New-York tribune., 1912-01-25
THE DRAMA
Gertrude Elliott in ''White
MaqiC," Criterion Theatre.


as 1t is wonderful. White magic is OF
course, for the purer American soul. the
only kind of magic that the high native
spirit in its Businesses of idealsm can sane
ton and cognize The late David Graham
Phillips wrote a book about White Magic.
At least he wrote a novel called white
Magic" and he thought well enough of 1t
10 dramatze the story. But mad death
rushed upon him full armed before the acts
were finished. Mr.. Ro Cooper Megrue sub
seauently completed the play, and last
night It was performed at the Criterion
Theatre. White Magic, as a tender soul,
with her hair swathed in one of those sur
Cical bandages which so distress the mas
culine eye, murmured last evening, rs fine
and dandy" The lady may have meant
magic of the exalting kind. the magic OF
an age straining for the uplift or she may
have meant the book. BY some chance she
may have meant the play which at that
instant arrived at the end of its. first even
ing on the New York stage. The magic or
romance is not always white, but last night
II was Of the whitest, so tenuous that 1t
was uncommonly fine" and who shall say
It was not dandy?
white Magic" the play which has
David Graham Phillips for It's instigator,
Roi Cooper Megrue for its writer and fn-
isher and Gertrude Elliott for its star, Is
a romance in three acts. Two acts are
laid in that neighborlng land of dreams.
New Jersey, and one carries the scene 10
a New York hotel. as many acts OF
plays in these days carry the fancies or
their writer's.
Behold Gertrude Elliott as Beatrice
Richmond. the unconventional daughter
of conventional millionaire Beatrice
one day walks in the woods OF New Jer-
sey. II this be unconventional. even In a
millonaire's daughter. have it so. She
meets an artist, and his name is Roger
Wade. Does the stirring of conventions
begin TO sound? What more natural than
that love should come to the unconven-
tional daughter and Gs 1t to be supposedly
the conventional artist?
Some one says. pointing, II may be.
toward Jersey City, Newark or Bayonne:
"Out there it's the black magician who
rules. It's his black magic that makes
the men and women small and selfish.
cold and cruel. II sets them TO chasing
the shadows Of wealth and social posi-
forget and neglect the real fine things.
But here! Here is the land OF white
magic The sun shires here and our good
old mother. Nature, says TO us all: Come,
children. let us be happy together and
make play of our work and work OF our
play--to he simple and kind That's the
white magic"
Nevertheless there is black magic in the
play, a whole lot OF II, even In idyllic Jer-
sey. II is in the second act. In the first act
there is another variety Of magic which the
books Of the ancients seem not to mention.
Mr. Roi Cooper Megrue calls 1t pink magic.
Perhaps-but already you get clew to the
story, IL you arc strong on the scent.
The fact that It is leap year comedy"
as the programme warns you. gives sug-
Eestion that, together with tho vari-colored
magic Of the different acts makes tho story
rise almost like a vision before the cur
tain goes up. That Beatrice Richmond. he
ing wealthy and unconventional Can irresis-
tible combination will be Obliged 10 pur-
sue the artist, who is proud even II his in
come is only $4,000 a year. and will CON
vince him that he really does love her and
that he. though denying II savagely all
along. will find himself persuaded at last, is
the vision and also the reality.
The curtain went up on a thunderstorm.
In fact. the thunder preceded curtain rise
10 give advance atmosphere. Outside the
studio windows black clouds poured rain
lightning and noise. Miss Elliott. auen-
lively asleep before glowing hearth fire,
suggested cosness Ton tension). Enter
Julian LEstrange. with what appeared TO
be real rain on his cravenette. She wakes
Ole sees her She has been caught I'm the rain
IN the woods. has run into his studio for
shelter. and. he not beng IN. what more nat
ural than that she should fan asleep? They
have never seen each other before-but so
much the better when you both have an
unconventional streak In you. The girl ac-
counts for hers by saying she Inherited II
from her father. That saves her. The man
got his-however. man can be original
in this respect They drink cup OF choco-
late together, brewed by him In an uncanny
Looking copper kettle and perhaps In the
chocolate there was some brown magic, for
II is a case OF Tristan and Isolde. la
moderne with them AT once. Instead, how
ever. OF falling upon each other at once
they wait TIL final curtain.
There is very little use in discussing the
acting in white Magic" as that element
barely creeps in even in spots. Miss
Elliotts eyes. large and dark. with scpar-
ate lashes spreading round them like the
rays from sunburst, were her chief
reliance in expressinR-with the same eX-
pression-surprIse, delight, rage, grief and
alarm Mr.. L'Estrange. as a painter with
brutal manners, which showed tempera-
ment, played In n crouch from first to
last. Evidently being pursued by a pair
OF haunting lash-rimmed eyes is no Joke.
mention them? They were all types. and
as types are we'll known on the stage and
do not exist off It there Is nothing TO be
gained by describing the gruff capitalist
father. the naughty mother. the English
noble suitor etc.
BY the way, II there were any American
Americans, they might find that American
girls don't make love in the woods, and in
sist that shy and unwilling bachelors
marry them-and there would be a riot
at the Criterion Theatre to establish
white Magic"
CAST OF WHITE MAGIC"
Roger wade. ................Ju Julian LEstrange
Beatrice Richmond .......... Gertrude Elliott
Allie Kinnear. ....'..'.....' Florence Brian
Hector Richmond .......... George La Guere
Peter Vandcrliel Alexander Scott Gatty
Count DArtois. ....... ......... Edison X. Miles
Mrs Daniel Richmond. ......... Ruth Chester
Daniel Richmond .......... Ben johnson
Butler. ler....................S ...S. Walker Bylngton
CLERK. k.....,.....,..... .....'... Charles Dowd