The Washington times., 1912-05-03
lula Murdock Prefers Modern Farce
To Because She Loved Him So" VARIETY

Some fourteen years ago, there was
produced at the National Theater, in
this city a new three-act farce, by
william Gillette, who was just then be-
ginning to gain fame as farceur> The
play, Because She Loved His so,'' was
a comedy with cast which included
j. 70. Dodson Annie Irish, Ida Conquest,
and others less notable.
This week the Butterfield Players are
presenting the same three-act farce In
the Belasco, and thus playgoers are en-
abled to obtain an excellent comparison
between what was in vogue at the time
OF the Spanish American war, and the
present fashion in playwriting.
| favor the modern school. For this
charming little pastoral deliclously
clever In spots. does not have the spots
close enough together, and the spaces
between are q trile too long drawn
out. Comparing the Gillette piece with
those of more modern growth. one can
see that we have progressed to more
action In farce, more sustained inter-
est, and also that we like to have
our complications a little complicated
not entirely obvious to even one eye.
For example,: There are few, II any,
persons in this weeks audiences who
do not see that the old couple are going
to try to reunite the uuarrelling daugh-
ter and son-in-law by making use of
the very expedient which they have
been reading about in book. Gillette
causes this novel to be discussed at
length, it's characters enumerated, It's
incidents disclosed, until the audience
In spite Of It's desire to be surprised
realizes that the plot of the novel is to
be used in some fundamental manner in
the unfolding Of the story of the play.
Very Little To
Plot of Play.
And speaking of the plot Of the play.
this Is about all there Is of II:
A husband and wife quarrel-the re-
suit Of a scheming maids desire to
get night off-they rush to her
mother and father, and the latter, In
order to reconcile the younger pair
quarrel violently, to show how repre-
hensible such conduct is. or course, as
In all we'll regulated farces, everything
turns out all right and the complica-
tions. such as they are. are all straight
ened out before the final curtain.
Imagine real. up-to-date farce with
to tell the story of Seven Days" "Ot-
ficer &c.," Baby Mine" or "Ovel
Night in less than a hundred words
Playwritcrs once believed in giving as
little for the money as possible. Now
that everybody is writing farces, and
competition is therefore greater. they
are obliged to draw on their Imagina-
ton to a greater degree.
But enough of the play. The players
are the thing.
As proficient as the Butterfield Play
ers showed themselves last week IN
The Spendthrift"-and none who saw
It but admitted that II was one of the
best stock productions they have shown
here In a long t!me-they surpass them
selves in Because She Loved Him So
First place in the present Offering be.
longs to Walter Wilson and Anna L.
Bates in the roles of the old couple
Commencing with their makeup and
finishing with their acting, their char.
acterizations are excellent. and the
management is to be heartily congratu.
lated in having secured such coin.
petent pair to handle the most Difficult,
roles In the production.
Next In rank to these two comes Miss
Bess Monaghan in the small role oi
Margaret, an Irish servant. Although