The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-12-31
HENRY A. JONES'S NEW PLAY
.uI ttN'T M ~ BAD AS AL
THtT" PRESENTED.
prsma Formed \isns the Familiar LINES
.f the \uihors work -tshi Materials
snsi characters lsrsi-Ne New sssill
In the matist's ChAraeterisailou

Henry Arthur Jones reappesred last
-rrn' over the troubled waters Of New
: = theatrical Affairs after an eclipse of
.,rar4 seasons. We Can't Re a. Bad
\. ~ That was the title of the three act
drar.t PRODUCED at the Nazimova Theatre
r.,... an audience that manifested I'm
" IA, able delight at various stages OF
-rs avs evolution.
rra ZONES formula In fairly well-under-
Stood IN this city by observers Of the
crar1a II inevitably implies rather bald
rr..odrama with "a pretentious veneer
# philosophic and moral observation.
There was a time when n play by Mr.
Jones meant nothing more than a good
drama But that period was IA remote
a. ne DAYS al The Middleman- II is
rrt 10 be expected that the dramatist
would he satisfied in this wear OF grace
20 deliver any goods Of such a straight.
gurward character.
He must take on his shoulders the bur
dan % the social reformer or at least the
rnmmentator who looks below the surface
Z the actions that his audience sees be-
fore IT,
There was rather less OF this pose in the
rlsy seen last night. although it's scenes
were favored with the same pretentious-
hess that has characterized 40 many Of
his recent works. There was very little
decided quality OF any kind about the
characters and tho action Of We Cant
Ba A. Bad az All That
II was certainly not new tn present to
IN" audience an English woman 81 title
with bad lot Of brother. There was
r. -. -
ner guest who had come without explsna-
ton In her house had once been notorious
as an adventures. The brother loved
this woman's stepdauRhter. The nd-
ventures herself was loved by one who
rad heen the intimate friend Of the man
whose life she ruined. hut he was willing
to marry her, IL was inevitable that the
hoetess at the price OF keeping secret the
know ledge OF her guests history should
demand her consent to the marriage Of
her stepdaughter with he worthless
brother.
IL does not take play with eight words
IN its title TO display TO the pu5lic these
familiar types. They have been the stock
in trade OF third rate British nnveiists
for the last deacde One il forced throug
Mir Jones' misplaced confidence in their
vitality to decide that ne must have writ
tex me drama several years ago or that
he has begun to write old men = plays.
The fast woman OF title with her mis-
cellaneous guests gathered in her country
home. the earnest lover back from
sojourn in foreign lands, the lady news
paper correspondent; the dissipatsd
brother 80 much in need Of money that he
must marry an heress or steal her step
mothere pearl necklace and substitute
an imitation one in its place are these
really characters that can safely ma pre-
scented to sophisticated public to-day
They would be laughed at IN novel.
On the stage they are just a. much out
Of the mode save when the skill Of an
experienced dranatist weaves them with
his magic into fabric Of absorbing dra-
matte movement.
MIR. Jones did othing of the kind
with them He laid the pcsiure Of cir
cirnstar,ces b.forr the spectator with
the most exper, usa If the ruls Of prepare
ton. After tn. audience had reached the
psychological state OF mind every interest
IN the play was diverted to the loss of a
pearl necklace II cost No.co. II had
been taken from a dressing table at a
certain time Detectives came to search
for u IL seemed for large part of the
first t&o acts n II there were to be nothing
in the play but that pearl necSlac". Yet
it ~a- only an incidental means OF proving
what bad one the hostess's brother was
And the audience kne', that ten minutes
after the play had begun.
The pearls OIL, Of the wGv for the minute
the drama reappeared Would the lover
marry the Isdy with the record that in
VOWED his friend The dramatic element
Of this situation Icy in her relation Of the
part she bore in the fac of his fri"ud. She
confessed thEt truth and he loved her
still He accepted her later a. wife and
there was not spectator IN the little
Nazirnovs Theatre that did not feel a sense
r resentment that he had been dragged
into that pearl chsSc merely for the sake
IT rnaking q. play out Of .. .,tuaticn little
trp falniiisr to oFIer excuse enough for
three acts with IN. establishment OF Mr.
Jnn-s's social and ethical obiier dicta.
So there was no absorbing inieres; in
We Can't b. a. Bad a. All Tha'. In
.pIt.of hisseriousness he - a very serious
p.r-on. this same Mr. Jones his play
.,c.. unity u wanders TOO far sfeid
~. that pearl necklace ever 10 catch
uI again with it, spec; al or-. Once an
audience has been misled into placing its
,~I-, IN whar turns ont TO he false clue
81 = a dificil mater for any playwright
~ gain it, confidence a second time No
rh.. love story of the -oiied dove and her
boar = lover from the other side Of the
world suffered through this circum-t ance.
The play was admirably acted. kafh-
~ no kaeir~d 40 m. smirched heroine
NAV not have been 40 indispensable as
81" .,uthor said in his soaech. but she acted
ad-rf-lv a 1iifficui, role Kate Philips a.
= vprldiy dowsg.- had the most novel
character in the play. bu, an" and it grew
rrr..ome before the END q! the second act
lr spite Of her skIll tt vs~ TOO much IN the
anne key Chariot" Granville was Just
the am. sort Of q chatei1 me that every
drama player in a country house IN Eng
and invariably reveals.
William Hawtrey. Mr.. sam Sothern-
tuce Wilson and I=n Damon were other
apable interpreters ~ this intensely
.rnventional and British play In" at
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