New-York tribune., 1911-09-11
THE DRAMA
Speed" the New Play at the
Comedy Theatre.

CUIilcuy iilcdli Z.
"Mesopotamia" was once. and sun may
be a blessed word. but auto as IL SIPS
from the tongues Of to-day. is detesteo
word-if. indeed. II be word at al Lee
Wilson Dodd does not abh0r II, TOT ne runs
e. through his play at william Collier 3
Comedy Theatre-a play In WHICH, pS NV
way. William Collier does not appear anu
with which. IL appears. he mas nothlhs "
do The play is called Speed ana the
programme describes IL as IAN auto-com-
edy." whatever that may mean. char
acter is said TO auto" TO own an auto
and IN be "autoed" over and around, ana
so following. and there are sounds by day
and night OF "autos" barking, roaring. rat
Ting and otherwise disturbing the peace
OF the community and the mlnd Oh man.
There ,s auto auto everywhere and
scarcely time 10 think. Some OF the char-
acters do not think. They are true 10 iiie'
They have the fever" carburetors III
their blood. punctures In the mind ana are
driven by six-cylindered desires. III they
lose ALL sense of proportion. who shall won
der? They are "autoists." II they upset
their machines" their homes, exhaust ho'
only the consumed gases OF their cars put
the bank accounts that pay for them anu
"sacrifss" (one Of the players says she
makes "sacrifss'0 domestic contentment
and a sense of the fitness Of things gener-
auv II is what might be expected OF them
when once they have become true worship
pers OF the great god Speed They are over
powered. Mr. Dodd might say they are
over-"autoed." They say-weil' they say
many things. and many things they say
are bright. laughable. The Ignition 80 -
sneak is good: there are explosions ID 'ne
audience. But there are too many eN-
plosions on the stage. The autos are
never seen. but their presence Is suggested
bv a busy noise box behind the scenes "e
pounding racing, rafting. are sirluld'e''
with skill enough. but with excess OF zeal
when the purposes OF the theatre are con-
sidered Dialogue is often drowned VIII
cvclonic outbursts from invisible mechah-
isrns of the stage. and points are lost even
10 vigilaut SPECTATORS. There is reaHsHl
TO spare when the ears are TO De clal ~
The actors. every few minutes. nave 10 'aiA
against violent dashes of noise. Felndpa
the stage manager does not run an auto'
or he would know that II Is not Only p'7-
sibIe but customary for even highpo"ered
and costly private cars dhe kind supposed
m he operated in the play) 70 enter private
grounds in discreet and even courteous 81
lence In any case, he might have taken
raire n avoid overwhelming the voices OF
his players. -,
From Harlem What would makers OF
funny plavs do without Harlem? Harlem
itself seems not the mother OF mirtn. bu'
from Harlem TO Cedar Hedge LONG
Island. come Mr. Edwin Wise Jessup' law
yer: Mrs. Jessup and Master WHY 'es
SUP. their six-year-od son. MI Edwin
earns AT mis- profession $500 a year anu
has saved s., 200 for his son. Eight thou-
sand a year is then the justification LOT
the removal from a fat in Harlem 10
"villa" in Cedar Hedge. But at Cedar
1edga revelations come, and the nrs'
revaIation is tre indispensability OF an
"auto" A friend, Miss Carolyn Taylor
assures the Jessups that II is not deceh'
70 live without a motor car MI bllS
Podmore shows them that country HE j.
in,nossible without a large ana las'
machine. Mr. and Mrs. Jessup To these
vviles succtImh. They borrow the small
yVizzv's twelve hundred, and with a small
car contract the fever" A larger car IS
soon acquired. Within four months from
the first attack Of dutOttis Air. kHWlh jos
SUD has spent $1,000, more or less auto
matically one supposes. AS he did not nave
the money he borrowed 1t by mortgagihs
the home at Cedar Hedge. DEBTS ac'
cumulate. He speculates. His charming
little wife permits too much attention HoiH
the large and assiduOus Mr. POdmore. She
means no harm What Mr.. Podmore means
is not so clear-to her-although every one
else may form another opinion. Inc
charming. dainty little woman protests that
Billy (she will call him by his first name)
is only one OF her boys and II he nap
Dened TO be, before marriage, one oI Her
adorers. why. what OF that? What Indeed
bur a quarrel with her husband VINO was
wholly IN the right, while she. sweet NOR
sol ~ fernirinity. puts him wholly IN the
,,ro,e IN the dear. logical way some wom-
on have In some such matters. Mrs. VIC
toria Jessup reminds Mr.. Edwin OF heF
.sacrifss." She must give up her auto
because her husband is in debt? NOT she'
indeed She has neglected the young
Why? Not She indeed. she mas per
mitted Billy" Podmore to be iar TOO
Jealous? Well. again, what OF II? Or' IN
the vernacular: What about it, II what
must he. must be, she Will make her sac
~;ess" hut she will not speak 10 her nus
hand and she cannot see why he should
81. AID get into debt, nor why he should
remind hereof II.
yvhereupon. on fine morning In sep
.o,,,ber husband goes forth and buys VIE
~ tbird ..auto." the most expensive one he
l,r discover. Then he rises above debt
l,y another plunge IN the stock market lie
risee so far that he clears 5000 with
bounding joy. wife, husband friend anu
,,,rbops Zone forgets) the plump and as
stduous Billy. return undismayed' untausht
Of experience, 10 the devourins rage Tor
forty Gfty. sixty miles an hour' anu
o,ce more leave the young Why 10 MS
torerress I'm an empty house The curtain
faus upon the contemplatlye and deserted
nov of six. Live while ye may. is oe
teaching II this play. Set up Tor your
solves autos" IN the heaven or Long
Island. get rich quick and spend ana ole
AZ the same pace. Speed. speed. speed on
more sreed. and the devil take the hlnd-
most And the hindmost is the child.
Mr. Dodd does not take the trouble 10
nreach on the subject. In much-preached-
,o-world another sermon might be super
duous But an audience in a playhouse
wants. maybe needs, moral OF some SORT
tied 20 a play. Here there Is no moral
.a,,a one that he VINO sits may guess for
himself. Here is a play which ends where
- heoan with the speed fever in the blood
and any means 10 a speedy end' It's 'each-
ing. so far as 1t has any 'eaching. Possess
an "auto" even though you borrow your
small sons savings bank fund for. IT. buy
d bigger auto" and spend more than your
al 81 Z.