Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-18

N OR three acts last night at the
Relasco we sympat-.ized with Il
n husband brought to the brink of
bankruptcy by his wifes ungovernable
extravaganza. Then. with the unex-
pectedness of a bolt from the blue, the
playwright forfeited our sympathy. and
that by the only really dramatic situ-
alton in his play. To repair her mis-
chief the wife has borrowed $4,000
from a man about town. 1t is an act
of criminal folly rather than fatthless
intent. This is proved by the childish
way in which she attempts to deceive
her husband as to the source from
which she obtained the loan. Her
every subterfuge is shattered, and at
last the husband knows the truth, but
suspects there is more hidden from
him. To test his fears, he bids her
summon the man who has lent her the
money to her room, telling him she is
alone. In tears and with protests, she
Obeys.
Then ensues a scene of utter and use
less brutality From the sneering lips
of the other man the husband learns
that his wife has spoken the truth, and
with the assurance receives some
gratuitously insulting advice as to his
future conduct The husband let's the
other 60 at the end of the conference,
and after a scene of fearful pleading
forgives his wife and they start anew.
1t is a sincere and a thoughtful play,
tremendously and Interestingly talky
Porter Emerson Brown wrote 1t ana
called it first waste then me
Spendthrift." Under the latter name
tbe Belasco stock company accorded
it its first production on any stage
and an excellent one. That 1t fails TO
convince one at the very point where
conviction is essential, is no fault or
theirs. Nor is it the fault of the play
u-right's idea. which is that of the
reckless extravaganza of the Amerl-
can woman. With the poison OF TINS
prodigality every one who meets lle
wife of Richard Ward is subtly sat
urated 1t brings the husband Iace 70
face with ruin and the wife herseu
,,eri1ousIv near to dishonor. 1t is a
vital theme. the sort of thing people
tax about as they leave the playhouse
and 60 home to discuss with thelr
like the defeat of Lily Bart in 'Ihe
House of AIirth," the waste OF fFauee9
ward is the defect of her generosity,
and this it is which gives the .s MS
three acts, for all their clever lhclueIi- ll7II
tai comedy the color and cast Oh gen,
uine tragedy. We see the "oli''til
etrugoling. feebly. but very really TO
c-,,os7, the truth of her situation, ana
then relentlessly succumbing 10 Llle
false and momentary glamor OIL heI
precarious social position. 49,.
For a play almost devoid Oh STU" t,,1I,7
+ions in the customary sense, nc
Snendthrift" maintains the interest
s,irprisingly we'll. Its beginning Is eX-
ceedinrlv weak. The early converse
+ion fails to disclose in any way tne
tru. motif of the plot, when we are
left for some time to shreWdly lHLeI
from the title. But the second and the
third acts full of repetitions and sim
nile domestic details as they are are
Vet Thoroughly human. In the hands
Of Lewis 5. Stone and Miss Ihals Ma
crane the crisis of mans deallhss
With the woman he has loved, not
foo well but too unwisely, is MADE TO
seem a real and vital thing. Applause
came last night in the midst oil the
most ordinary conversation. Inc reai
action was subjective-in the mlnds ol
the audience. ,,o.,,,+
written is fatal to our sympathies,
if NOT our interest. That the husband
should and must be his wife's Judge
none will deny. But that he should
vyantonlv permit her to listen to the
language of her own disgracefuI eX-
oneration from the lips of the man
who himself scornfully declares her
merely a fool, and not faithless-tnis
is too much. And then to allow lils
man to heap insult upon INJURY WIN
no move OF resistance, TINS is ven
scarce which is too fiendish and too
tbeatrically studied to bear the test
of either Justice or manly decency. IN
stantlv we begin to pity the VIE, ana
this is fatal to the scheme of the play
wright. which is obviously to monopo-
lie that emotion for the husband.
In the supporting cast Mr.. Yerance
and Mr.. Vivian do their usual excel
lent work, and Mr.. Scott is a sleek ana
purring gentleman rake. MISS ray
lor is gradually overcoming her early
mannerisms of voice and gesture anu
is easily the most tastefully dressed
Young woman on the local stage. Miss
Lewis adds an excellent impersonation
to her long list as the old aunt who
lend the heroine much of the money
which she squanders. Mr.. Giblyn and
Miss Gardner assume the smaller roles
Owing to the illness of Charles J.
lie Moyne, the Walker theater will be
dark until Saturday night, when Lee
Willard and his company will begin
a weeks engagement in THE Country
Squire"
Rehearsals will begin this morning
for "The Wizard of the Nile" which
the Hartman company will revive at
the Grand, following Woodland
The new Los Angeles bill, headed
bv CarIotta and the Sydney Deane
L mpany. will be reviewed in tomor-
rows Herald.
"Vasta Herne" the new play by
Edward Peple in which Mrs. Leslie
Carter will begin a weeks Mason en-
gagement next Monday night is the
first modern drama in which this ac-
tress has appeared since she became
a star.