New-York tribune., 1911-09-10
THE PLAYGOER
On Some Productions of the
Past Week.

love scene that is almost passionate,
seem. FOR few minutes in a pleasant
autumn evening. quite inclined TO turn
an airy little play from thing of favor
and prettincss into a grim drama oi the
emotional kind. But YOU know they
won't DO it. because-wel, because they
arc John Drew and Mary Boand. ana
because their playwright Is HUBERT
Henry Davies. They must sparkle ana
not weep. That is in the order of things
At any rate John Drew must sparkle
II might he in TIE order Of things TO say
tnst Miss Boland must snoop, for OF
snoopery and set design are her latter
oay parts. just as Smith, the house
maid she won the Drewish heart, 50 as
Miss Heseltine. the private secretary.
She CAPTURES the Drewish affections and
dismavs the family and neighbors. The
old order chanGeth not it brings forth
much familiar fruit. But it would he
waste to Quarrel with Mr Hubert Henry
Davies on that account, for if YOU do
know. from the beginning. the end Of
his play. YOU are at least amused, if in
holiday mood. by the neat hand with
"A Single Man" may he one Of the
latest or it may he one Of the earliest
cf Mr.. Davies's comedies 1t might be
the original teacup-and- saucer piece
even though il is the latest Offering al
the Empire Theatre. But in the teacup-
and-saucer days the playmaker would
have compressed his pleasantly into
three acts. or would have expanded 1t
into five. Mr.. Davies makes four acts
suffice. He could have told-does. IN ei-
fect. tell-all there is 10 tell in his hrst
act. literary bachelor of forty-three
has fallen in love with girl Of twenty.
He will be bored speedily by his youth
full fame. will escape the snares OF an
ogling maiden of uncertain years, ana
will marry his secretary-with whom
the playmaker would have you under
stand he has been in love five years
without knowing it.
Who believes in these bachelors inter-
srv or otherwise, who have been long IN
love without knowing it? Some play
wrights and some short storyists seem
TO believe in them, but 1t is difhcult Tor
theatre audiences TO do so, although
audiences have supported and do still
support, good many of these be"ll-
dered gentry. Perhaps it all depends
upon who plays the bachelor. And can
not John Drew make him highly agree
able acquaintance? Now, in A Single
Man" he is Henry Worthington, an
author; doubtless a popular author, Tor
he dwells among the golden signs Of the
fortunate craft. He must have written
love stories, many Of them. because he
knows so little about love and about
women. He hasn't the shred OF notion
that his secretary loves him. But pop
ular author would have known 1t by her
snoop and the color of her gown, just as
the audiences at the Empire know ii the
instant she appears In not distant
da" the deserted heroine of none too
sophisticated drama dressed in this taste
and came mournfully on, and YOU knew
when she stepped from the wings (there
were wings in those days. that the lord
Of the manor would claim her for his
0Yn. But he, dear soul, was far from
such q notion. You. seeing Miss Boland
enter, know at once that she will be the
victorious goddess, even though Worth
ington is engaging himself to a feather
4ded girl, and though a trap is laid
fer him by an emotional lady with an
unpleasant mind You ask, why not
end the play there" II gets no for
reder" To be sure. But you have
pleasant hour or two in watching the
game, or listening while the dramatic
Lersons, who are not dramatic, tell Of
their little aches and pains. You have
half a conviction that all Of them are
fooing you and trying 10 fool each
other And probably you may think
that Miss Heseltine is a deep, quite
deep, lady-as deep as the milier's
daughter Of the song. You will not be
mistaken in this Just as Smith knew
her own mind in these matters, so does
Miss Heseltine. Never can you escape
at least the half belief that she meant
from the first 10 capture the literary
bas helor. who does not begin to think of
love or marriage until he has made
bOUntiful royalties and has observed
that the woods and fields are filled with
family hfe." Surely he must be a popu-
lar author, and he must have derived
his notions .or love from navigation
charts Pooh, What's tho good Of
drcams?" SAYS he when his dear sccrc-
tarv has avowed that n womsns life is
half made up of dreams. Popu! r.
author indeed, What the good OF
droams.' II must have been popular
stock broker that Mr Davies had in
mind tand popular stock brokers are
lie,ed. TO make almost as much money
as popular authors when he agitatcd
that line.
Miss Boland appears in the third act
with her head swathcd lu one Of those
hrst-aid-to-the-in injured bsndsges. with
which so many Of the fair Of this world
turn their pretty heads into caricature.
Then the audience knows something IS
10 happen. Something does happen.
They dine together the popular author
Who doesn't understand the use Of
dreams and the blond secretary who
snoops so sadly beneath her bandagcd
hair. Some Of these days playWrights.
now careless of their opportunities will
build five acts on bandaged hair Mean
time IL is enough that tie hero and the
hair -baudoged heroine dine together and
drink champagne The cleycrcst things
IN this play Of Mr.. Davies relate 10 this