The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-03-07
HlF ] IfI[I[Ez THEATRES
THE BELAsCo.
Albert ChevaIier in .Dsddy Dufard."

Albert ChevaIier in .Daddy Dufard."
of the stage as a profession there has
chung round those who acted on its
boards a strange fascination Perhaps
this accounted for the fact that the
audience which gathered at the Belasco
last night to witness the opening perform
ance of Daddy Dufard'' were interested
in the play, even before the rise of the
curtain, for the majority Of them were
aware that it treated of the stage and
stage life
But they were hardly prepared for the
surprise-one might almost say the de-
light-which awaited them once the piece
had fairly gotten under way. Their
spontaneous applause, hearty laughter.
and even more appreciative silence at the
pathetic parts of the performance were
only a slight manifestation of the
pleasure they obtained through its pre-
sontation.
There have been other plays Of the
stage and of actors-lots of them. Ever
since the days Of David Garrick'-and
one might bark back even further than
that-we have had performances dealing
with this phase of life, but il is extremely
doubtful if there has ever been one
which had the appeal, the innate charm,
possessed by this simple little piece by
Albert Chevalier and Lechmere WorralL
The plot is simple. Daddy" Dufard,
an old French actor, on the verge of
ruin, takes charge of a large house in
Mayfair, where he resumes his almost
forgotten title of baron and with the
notoriety gained in the London press
through the publication of his romantic
life arouses for his daughter, Rose,
enough interest to insure her being given
the leading role in a one-act sketch pro-
duced in a music hall The ruse by
which he gains the house and the
notoriety form the greater part of the
pIot-but il is with the characters them
selves, not with the story of the piece,
that one concerns himself.
The play is billed as a comedy of
character. A comedy of characters
would, perhaps, be a better designation.
With three possible exceptions, every one
in the long cast takes a character
role" They are the manager of the
theater, the English proprietor of the
club which Dufard takes for his resi-
dence. the French, Italian, and German
friends of Dufard; the poet, the musi-
clan. the testy old Engfishman, and
Dufard himself.
vaEer-but only as DUfard- Chevalier
appears, in a most clever manner, in
the third act, for three of his inirnitable
English Observation-Disclosures at other
times it is Dufard who holds the stage
and Dufard who receives the plaudits OF
the audience Never has the art of the
English actor been shown TO greater adj
vantage than in this piece, particularly
in the rehearsal and makeup scenes OF
the second act. Not a word is spoken
on the stage during the five minutes
which the latter scene consumes, yet
Dufard holds the audience spelIbound
watching every movement nj his mobile
face, every motion of his expressive
hands. 1t was a bit of acting such as is
seldom seen.
In addition to the star there were Miss
Violet Heming, who made a delightfully."-
charming Rose; A Hylton Allen, whose
work with the Ben Greet players has not
hampered his art, as the young play
wright; Leslie Kenyon, as loft, the man.
|, ager; Miss frankie Raymond. as the
near-vinainess, and numbers Of others
whose work combined to make an even
ing of rare enjoyment.
Daddy Dufard" is great success for
every one but ChevaliG-for him it ap-
proaches a verftable triumph.