenty, but not with Zangwills Vera, or Miss
Herne's. Nj. Whiteside does not give the reason.
His David is rather an uncouth fellow. His hair
is tousled. his necktie all awry his clothes i'll fit
ting, and one suspects that his finger nails are
rough and in mourning He is common looking
person Here, however the commOnness ceases
IN the appearance. But it is just here that Mr..
Zangwiu's ideal is realized His own descTip-
ton Of David is: "A sunny. handsome youth OF
the finest RussO-Jewish type" That, and the
music in him, and the poetic, dreamy soul OF him,
explain the touching of Veras heart. She, bear
in mind. is only Russian, but a Russian pa
trician. She is drawn to David before she knows
that he is Russian, and a Russian Jew
Mr. Whiteside, then has truly remarkable skill as
actor. If he cannot look the sunny. handsome
Jew that Zangwill drew, he acts IL he looked the
part He makes his Jew, and makes his audi
ence forget his dowdy plainness There is nothing
fine in the physical type thus presented but
there is a hneness Of temperament a dreamy,
poetic nature playing all through the part in the
person Of this skilful actor. And it must be said
that sunny, handsome player the
stage could make of David the enraptured vision
airy that Zangwill intended him to be, and that
Whitesides David really IS Whiteside has a voice
and knows it, and knows how to use it, And he
knows how to Sit stand and move, although he
sometimes gesticuates with the wrong arm 'as
many OF players do" Once in a while he
shows a slight tendency to be 'acty." the remnant
A.,
fore audiences less sophisticated than those of the
| Comedy Theatre. But Whiteside is a trained actor
of real power, and his work in the Zangwil play is
| admirable
Miss Herne is entitled TO share the honors with
him There Is nobody quite like her. She is lovely
IN the best Of the word: she is gentle, re-
/ fined and skilful that thinks of her art
but Of the nature she expresses, the cheerfuness
flneness and good sense. the dear womanlness
gracious, tactful ever winsome. There are many
attractive young women on the stage who would
make nothing of this part Vera, in the hands of
almost any OF them would be a pretty doll and
nothing more Miss Herne makes her a living
loving, tender, fine spirited creature without whom
the play would have little meaning. She is sweet
ness. and grace and sunniness; she has that
strange, quality called magnetism: her voice
is like the ripping Of brook in springtme; her
presence lights UP the shabby surroundings OF the
QuixanOs and the squalors Of 'the settlement"
Mr. Zangwill has chosen great theme. theme
greater than any dramatist now writing can handle
greatly. great theme. though does not of itself
make great play. whatever very impressionable
and very potent folk may think But this play and
its players are worth SEEING and worth seeing
more than once. The work Is honest work tbs
purpose is worth while and the craftsmanship is
not much excelled on the whole by any at present
exhibited in New York.
Zangwill, since he processes to think so much NJ
America, might at least have tried to draw one
American character worth while His characters
are; Three Russian Jews, one OF whom is ortho-
doX and cannot speak understand English; an
other semi-Orthodox. who speaks English ruentlv
and IS more than half Americanized: another so
unorthodox that his religion is Humanity and
America three Russian Christians, one of whom
rs orthodox 20 the swords point; and one so little
Russian that she is all American in spirit; ono
German, and Irish All these have their
good points, even the militant baron who ordered
the soldiers TO fire on the Jews at Kishineff But
there is character wholly without merit the
only American born person in the lot Quincy
Davenport. jr.. unmitigated cad and, of course
q millionaire, or a mtllionaire's heir; a native,
presumably OF old stock
Somewhere in the play is line to the effect that
the real American has not yet been produced
The crucible is not yet poured Rather an un-
happy outlook considering that small a portion
OF the melting pot is occupied hardly more than
the bottom Of it, so that while there are ships
maritime and aerial, the ingredients must con-
tinue 20 be thrown In, and no product can be
drawn for hundreds Of years. Meanwhile
=. Zangwil has begun his process ana blows air
into the glowing mass. Still, he might have
brought into the play an American with an ideal
But he has left all the ideals 20 the immigrants
His only native is a poor specimen Of white trash
1t might be permissible to ask IL David. with his
ideals Of an idealized America in 1863, ever heard
OF poor white trash" the black problem, or
1.-THE yellow peril" a hundred other clouds over
this heaven whose gateway is Ellis Islsnd-"the
pride and prejudice the traditions and supersti-
tiOns, the fasts and feasts the things sordid that
must go into the cFucible' here as elsewhere,
and are yet far from feeling the heat OF those
imagined fires OF love- that melted him.
What David actually found not Americas
M. tl,if.-