The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1912-11-26
THEATERS
oARRIck.
(COntinusd)

hEdce GEORGE brought ueT hcN Pioy'
Carnival" TO the Garrick theater'
Monday evening. The play had It's
premiere in Toronto, Nov. Is. II was
arranged by Compton Mackenzie, a
young English actor-author, from his
own novel OF the same name. MI.
Mackenzie likewise, is a member Oh
the company which Manager William
A. Brady has provided for his wife.
! After a careful perusal OF the die
tionary, IL is a puzzle why Mr.. Mac
Kenzie chose the word Carnival for
name, unless he has elected 10 tol-
low the precedent of William Shake
speare and one George Bernard
Shaw, and given his brain-child, a
name that has no obvious relation TO
Incidents or characters. Perhaps the
name Ats the book, but the audience
In the theater is not concerned with
the book, but the play Also, 1t is an
even wager that nine-tenths OF the
persons in the audience have never
heard of the book even though 1t be
among the six best sellers.
AS Mr. Mackenzie has arranged the
play from his novel material, IL Is OF
necessity episodical. 1t has consider
able originality in theme and treat
ment, moments or gripping interest
and tragic note or two that lifts II
from the ordinary rut.
! Jimmy Pearl. is a little London girl
OF the lower class, who dances in the
ballet of a music hall TO earn her Nv
Ing. She attracts the attention from
tout front" OF young artist and
Iclubman, Maurice Avery, aGd oil
Zachary Trewhella, Cornish farmer
preacher She has a romantic love
AFFAIR OF few months with Maurice,
and when that young man goes
abroad, and decided to stay there, In
order to break with jimmy. she marries
the Cornishman and, the latter half
of the play sees her grooming over
baby and wearing her heart and soul
out In a farm cottage on the rough
Cornish coast with Trewhella, a
Icanting, jealous brute.
In the play, as ii was presented
week ago, the denouement followed
the book ending and Trewhella shot
jimmy when Maurice sought her out
In her Cornish home. AS John Glen
denning presents Trewhella, one
might expect him to throttle jimmy
but not to shoot her. He is british
at every angle, and the natural thing
for him to do Is to exercise brute
strength for, as he boasts, he was
never "worsted by maid or bullock.
In the present version the curtain
falls with jimmy holding the baby, and
turning Maurice away, while Ire
whella, presumably, shores in his
sleeping room above the kitchen liv-
ing room OF the farmhouse. where the
last two acts take place. Neither
ending seems logical or probable.
jimmy, which Is the character play
ed by Miss George. is an entirely
sophisticated young person, quite able
to take care of herself and with
strength OF character and SUFFICIENT
virtue to withstand all the pleadings
OF the lovelorn Maurice to go away
with him. She seems to have plenty
OF courage as well as a ready tongue.
Her contempt and dislike for Trewhel-
Ia is prodigious and unconcealed. she
is high-spirited and unafraid, ana
even the mother-love which eventual
ly predominates all else In her being
is not able to carry conviction to the
spectator that the jimmy he has been
watching is the kind OF girl TO go on
living with Trewhella. She is the
sort that might take her babe and go
out into the world to dance living
for them both, or, with her child, seek
oblivion In the sea which washes the
rocks OF the Cornish coast, but never
remain to be the goods and chattel or
the british Trewhella. SO, when the
curtain falls on a really dramatic
and at times powerful last act, tine on
locker Is left on no mans Land "py
the authordramatist.
The play is staged in four scenes
and the mechanics of II were accom-
plished by Bertram Harrison, the clev-
er and resourceful young man who
has worked In cooperation, m sucn
matters, with Jessie Bonstelle, with
such happy results. Mr. Harrison
with Mr.. Brady, Miss Georges hus-
band.manager, were IN the audience
Monday night. watching the play.
Except that the first act, showing
the stage OF the Varieties music
hall, with the ballet rehearsing after
the night performance Is something
of a novelty, displays pretty costumes
and affords glimpse behind
scenes" there Is no particular rea-
son for It's being there, as far as the
real story. or dramatic action OF the
plav Is concerned. The play might
better begin at the second act, placed
in Averys studio, and thereby save
Mr. Brady a great deal OF expense
and the spectator valuable time. The
average theatergoer can see the first
act OF Carnival" in dozen musical
comedies.
Miss George, as jimmy, shows so
fine and beautiful an art as 10 dis
arm criticism. Always delightful &C
tress with a personality to which all
who see her. willingly succumb In her
present study and presentation or
Jimmy. she excels her best previous
work She makes jimmy real and very
human, despite many things which
the dramatist calls upon her TO do
Miss Georges love OF pretty clothes
and her exquisite taste In this respect
dresses jimmy, in the Cornish FARM
house. in such stunning simplicity as
TO make one wonder how fifteen
shilling-a-week music hall dancer ever
got on such intimate terms with a
good dressmaker. Jinny's friends In
the ballet. when they come 10 take
tea in Avery's studio. are pretty dress
ers also. considering all things, and
the fact that they are living hon
est on fifteen shillings per.
John Glendenning. az Trewhella,