The sun., 1910-02-01
MISS BARRYMORE AND PINERO
STRONG COMBINATION IN THE
PLAY "MID-CHANNEL."

PrOuO-MaFFtARe CrhetN tne IhemG
company and staging Are Unusual.
The year ended last evening has been a
notable one for Miss Ethel Barrymore.
Within the last twelve months she has
become a wife, a mother and an actress
capable Of sounding the depths OF n com-
plex emotional character. The last phase
or the years development she demon
strated last evening at the Empire Theatre.
where she appeared in the chief feminine
Dart in A. w. Pineros latest play, mid
channel"
Miss Barrymore has been for some years
among the young American actresses
most celebrated for beauty and personal
charm. Talent she has indisputahly
displayed. Indeed. her facility has often
been so marked as almost 70 resemble
carelessness. Nor has she altogether
neglected parts worth playing She
appeared in The Silver Box in Alice
St-by-the-Flre" and in Carrots" and
creditably in each one, but for several
years she has been placed annually in
play which gave her no opportunity
for development.
Mr.. Frohman has at last given her a
plav worthy OF her steel and a part At to
test the capacity Of any emotional act rees,
and il is a pleasure to be able to say that
Miss Barrymore has abundantly justified
he confidence OF those who believed that
she was fit for better things than playing
reacup heroines in chattery comedies OF
the fun school. Miss Barrymore has
arrived.
Mid-channel. according to Pinero lone
used to call him Mister. but now he's Sir
Arthur. and that really sounds stilted be-
tween old trends. so it's to be just
plain Pinero hore) is that spot in the
voyage OF married life which is reached
when the journey is, say. about half
done II you believe him il is the most
perilous spot in the whole journey. To
change the figure. it's the time when the
links that bind the pair have ceased TO
become mere orn1ments and have taken
on something Of the cha racter OF shaclles,
Now and then you can even hear clank.
Theodore and Zoe BlundsH had hoard the
clank To quote Y 2, they got on each
others nerves horribly She 10 81 and
he is a. and, to put il plainly. they fight
like cats and dogs.
Meantime Zoe amuses herself harm
lessly enough with a number Of men
friends Of herself and her husband-her
No. 4 II a philosophical man ABOUT
her husbands age. the Hon. Peter MOI
tram by name. He tries to reconcile the
pair and so far succeeds that he per-
susdes B!undelI to admit that he is to
blame and to offer his wife a trip to Paris
As a peace Offering Whereupon they fall
to quarrelling as violently as before
about the hotel at which they are to stop
The upshot OF IL 10 that BiundeH hies ont
OF the house in a rage and doesn't come
hack.
Tame Robin No. il different sort
OF bird. In fact he is not so tame as
he might be. In fact he distinctly hears
the call Of the wild He follows the
miserable Zoe to Italy. makes himself use
ful as a courier. tells her tales Of her
husbands goings on in London hat
with one Hrs. AnnerIg until abe finally
succumbs. as much 20 wretchedness and
loneliness, il seems, as to her lover
IL seems. however. that a young girl
named Ethel PterpoHt was in love with
Tame Robin No. ? and had wondered why
II was that he had grown cold toward
her. She confides her trouble to Zoe.
who thereupon is conscience stricken
and tries to send the young man back to
the girl who loves him. In point OF fact
she does actually succeed in showing him
that that is the only sensible course for
him to pursue. This chimes in finely
With the efforts at reconciliation made by
Tame Robin No. I. His efforts also pros
per the better for the reason that BtuNdsH
has wearied Of the hired woman and has
dismissed her.
The two come together. BIundeH con-
tesses his fault and Zoe says he may come
hack to their home, but only as friend.
His pride hurt. BIundeH twlts hsr with
the, stories he has heard Of her travels
her TO give him her word that nothing
wrong has happened between them.
! have forgiven you, you must forgive
me-, says Zoe. and the act closes with
and force the young man to marry Zoe.
But IL is too late for that. Tame Robin
No 2 has taken Zoe at her word. He -
engaged to the younger woman. Still
he swears that he will break his engage
ment and marry Zoe il she says the word.
But she cannot bring herself to untangle
the snarl Of her own life at the expense
81 another woman There's a balcony
handy. high above the pavement, and on
that pavement the troubles Of poor. per-
rlexed, unhappy Zoe find an end.
This gloomy story is unfolded with
all the art that this experienced drama
tlst il master of. Gt is as much trag-
edy as Iris" though inferior 70 that
acter. in poignancy and in clearness OF
motives II may be called hastily, perhaps
study in nerves. Both Zoe and her
husband had them in plenty, and they
Zoe loved her husband really. even
when she was unfaithful TO him. No
student Of human nature will deny the
possibility Of this. no one will deny 1t save
are all bad or all good Indeed, the story
Of this play reminds us that there are two
Kinds Of psychology-psycholog and
feminine psychology.
IN what reel was wrecked the happiness
~ these two people? Zoe called II the
reel of childlessness. Had il not been
tol their agreement never TO cucumber
Themselves with -brats Of children she
laid it would never have happened.
Doubtless she was right. People with
children have no time for nerves.
httle child shall. and generally does. tead
them, or at any rate hold them together.
IL will readily be seen that the part OF
Zoe Is an exacting one for any actress.
and Miss Barrymore by her mastery over
lts many complex elements took several
long steps forward in the field OF dramatic
A. All her old facility was in evidence.
q she made il count FOR more than ever
before. No actress oNouT stage has shown
greater capacity for reserve and for
palnting big picture with little strokes.
Everything that she did meant some
thing and Just the right thing. She never
struck a false note. No two Of her many
shences were alike and yet none Of them
vas meaningless She was very human
through it all and yet tragedy overhtIng
her from the beginning TO the end. IL