Los Angeles herald., 1910-10-17
ETERNAL THREE LOSES
IDEAL LOVE IN REALITY
EIdridge and HeustiS' New Play
Shows Strong Elements of
Success in It's Premiere
ny SHIRLEY OLYMPUS

Burbank theater yesterday, have IDEAL
ized love with the inevitable result.
The ideal is lost in the real. One gets
from the awakening, which Is delayed
until the very last moment, picture
of triumphant womanhood, rather than
any lesson in sociology.
1.-THE Eternal Three" will live. There
are elements in 1t which will carry 1t
to success. One of thees elements is
that the story of the play is interest
ing from beginning to end, although
there are times when the introduction
of low comedy halts the action In any
thing but a pleasing manner. Another
element which the play has IS neWness
of theme, although 1 personally do not
believe that the theme is one which
will bear the close scrutiny of truth.
Women-no matter how noble, how
self-sacrificing-wil not give up their
love.
In a general way there is some criti-
cism to be offered. The three acts are
too long and there are numerous pas
sages where the dramatic pruning
hool, could be used to excellent advan-
tage. Especially is this true of the
end of the second act, when Agnes
plays a sort of "mad" scene. In the
third act the introduction Of too much
comedy is bad 1t kills the serious In
tent of the play and takes ones MIND
off the main story. Also the quarrel
between Cornell and his wife might be
shortened.
SOME TRUE; SOME CLEVER
The authors have written into the
dialogue some bitingly sarcastic epi-
grams. some Of which are true and
others merely clever. The dialogue on
the whole is bright.
The story of 1.-THE Eternal Three Is
daring and original. The central figure
is Agnes Deplaine. She and her sister
Cora have been left alone in the world
with a fine home and q lot of debts.
Agnes, in order to give her sister an
education and to support herself, takes
boarders. Among the boarders are
Joe Brenner, Larry Forrest, Charley
Cotton and Horatio Lark. Each OF
the men loves Agnes, but she refuses
the offers made by the men. waiting
for her ideal to come along. He finally
comes in the person of Rand Cornell.
Unfortunately Cornell is anything but
ideal AS a matter of fact he is ABOUT
the most black-hearted scoundrel one
could picture. Agnes and Cornell make
all arrangements for their wedding.
Two days before the date set Cora
DepIaine comes home from college.
Cornell becomes infatuated with the
girl and she with him. Before Cornell
had become engaged to Agnes he had
had an affair with a certain Charlotte
Lee. 1t is through her sudden appear
ance upon the scene that the boarders,
especially Larry Forrest, get an esti-
mate of Cornell's character. Forrest
is frankly in love with Agnes and
makes no secret of that fact. He has
been refused eight times but that does
not make him any the less friend TO
Agnes.
The day after Cora returns from col
lege Agnes surprises Cora and Cornell
in love scene. Agnes, When sne
wrings the truth from Cornell that he
loves Cora, insists that Cora take her
place and that the wedding ceremony
be performed at once. This is brought
about. Cora and Cornell are married
and go away on their honeymoon SIX
months later they return suddenly to
Agnes home. The first morning atter
their arrival they have a quarrel when
ends in Cornell slapping his wife in
the face, she leaving the room and
Cornell attempting to make love to
Agnes. He makes proposition that
she become his mistress. Then comes
the awakening. Agnes has ideallzed
Cornell even in his fatthlessness. She
believed that she showed her love for
him more tellingly by giving him up
to Cora than she would have had she
1nS1SIGQ
ing to agreement. But when Cornell
makes love to her Agnes eyes are at
last opened She then calls in all the
boarders, tells what Cornell has done
and then orders him from the house.
Cora turns from her husband and aske
What is to become of me?" just
what does become of Cora is not def
nitely known. Her actions show plain
" that she has learned no lesson from
her experience. Agnes turns to Larry
Forrest for comfort, and the play ends
with Agnes thanking Cora for opening
her eyes to the true character or
Cornell.
Marjorie Rambeau gave a beautiful
portrayal of Agnes Deplaine. 1t is 10
Miss Rambeau that much of the credit
for the success of yesterdays prOduc-
tion must go. She made Agnes just
what the authors intended, a self-sac-
rificing, idealizing, ennobled woman
who was more or less in love with love.
Byron Beasley's Rand Cornell takes
rank alongside Of his Joe Brooks and
his Jim Platt. Cornell Is a heartless,
selfish despicable cad, and Mr.. Beas-
lev makes him appear as that at all
times. Grace Travers enacted the role
of Cora Deplaine with a bit too much
worldliness underlying the character
ization. But Miss TraVeTs brought out
in bold relief the selfshness and bigot-
ry of Cora. David Landau played
Larry Forrest in the same key and
manner that he enacted Jimsey Smith,
and that was the right key and the
right manner. Howard Scott made his
debut with the Burbank company as
Joe Brenner, a sentimental Teuton,
Mr. Scott was given a great ovation
lpon his initial entrance. Nobody re-
GREETED giving him the welcome after
seeing him play Joe Bremen. David
Hartford as Charley Cotton, Peter
Lang as a fat old bachelor, Flor
ence Oberle as a divorcee, Louise
Royce as a negro servant and Fl. S.
Duf1eld as the Rev. D. wilson gave
rood characterizations Ethel Won
Waldron made "a Bit" Charlotte Lee,
the castoff sweetheart, shine with re-
markable brilliancy.
Morning, Noon and Night" mu-
sical melange, opens at the Auditorium
tonight Among the features with this
company is the rehearsal scene, which
depicts the other side of the life OF
the thespian Their different little
troubles, their cares and their natural
inclination to comedy is faithfully
shown, as is also the jealousy that
exists between the man running the
stage end and the one leading the or
chestra.
Henry Miller comes to the Mason
opera house Monday night October 81,
for a weeks engagement in his brill
liant comedy success, Her Husbands
Wife" Mr.. Miller's engagement here
is among the foremost in his present
tour of the country. His latest sue
cess recently ended a long New York
run that carried it almost to the end
of the past summer on Broadway,