Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-25

with which it deals. with the
husband as the obtuse angle
of the triangle. Mr.. Henry Mill
er's play, THE Havoc" draws a geo
metrical feure-what the school books call
an isosceles triangle, with the husband
looming high and acute as the apex of In
tsrest. The custom has been to portray
the lover as a gifted. persuasive idealist,
with a nature capable Of supplying the
sympathy for which the wife. neglected
and high-strung, yearns. The wife Is
depicted as q woman of superior intel
lect with sensibilities too delicate to be
appreciated by the man to whom she Is
married. He is sort of tyrant, duh and
inconsiderate, depending for hts authority
on social laws and customs which !. Is
the mission Of the lover to attack.
BY merely taking the husband as the
hero, and making q hard, uncompronis-
Ing picture OF the situation which mis-
guided philosophy creates, the author of
The Havoc has produced q play which
Is both thoughtful and novel. Il is
however. first of all play. 1t deals with
the exceptional IN human nature, and in
stead Of making the hero a philosopher
Of warm human character he develops
Ulill u supreme Cy-iiC, one WHOSE I'D
ture is SO hard that It gives OF brill
steel
When the curtain descentis on the final
scene. which leaves the faithless wife at
work in the Office Of her first husband.
Ter second husband having departed to
avoid the penalty for embezzlenent the
imagination yearns for -anothe~ act. 1t
cannot be said that the play is in any
sense incomplete. for the original PROPOSE
ion has been demonstrated; the husband
ias been proved the real man both as to
mentality ard continent, the lover has
Ceen shown I'D as a cad and Eypocite,
and the wife is left to the regret which
the penalty OF feminine Inconsistency.
But the new relationship is so distinctly
Irusual that a desire to follow the history
f the characters further cannot be SUD-
pressed The husband cannot restore the
woman to his affections without an utter
sacrifice of the dignity which has made
lim admirable in position which would
ordinarily invite disdain. Tie wife car
rot fail TO find the position exceedingly
rksone in very short time. and the ar
-angement must inevitably come to some
sort of a termination. The question is
how Possibly the success of the
irama will be such as to warrant Sc
Iuel.
1t Is safe to predict that there will be
10 Mo - companies in the Havoc"
Without Mr.. Millers exceptional inter
,retation of the part. an Interpretation
G..ul f<rl
moment. the play would be in danger
II becoming shallow and irlsincere- BY
'imply carrying out the authors intention
spirit OF chose intellectual accord.
md with apparently nc care for en-
phasis of his own personality. he has sue
.eeded in evolving a masterpiece of char
,cterization. Nj. Miller. actor. has been
admirably deferential to Mr.. Miller. stage
manager. end the Dlo; is unfo'ded natur-
lily. truthfuily and convincngly. The
stage has been exhibiting a wealth Of
'ceRery. costumes. trite sentiment aad
nelodramatic surprises. BY way of real
novelty The Havoc" introduces bit OF
brains.
The performance in which. or rather
during which. Genee appears IS q curl
osity. The star distinctly refuses to as
societc with the plot There is not a
line in the dialogue that leads 10 sus-
picion taat somewhere off stage the
daintiest dancer of them all is wa ting
to dazzle the eye. When she appears
It is without warming and only her
marvellous art prevents her numbers,
charming they from seeming
gYatuitois Interruptions OF d play which
has more than ordinary comedy value.
Frank alor IS q funmake" OF ever re-
liable methods. ard John Park IS a
good Juvenile. white jose Ssdler is
Jolly heavyweight coEnedisnne as could
be imagined. Bu: il is iulrcs-ibIe not to
feel little sympathy with a company
Of players. however jovial and amusing.
whom the authors i-cenuity has not
been able TO put in terms of even nod
ding acquaintance with the star.
PHULANDER JOHNSON.
CHOOSING A TITLE..-Readers who are
familiar with the works CT Meredith Mich
olson very likely Y, onder a the peculiar I'll
Ties he gives hts stories. The story of how he
got the quaint title for The Port Of Miss
ing Men is interesting. There is such a
place in thc Cumberland mountains OF
Virginia. and u was given The oGd title
by reason of band of Confederate Sol
diers. who refused to surrender after the
close of the civil war They went into
mis- isolated spot. away up on the very
highest peak OF the mountains bull:
their rude fort. fortified every entrance
thereto. subsistsd on the scanty fare the
streams and mountains produced, and
lived and died under the tattertd rem
nants of the Confederate flag
Nicholson had worked on his cook ard
u was almost completed but still he could
md no suitable name. In despair h be-
thought himself OF the inspiration which
the wiids of the mountains might bring
He journeyed from IndianapoIis-nis
home-to the little village of La Mar. in
Virginia. Here he fell in with a party
OF pleasure seekers The next day the
party agreed to ride into the noun. aims
and selected guide who knew every
trail.
Nicholson had wandered off q consider