The Washington herald., 1911-01-03
THE NEW NATIONAL.
John Drew in sSSmith."

John Drew in "Smith."
A large, fashionable. and apparent
-ly happy New Year audience filled the
New National Theater last night to well
come back one Of Washingtons favortte
players, Mr.. John Drew, who appeared
in wonderfully clever four-act play by
w. Somerset Vaughan, called Smith.
Mr.. Vaughan calls his play COMEDY
on the bills, and if the proper definition
Of comedy were a play that causes more
laughter than tears, he may be right,
but we believe that in its veritable por-
trafture of actual conditions, ideals, and
states Of mind. the play. in its final ap-
peal, comes nearer to being tragedy.
For wha, can be more tragic in life
than utterly wasted purpose? What more
bitter than to see people of fine parts.
great opportunities. and high abilities so
blind to all that Is inspiring and real
in life that they make their days mock
cry and their nights a hell-live for the
moment in a mad rush after pleasure.
and find instead of the smallest happi-
ness only the direst boredom?
Mr.. Vaughan evidently knows and
senses the set he portrays in Smith,
the upper middle class in England. just
rieh enough to believe that ''Smartness"
Is the greatest thing in life A pack of
social coWaTtis-eoo idle, too selfish, too
unthinking even to sin nobly; without
emotions, without aims, without hopes.
1t is into such a set that comes home
Thomas Freeman, a man OF middle age,
who has been saved from this very set
and this rotten idleoess only by the fact
no
youth and has gone off to Rhodesia,
where he has found himself. He has
lived mans life: acquired a farm and
worked it; made money, gained man
hood and the clear vision that comes
from really doing things in the world,
and has come for a visit.
You can imagine, If you will, how such
a man would. on the loneliness of the
veldt. build up, in his heart Of hearts, an
image of the sister be has left behind in
England. In his fancy she is all that
good mans sister should be- She has
married. he knows; and so his dreams OF
her are of a happy wife, good mother;
that perfect type of wcnlanhood, an Eng
llsh lady. He comes to London, his heart
bursting with anticipation, his soul long
ing for affection, to find that his sister,
Mrs. DallaS-Baker, is too much occupied
with her bridge even to come to meet
him at the station, even after these many
years. He wants to kiss her; she offers
him the coldest of cheeks and begs him
not to be ridiculous or demonstrative.
Tom Freeman finds his sisters friends as
hollow she is One Of them is pet
hanger-on, a professional friend the
sort of character that a novelist would
write volume about. but which the
dratnatiSt, aided by Mr.. Hassard Short,
mi fle has Ryln rrS q
full length in a few lines. AS bit Of
Self-revelauon we can recall few charac-
tiers on the stage more potent than this.
That is the situation when Tom Free
man, fresh from his struggle with the
big forces of nature, comes home. comes
not to find the England or the friends Of
his Dreams but honowness, rottenness.
friNo!.ty, SnartneSS a teaspoonful OF
brains or one touch of honest feeling in
the lot The girl to whom he had been
engaged and who had thrown him over
in the years gone by as soon as he had
gone smash, entraps him into another
declaration, but some native honesty in
the man finds reflection in her. wakes
in her some latent spark of honesty, and
she gives him up and determines to run
on the square
For the reSt-they live their lives The
tame cat feathers his nest with the
daughter of an American millionaire,
Mrs. Otto Rosenberg. whose baby, un-
tended, dies while she is playing bridge,
avows her intention of reforming, but as
this declaration only comes after fear
full row with her elderly husband. no one
can take it quite seriously.
But in the household OF Mrs. Dallas
Baker there is a houseInaid, Smith"
She is a farmers daughter, rather typical
of her kind, fresh looking, always neat
quite willing to work, very respectful very
giriish, and quite unsophisticated. Mr.
Vaughan has quite caught the English
parlor maid, whose life is lived, according
to the catechism, Ito submit myself to all
my governors, teachers, spiritual pastors
and masters and to do my duty
in that state of life unto which it shall
please God to call me That is her
creed. But she is so-under the surface
infinitely better than the ladies and gen.
tlemen whom she serves. SO much more
honest soul, that Thomas Freeman
turns to her and proposes. and though
at first il is quite against her creed for
her to marry a gentleman" she comes at
last to see that Tom Freeman is in earn
est, and Mary Smith becomes Mrs. Thorn
as Freeman, and-we may be quite sure
becomes in some unwrtten chapter
very much respected lady in Rhodesia.
1t is a simple story but it is a touch
ing one and one to make men and wom-
en- think. Mr. MaughamS dialogue is
most brilliant. not brilliant with the pure
" superficial brilliancy of an Oscar
Wilde but brilliant because it is mean
ingful and vital. This is the sort of a
play that just seems to ripple along, the
sort of a play that any one could write:
but it takes a clever artist and one who
knows his work to write a play skill
full in its situations, its business" its
verify as this.
And as many people might think this
is simple play, because its excellence
is so apparent SO there will be many
people who will think that John Drew's
work in it rs easy. ''Oh. he is just John
Drew, they will say, but if SO, it is
because they do not realize how hard 1t
is to play John Drew part" to be
honestly and unaffectedly simple and