Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-11-14
New National.

With all his skill as q Playwright and
all his art as producer. and he is prob
ably without a superior as iuch in the
world David Belasco as the producer of
farce comedy seems to be instinctively
regarded with distrust
! Last night the New National Theater
! had Belasco audience In size, repre-
sentative character and critical judgment.
and with his new production. Nobody g
! Widow" a farcical romance by Avery
| Hopgood, in which Miss Blanche Bates
! is the bright particular star, Mr. Belasco
| had the satisfaction of knowing that for
once at least. he has achieved in comedy
vein one of the most delightful successes
| of his career.
| One must know something of capricious
| woman, or imagine much. to enter into
| the full spirit of the play, for there are
| two capricious women in It that make a
| great deal of trouble for one poor lone
| man. Roxana Clayton. devotedly in love
| with her husband, Jack, finds him taking
! a farewell of an old fame on her we'd
! ding morning, just after her marriage
| That settles it. She simply makes up f1er
! mind then and there that he is impossi-
BILE, dismisses him and proceeds on her
way alone Her embarrassment at re-
turning to her native land without the
husband she has pulled up to the skies to
| her friends Is overcome by her assuming
| Widows weeds and announcing ahead
| that he is dead.
| So much the audience must imagine.
! because it has all occurred before the
rise of the first curtain.
| a house party at Palm Beach greets
| the eye when the curtain goes up. Every
one Is interested In the coming of the
young widow. The young widow ar
rives. and 10! and behold! there before
Ter very eyes and ahead of time is cher
| late lamented." He fails to satisfy with
| him. But he sagely advances the propo-
sition that II he. as Roxana's first hus-
| band. is dead, he has the right to start
| in and win her as himself. the Duke OF
| Moreland. There is a scene brilliant with
| give and take and closing with the
| frank challenge that he will win her be-
| fore the week is out. He actually sue
ceeds in the second act, but only after
| he has felt the sting OF a refusal and in
pique has arranged to have a quiet little
| supper with his hostess. Betty Jackson.
who is giving the house party. His sue
cess. however, comes between the re-
| fusal and the supper and that makes
| another incident he would gladly have
| mined. Besides she, too unsuspecting the
| truth. longs for a little consolation her
self at the seeming neglect Of lover
with an appetite and very lazy.
Incident number two and a still greater
| complicatio parises when Roxana returns
with Betty's lover to get a bracelet she
has forgotten. and finds the two together
with the lights out. The position Of their
| chairs at the supper taOle COHVIHceS ic'
that the two have been closer together
| than her peace Of mind. if not propriety
| will permit. She makes up her mind to
| again quit her unreliable lover. who about
this time proceeds to take matters into
his own hand and hold her. when she
flashes on him a cablegram advising hel
! that a divorce has been granted her. Il
does not deter the duke, however. and hi
ultimately wins by the sheer force of per
sistency and impudence.
The blend of art and nature which
Blanche Bates brings to the role of Rox
ana Is q delightful revelation. Bruce
McRae was an ideal lover and no
bleman. His performance possessed tn
grace and finish. Adelaide Princes roll
Of Betty Is one of the Indispensable ele
ments Of the plot. and 1t was piaye'
splend.dly. Others who contributed to
fine performance We're Alice Claire ELI
oft. Edith Campbell, Rex McDougail. Mi
nor S. Watson and WeStropp Saunders.