The Washington herald., 1911-12-12
THE BELASC0.
Henrietta Crosman, in "The Real
Thing"

It is the same old story. Miss Henri
eta Crosman, whose powers as a come
dienne need no elaboration at this hour,
returns to Washington with play which
misses fire In the theatrical world, as
in others, "a miss is as good as a mile"
and while it is unjust to consign ''The
Real Thing to the limbo of aimless vac
uous, and illogical plays Of which we
have had several examples in Washing
ton this season, It is not the play that
Miss Crosman deserves, any more than
'Anti-Matrimony' was, or SHAM"
1t needs no note upon the programme
to inform the gentle auditor that The
Real Thing is woman's play. That
fact was apparent from the start. 1t
is a philosophic, satirio comedy, and
were it's thrust a trife more keen. its
by-play considerably less sophomore,
its epigrammatio luxuriance a little less
obvious, it would have a real chance for
success. There are seven characters
in the cast: of these two are men, mere
pawns in the action, one of them hope
lessly devoid of sense of humor, the
other woman's conception of a return
ing conqueror-a man who combines
the virtues Of Pinero's tame robin"
with the masculine sweep of a Stephen
Client.
Miss Crosman has a role which, were
1t more vital in action and less verbose
in boudoir philosophy, would be a real
achievement. Now and then there is a
flash Of the form which proved such a
delight in Mistress Nell" and Sweet
Kitty Bellairs,' with the audience i'm
potently wishing for more; but Miss Cros-
man recklessly dishing out epigrams and
adjusting the domestic affairs of an i'm
possible wife is not the comedienne who
is firmly fixed in the estimation of the
discriminating public.
Catherine Chisholm Gushing is the
playwright who essays to Illustrate in
The Real Thing that no woman can
afford to concentrate herself upon her
duties as a mother at the expense Of
her duties as a wife. This is her postu-
late, with Miss Crosman the dea ex ma
china TO carry the hypothesis through
to its logical conclusion. "A woman
must keep her husband guessing she
says. She must be like champagne; she
must keep on etfervescing. She can't af-
ford to be fiat. If she is, the monster
will go out and buy another bottle"
The play fairly reels with epigrams of
this type. and 1t is undenlably original
and interesting, even If it stops there.
1t is conceivable that, with more skill
ful stage management in the first act, a
somewhat more extensive respect for the
law Of probabilities in the general atmos-
phere of a suburban menage, The Real
Thing" would be effective. The children
In the play are children that never were
on land or sea. Miss Crosman's inspired
parable in the second act, addressed to
the youngsters on fairies and Prince
Charmings, and what not, was a farrago
of nonsense under the conditions. A
dozen or more examples Of the same
nOnchalant disregard of realism might be
cited.
But THE Real Thing is good fun. with
Miss Crosman and Albert Brown in the
role of Tom Bradley, the "old beau" as
the chief funmakers. Fred Tiden as the
neglected husband moved as in a trance,
and read his lines almost by rote. Jo-
sephine Lovett as Kate Grayson, 1.-THE
wife, gave an adequate performance,
and Miss Florence Short as "ths under
study was excellent AMI