The Washington herald., 1909-01-05
THE BELASCO.
"a Grand Army Man.

cIared that, contrary 70 general &C
cepted opinion. laughter is an evidence
OF grief, and tears pre-eminently a sign
Of enjoyment too intense to be expressed
In any other way. If one has doubted
this and counted it a paradox, he need
only go 10 the Beiasco Theater and see
David Warfield in "a Crane Army Man, ''
to be convinced that Mr.. Shaw's dictum
has more truth than smartness IN il.
/ Washington audiences are proverbially
slow to move when it comes TO a ques-
ton Of stirring the deeps Of emotion, but
last night the audience. which was bril-
liant in quality and in capacity. tested
the seating capabilities OF the theater,
was so enthusiastic that no one could
have believed this. No play. nor any
star that has visited any Washington
/ theater within the space Of the last two
years. has ever been greeted with the
hearty. spontaneous applause that
marked the close Of the second act OF
"A Grand Army Man" And when at
last. after about fifteen curtain calls. the
lights were thrown on. they disclosed an
/ audience huttering with handkerchiefs.
and eyes that glistened with tears
/ To come fresh from the spell that such
an actor and such a play cast upon one
and 10 Try 10 set down why It is that the
/ very springs Of ones emotions seem TO be
touched. IS a task that might appalI any
/ reviewer. There are times. thank heaven.
even in this day and age Of meretricioUs
/ productions made for box Office purposes.
when a critic may beg permission to va
cate. for the nonce. the critical chair,
and 90 join with the general chorus OF
gratitude for the good provided by the
artistic gods
/ If there is one predominant reason why
/ this play so moves the heart. so grips
I the emotions. stirs the soul. and wins
the tribute OF honest tears, II Is. I should
say. because OF its truth 10 humanity; be-
cause IL shadows forth. as the stage at
( its best should always do. the touch OF
divinity that Is ln man, il points the road
( which all ~ US 50 faiu would follow
/ And the tears IL calls forth ara happy
/ tears AZ the fine presentation Of the sub
I lime heights 10 which human kindness
may attain
I The play is credited % three authors
David BeIascO. Pauline Phelps. and
Marion short. but all through it Il has
! the Belasco touch. il would be hard 10
/ say that there IS anything strikinEly orig
inal in the story. in its theme. or In its
{ treatue u Is an old st0ry-thc story
! Of love and sacrifice presented IN a new
way C1e is constantly impressed by two
I things IN itS FreSsnt2tjon--its fine finish
aud SIS splendid acting
/ The story is simplicity -tsaif It's s1Cne
i is a County-seat town in Indiana. and
there lives Wes' BiEeiow. a =. a. t. vete-
/ ran and commander Of the local q. 4. r.
! post. lie is an old bachelor. living alone
with hOusekeeper. and both Of them love
+ the son OF the house-Robert. Only be IS
not Wes' son He is the son Of the
woman that WeS as @ young man loved,
/ the son Of the man Wu1 beat WCs 10 her.
ard who died AT the battl- Of Five Forks.
( Dear old IVES has brought ire boy Up,
/ ..the smartest boy n I0Wn, SIR they be-
/ lieve him a genius and on tDc whole, the
. lad IS a good. wholesome lad. as how
( could De help but be. surrounded IS ne
I is by such an atmosphere OF love and de-
v0tIon But when the =. A p post de-
cidas that K has 200 much money on
/ hand IN the treasury & sends Robert
I 20 the next town 20 deposit the surplus
/ # SIsu. and the lad. who has become
/ impatient under restraint meets with a
/ sharper who Induces him 70 invest The
/ cash in q bucket-shop and the money IS
I lost.
The next night the loss is discovered.
! Robert is accused OF being a thief, and
he has 10 confess TO his father. Wes
and the rest Of his veteran comrades try
their best TO save the boy Wes scrapes
+ the money together to make restitution,
z though he has 20 sacrifice all he has,
but il is OF no avail. Robert Is sent 10
I the prison al Michigan City. The boy ls
/ pardoned on New Years Eve which IS
I the last act Of the play. and comes back
I home and Wes who should CITY with
/ jov at the sight OF the returning prod
/ igaI. laughs with tears n his voice and
| goes out, leaving the lad IN the arms Of
/ the girl who has waited for his release
/ Simple enough, isn't it2 And yet in the
/ telling Of this simple story the whole
gamUt Of emotions Is run from sheer
( happiness and delight 20 the bitteresI
sorrow and shame that borders close
upon tragedy. II is not only the telling
/ Of the story, it IS the way Il IS done
one would Ike 10 commend every in
/ dividual member Of the company, Tor
] Mr. ReIssco has seen that not even the
I slightest biUndev IN acting shall mar the
/ beauties Of this play. but there would
be little use Even the smallest char
acter that appears on the stage IS clear
cut. distinct. and honestly representative
OF a type that no one who has ever
known an Indiana County-seat town
could mistake And this 5 no little
thing. either. for the line between true
representation Of the sterling men that
are the backbone Of such States as In
diana and the comedy burles4ua 'Tubes
that are so often presented through
/ ignorance, needs the skill OF an artist 10
draw
And above all. # "a Grand Army M2n''
stfrs audiences as it does, II II moves 10
daughter and tears and TO such applause
as is seldom heard in any theater now
adays, those facts are due 10 the unique
talent and splendid acting Of Mr- War
field. Here is an artist TO his finger-ups-
Voice, face, gesticUlation; the glance OF
the eve-aU these are potent tools which
he has learned to use with rare and
artistic discretion. There IS no man on
the American stage to-day WHO can so
subtIv portray deep emotich, nor is there
sameness about il, for at times the erect
4 is gained by a tremendous cry, like that
Of wounded animal; at others by
gentIeness Of voice that is as simple as
childS
His best acting-for IL Is his best chance
Of acting-comes at the end Of the second
act. When. the accusation is made about
his boy. dear old IVES laughs at it, but
when the boys comes and cannot deny
il. the soul Of the man is racked with the
direst agonies Of doubt At one moment
he would love him in spite OF his crime;
at the next he would throttle him. And
all the time he makes you remember that
this boy. the> very core Of his heart. is
the son Cf the woman he had loved and
lost-that il IS that dead love that looks
at him from the lads eyes suffused with
~. laa IL q