New-York tribune., 1911-11-05


euiet. Played IN speech sometimes quantity
orientalized, sometimes apparently blank
verse. sometimes the speech of melodraIns,
the thing did not quite grip you. Played I'm
pantonime. II would be a nightly terror
before which 'Sumurum' would grow pale
ena wan in the memory. THE Cat and
the Cherub' With its lanterns. its dresses,
rs professions, the terror which turks be-
hind its gauze veil. the elemental sviftness
Of its action. was surely meant 10 be
Sordless play
London's playgoing activities are extend
BIZ beyond six evenings Of the week, with
few afternoons added. Sir Herbert Beer
tohm-Tree is to begin a series OF Wednes-
Gay morning performances of Zangwills
rev play, "The God Of War" while at the
little French Theatre plays Of Moliere.
Corneille. etc. as well as some modern
works, will be produced on Sunday even
| tlgs during the coming season.
Lady Windermere's Fan" Oscar wilde's
comedy. has been revived IN London and
ls now running at the ST. James Theatre.
IN Walkley said OF Il in '"The London
Tines:
LADY Windernere's Fan Is an annoy
Ing play. 1t IS audaciously clever and
iimldly stupid. Wilde mastered the tricks
o. the stage I'm five minutes, and never
troubled about its rules; and so we get
.lsy that is at once STACEY and clumsy.
perfectly planned and feebly constructed
The dialogue is sometimes as packed with
meaning and suggestion. as quick TO rouse
spiritual echo. as the best OF Ibsen's,
sometimes as airily delicious as that IN
The Importance Of Being Earnest and
sometimes as wooden as that in a penny
novel. IT is hardly conceivable that the
same comedy should contain Lord Darling
tons declaration OF love In the second act,
Cecil Graham's chatter I'm the third and
Mrs Erlynne's scenes in the fourth. AS
for Lady Windermere, selfish and ignorant
little puritan as she IS in Act !, she would
father have sold her pearls and gone TO
lodging with a cat, parrot and sense
of injury than have flown to Lord Darling
ton IN Act H. We only recognize her
again when she saves herself at Mrs.
Erlynnes expense in Act III and starts
noralzing In Act ".
But. Of course. Mrs. Erlynne is the
point, both for us and for the author. over
Ms Frlynne nc took trouble, drawing her
out for ~ slowly, revealing her in the
Ibsen manner. only little by little, and car
fyms hcr through TO the very end. And
nth Miss Marion Terry 10 play Mrs. En-
ifnne again Lady Windermere's Fan is
ssfe I'm a week or 20 Miss Marion Terry
vii bs giving us more OF the real MIS-.
8rlyune in Acts II and III than she gave
~ ON Saturday evening. She will never
tsaJ hcr superb performance In Act ".
We cannot but regret that Lord Winder-
here had not comic sense enough 10 tell
Ms wife the truth about Mrs Erlynne. II
would have done her a world OF good and
'fectuallv have killed tho conceit which
disguised itself as sentimental reverence
iof an unknown mothers memory. A. II
'ss. Lady Windermere certainly became as
LAD as ever six months after her narro"
escape Yet mean little creature as she
vas she was ~ least in earnest at the
fisrt. and we DO not think she would have
warned Lord Darlington ~ with quite so
huca smiling allWement es Miss Lillian
S'ahhBsite put on. But 10 talk like this Is
" mistake the plsv for something other
'fan stage play--the heir OF the best
sage comedy and tho worst. and only very
osEntly related 30 the vulgar branch OF
'nels. and il Is almost necessary 70 insist
on its origin. because these exquisite. high
bred things require the neatest and most
a1roit of handling. and this-on the first
hisht Of its revival AZ eny rate-Lady
Nindsrmere's Fan did not receive from
'ny one but Miss Marion Terry