New-York tribune., 1909-11-21
LONDON DRAMA
A Lena AshzceH Play-Mr.
Cartons Success.
London. November 10

Douglas Murray's drama at the Globe.
''The Great Mrs. Allowsy.' the calm is
prolonged through two acts The play is
a sussex idyII. with a rich widow living
in retirement. preoccupied with an ar
fectionate sons courtship at the vicar
age. shy in the presence ~ strangers IN
the village and distrustful Of men "a
traitors and rakes The widows Susssc
name is Mrs Hartland. and. apart from
wearing a ring with sinister reputs-
tion, and having stealthy. mysterious
ayab behind her. she seems an innocent
mother. unnecessarily anxious about her
sons cOnstancy 10 the Wears simple
daughter In reality she il the notorious
Mrs. AlIOway. a serpent cOuTtesan, who
has blazed through India. bounding men
20 ruin and DEATH IdOlatrOus love -
her son, who has known nothing OF her
Mrid and fambOyant past, has induced
her 10 hide herself in an English village.
and to forget. il she can. how bad d
woman she has been
II Is the old. tainted. tattered theme
which has enabled so many emotional
actresses 20 play upon the morbid sensi-
biIities of audiences II is neither a
pleasant nor an instructive play but
there Is a strong part for Miss AshweIl
when the atmosphere % mystery has
been dfspelled and her duel with Mr.
Kerr opens. He impersonates Sir
Charles Hewitt-Gore. a retired official
from India. who knows the truth about
her and is closely related 20 her sons
hancee. There is an interval of intense
{
her sons return from Sir Charles's
Miss AshwelI can make a passage OF this
sort exceedingly tense; and when az last
he dashes in and kisses her with old
time srdOr. she knows that her secret
has not been blurted out. What an out
burst Of delirious joy follows the highly
wrought restraint and enforced qufetuda
Of the agonized waiting. little time
+ has been gained; but inevitably the ac-
Cuser has to be faced with the breaking
/ up of the engagement as the price OF his
silence. and with fiery eloquence and
sweeping gestures the indignant woman
tells the story of her own wrongs and OF
a campaign Of vengeance against men
for injuries sustained from a faithless
lover. IL is as unconvincing as the
turgid pathos OF any other problem pIay
OF the same class. but the acting is pre-
eminently good. especially Miss Ash
wells as the volcanic adventures. Mr.
Kerr's cold urbanity as Sir Charles and
Mr.. Arthur Wontner's as the son-a
finished example OF natural method
There is constructive ability in this
unpleasant play. but little that is orig
l 6aFo
moment. comes Unexpectedly. and i
forced and unnatural The adventures
does not kill herself with the poisonous
gem. nor does she break down with heart
failure, nor does she retire 10 outer dark
ness with hectic flush and hacking
cough. She refuses 20 humble horssl,
before her son by telling him the truth
and destroying his peace OF mind. She
does not hesitate to throw herself a, ,hs
feet OF her prospective dauxhtsr-iu-lsv
> after confessing how shameless she has
been The Wears daughter is rno5a-,
enough 10 forgive her after promising
never 10 reveal the secret; or possiblv
she is good enough 20 be divinelv char
NaDie ana merciful. having been taught
the church catechism and the sermon o.,
the Mount from her childhood in TIE
Nicarase garden II is hardly possibls
TO reason coherently about drama OF this
sort
Mr. Cartons new play at the 81
James, Theatre, "LOrrimer Sabiston.
Dramatist." is a more brilliant and oriri-
nal work than Douglas Murray's ~4Uo-
way IL is written around the idea that
what - grea test in a man NAV irvoIvs
ms own undoing- A successful dram
atist who has made fortune bv writing
pleasant plays is fred by the ambition
or competing boldly with rivals Of an
advanced school. His PLAY il called s.Ore
Law for the Woman and ne does not
venture to produce il under his own
name He makes secret compact with
young playwright. Noel Darc,ls. 20
father the child and never 10 disclose ne
real author. The play becomes the talk
OF the town and has a phenomenal su--
cess Lady CheynIey whom the Wild
over SsbistOn adores. falls in love win
Darcus through the subtle appeal ot the
genius of the work 70 her svmpathiss
and e!opes with him 70 Paris Sabiston's
daushter's love srair is also broken I'D
by the cutspoken play. for she no longer
wishes 20 marry her betrothed. hut Is
drawn toward DarCus The cuckoo
hatched in another's nest makes trouble
for everybody, parcus himself wants %
get rid of the tie between hin1s.If AMI
Lady Cheynley. but SabistOn declines %
release him from his promise and the
authorship of the play is nc disclosed
by any unexpected device before the fall
OF the curtain. Greatness Is 3 own IN
doing. and novel thesis is most in
geniOusly carried out
Mr.. George Alexander. with beard and
German mustaches. was utterly unlike
himself as SabistOn. and versatility was
carried into pose. gesture and manner
isms. He played with Iightness OF touch
and subtlety OF charm. and vitalized the
representation with earnestness OF pur-
pose. Mr.. Tearle was less successful as
Darcus. but MIR. c. NJ. LOwne was most
delightful as the third dramatist. Rich
ard kelham- MIR. James Carew con-
verted Sir Henry Cheyniey Nj. p, into
red-faced, staggering libertine. Miss