The Washington herald., 1909-01-12
THE BELASCo.
..The Easiest May.p


and Mr. Walter were the recipients.
All during the playa play that moved
the audience eas1ys1O laughter and 10
tears-there was much applause, but al
the end OF the third act the applause was
unusual. After the act, and the members
OF the company-there are only six in
all-had been applauded, there were
eight or nine curtain calls for Miss starr
alone, and afterward Miss Starr had to
bring out the author 10 make his bow,
and finally had 10 lead on Mr. Belasco.
the god from out of the machine" who
could only bow his thanks and murmur.
with every sign OF heartfelt apprecia-
ton, as ne pointed TO where Miss Starr
stood in the wings. I an proud Of
this little woman"
There can be no possible doubt-to
sum the whole matter up in a nutshell
that in "The Easiest Way" Ny. Eugene
Walter has scored another success. If
Mr.. Bernard Shaw had written the play
X would certainly fall under the cate
cory Of unpleasant plays, according
10 the way he divides them; not meaning
that the play Is not a fine entertainment.
q strong stimulus 10 thought, a vivid
picture, but merely that il deals with IN
pleasant people. unpleasant thoughts,
and an unpleasant theme. but, as 10 one
seeing il can deny that II is wonderfully
true 10 the sOTJ OF life il depicts. II is
only unpleasant as certain phases Of
actual life are unpleasant
The story OF the play is not strikingly
unusual 10 those who know. but we
imagine that il may seem strange and
Ern-rr Ifrffn or The
underworld, save by hearsay and by
hints Il opens at a ranch house in Col
Orad0 Here IS living Laura MurdOck, a
young girl, but girl with a history She
is one Of LIES unfortunates that seem,
by some strange perversity OF fate and
some perversity within herself, 10 be fore
doomed 10 evil. Married as a child in san
Francisco her husband has committed sui
eide. With leanings toward the stage she
has not had the courage, nor, perhaps, the
ability TO fight the battle upward on
It's merits but has used her beauty Of
face and figure, her grace, her youth, her
charms TO help her. At the time the play
opens Laura has been spending the sum
Esr in Colorado as the guest Of Willard
BrOcktOn. a rich broker, who has been hsr
protector for some time. he comes out
from New York TO see her, only 70 md
that she has met and fallen IN love with
John Madison a young newspaper man
Of Denver. who. knowing her past, IS
yet willing 10 marry her. Madison and
Brock1On meet. and though no love IS lost
between them, they manage 10 preserve
the deCencies Of discourse. Brockton, with
an evil knowledge OF women in general,
Is quite sure that Laura can not play
square; cannot, in word, endure the
poverty and hardship that must ensue be
sufficient
on which 10 marry. With the understand
Ing that If ever Laura gets tired OF starv-
ing and wants 10 come back to him she
viii let Madison know. he sees her depart
for the East.
The second act finds Laura MurdOck
IN the second-stOry hack Of cheap
boarding house in New York She is
poor; has sold all she had TO sell; IS in
arrears for her board. and is in danger
Of being thrown out Still. she has been
true to the memory and the love OF
Madison for some months. To her comes
p friend. a former actress-chUm, now
richly dressed and cynicaIly, even boldly.
declaring that she has a protector, that
Laura could have one if she would, and
asking what in the world is the use Of
her starving here in a garrett Laura is
literally starving, but she has IL in her
heart that she Is striving to be virtUOUs,
end vet before Elfe St Clair goes. Laura
tries 20 borrow money from her This
Is one Of the strong scenes of the play
because -Elfe. with direct common sense,
cannot quite see hcv L can be virtue 20
live on money secured as Laura must
know that EIfie secures hers. and yet, Is
not willing 70 pay the price herself The
end OF the act sees Laura suCCUmb-the
horror Of poverty has eaten into her soul
and she goes back 70 Willard BTOckton
and luxury. The third act finds her
established in an expensive hotel She
has promised to send q letter 70 Madison
telling him what she has done, but she
Is 10 weak 20 do this and all the tine
that she is having q riot OF living, poor
Madison, out West, believing that she is
still true 10 him, IS fighting TO get 10 her
side At last he strikes it rich and (
- comes on 10 New York Laura has 10
tel BrOckton that the other man is
coming. though at first she lies 10 him !
about IL and BrOckton Is furious at her
for making him seem a liar in the eyes Of !
the other man. He swears he viii tell I
him. Madison comes on. There seems
Just a chance that Laura viii get away
with her lie. and viii be married and I
out Of New York before the catastrophe I
happens. but the two men meet. the 4
whole miserable truth comes out, and 4
Laura IS left by both Of them
She threatens 10 commit suicide, but 1
she is too weak-natured even for this, /
and the end of the play finds her, dressing |
IN her prettiest and richest clothes /
bought with BrOckton's money. I'm go
ing TO RectOr's to make a hit" she saws.
OF course in a way. that is not the
ending OF the real play For the Laura 4
that stands there is still pretty and /
youthful, and much Of life Is stil be- i
fore her, but the author has made YOU
feel that this girl is but a child OF her
emotions; she has no stability, no force 4
Of character; she is a creature Of cir
cumstance and the end for such is -
As saw the play last night there were
some lines ran through my head. lines /
by Mrs. Browning in poem called The
Mask"
But in your bitter wo-ld. she said
Fsce-j0y's costly mask 70 wear
Tis bought with pangs long n0urished.
And rounded 20 despair.
C-isfs earnest makes lies play. she said
Te weep for those that weep. she said;
Al fools bid yCu TaSs them by
Go weep fer those whose hearts have bed
What time their eyes were dry.
Won saddsr can say. She said.
For the character Of Laura MurdOck. /
which for Miss Frances Starr IS q perfect (
triumph in its playing. Is that Of a little,
lmpuisive- sweet animal who has never
realized right from wrong II is for her
10 be happy and she is SO ignorant Of 4
her own soul, her own capabilities that
she knows Of no happiness that is not
animal-thaJ is not represented by silk
dresses, cafes, and cabs. or the happi-
ness known through virtue she is quite
tCn0THDr-Chn and thu rT-r1v-rnr, rF hnv oT.sc
toe large class. unfortunately. Of
which she IS living type. she is not
positively bad. only negatively bad. Il
!. M ~. ILL = !