The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-10-04
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| the demands, she reaches the:s, ingulfs
them, makes them her own and even in
the most poignant scene. ire scene in
which she describes her escape fro', the
man who would have ruined her-the
man she had to murder-she carried her
audience. with her. daring and even
shocking as the scene is. A wonderful
artist she is. in very truth
Almost as strong part as that of Miss
Halls is that OF Mr.. Orrin Johnsons.
who is always fine, manly player, but
who has seldom, II ever. had part that
allowed him so fully TO grasp the range
OF his possibilities. II is not light task
for a modern man in tailored garments
10 express emotions so deep as to APP
proximate those OF classic tragedy, but
this player does it and does it with fine
CONTINGENCIES. 1t was great acting.
Another great part is that played by
Mary Shaw. 1t is the part OF woman
OF the underworld, a second Mrs. War
rem. such as Bernard Shaw drew. Utter
ly vile and vicious as the character is.
without one fair line or redeeming trait.
Mary Shaw drew the character 10 the
life. nothing extenuating. Her drunken
scene in the last act was so close 10
actually as 10 be disgusting, nauseating.
Frank Craven as Chris Mcknight did
very we'll He was for long time with
the Columbia Stock Company. and is well
remembered here. He did some clever
work. And so, too. did Mortimer Wei
den as wendall, though he appeared only
in the FIRST act
I shall not go into the story OF the
play-it is TOO sordid and wretched. 1t
IS not an impossible story. but 1t is
wretehed one-the same sort OF a story
that comes out in police records. and.
except in the worst type of journals.
does not get into the columns OF the
newspapers. II is a story or sin and
shame and punishment. but II II teaches
a moral IL is clumsily drawn; for if the
wretched mother sinned and went from
sin TO the gutter, so. too. did the father
sin equally. yet. BY the grace OF the dram
atist, ne Is allowed 10 go from sin to-
reward MI HurIbut has written some
finely strong lines and some very bad
ones. In the first act orrin johnson
has a speech 10 his illegitimate soma
speech designed 10 warn him that life
the only life the son knows about-is not
bound with cafes. not habited with roues
and evil women. It IS bit curious that
Mr.. Hurlbut has not thought to apply
the moral of that speech 10 his own play.
''You know the scum that gathers stagnant
wonderfully beautiful IN color. irdescent hke
a peacock's tail But poisonous as beautiful
that's the life you're seeing round you now-wen-
dell. In the theaters. the limousines-the restau'
nnts-beaUtiful and putrd. But what YOU don't See
is the clear strong -ourushing current Of life out IN
mids,ream- the filth comes into it-but the strength
of the current sweeps u aside into the backwaters-
and 50 down with the muck AT the botton-aHd
TIE Charlie DuFeens that's all they know. The
backwater-with the beautiful scum, OF the out and
out muck az the bottom. They don't even know the
current Is there. must be there IN order 10 make
the backwater flowing since the world began-re-
sstless strong and pIre-le because of alive. They
don't know that the Charlie Duveens, but / want
sou 20. ny boy-I want you to-
The play can be improved, that is GER
tain. To convey the ideas that are sought
TO be conveyed Il Is not necessary for so
many swear words: they are dragged in
by the heels at every possible opportunity
surely an audience may be allowed to
have imagination.
VIII such play succeed? II is indeed.
in this day OF changing tendencies and
free thought, hard 10 determine. One
would like to think that IL would MOTTO
believe that the intelligence Of the public
is sound enough TO recognize the mere
triciousness beneath the strength; 10 mark
how the canOns OF art are violated;
morals warped 10 Ill uses. We have no
censor but the intelligence. the fine feel
ing, the thoughtfulness of the people
with whom rests the verdict
HECTOR FULLER.