New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-09-18
"M|LESTONES" SUCCESS
New Play by Bennett and Knob
LAUGH at Liberty Theatre.
REAL NOVELTY AND CHARM
The Piece That Captured Lon
dom Takes New York-With-
out Sensationalism.

e Its way will be many a mile IL
lies are nights. The play that captured
ro,don last season took New York last
,,b, Arnold Bennett and Edward Knob
,,,cb the fortunate authors. have provid
a genuine treat for patrons of the
.s.a4re They have also assisted i'm demol-
hing the local superstition that a play
i, succeed In New York must be a play
With "a punch.
Here is an exhibition of real life, not
- stage life 1t is possible to forget the
tootIiehts and all the accessories of the
,beatre while witnessing this play. Not
,hst the company Of players is anything
extraordinary. il IS rather an ordinary
ooronany. with three or four good players.
p,t the piece has q way of playing itself.
.rd Of carrying the actors along with
!, II would be difficult TO harm this
play very much
The story shows ifty-two years in the
uvas OF It's principal characters or Cf
some OF them, at any rate. II does not
rive YOU snatches of life. or "slices Of
We hut life itself Ii shows the
heavy hand and tightening grip of
aye forcing youth into paths that
Youth might well have kept out of for its
own happiness and we'll being IN 1850
robn Rhead is a young member Of pros
MARQUIS firm Of ironmasters ia Londcn He
IA taken with the idea OF building iron
ships. His partners oppose him. He Is
engaged TO marry Rose Sib!ey, the sister
NJ one Of his partners. The marriage Is
onnosej when the break with tie firm
cfota lrca
her engagement with hts stiff-necked
mariner. Samuel Sibley. John is at this
time fine. bold fellow, with a wiz like
the iron he deals in, and fille9 with
optimism.
twenty-five years later behold him
man OF large fortune, LIB
sral supported Of his political rarty.
with the promise of baronetcy, and am
btions 10 marry his daughter TO lord.
The daughter. Emily. loves a young
genius in her fathers works. Arthur
Preece, who has invented a process for
making steel. There are 10 be steel ships
now, but John Rhead will have none OF
them. nor will he permit his daughter to
have her own way in her love affair The
daughter gives in.
In 1912 Sir John Is seventy-seven, hard,
bitter, active and bent on breaking the
heart Of his granddaughter by forbidding
her marriage TO a young engineer. The
marriage however, is arranged and
principal agent in bringing 1t about,
after the family has Numbered. vs.
the same Gertrude Rhead who in 1850 saw
her own romance torn to shreds. She has
remained unmarried, and has watched the
romances OF three generations. trying TO
prevent the misdeeds of parental virtde
and self-interest.
The three acts OF the play are laid IN
the drawing room Of the Rhedds' nome, IN
London The room changes in appearance
as the persons change in character. The
drawing room Of 1860. Of 1883, of 1912, It's
decorations, It's furnishing, have their
own expression or the time just az the
Rheads and their friends have their cN-
preston IN personal adornment-in The
fashions OF the COS, the sos and OF the
current year. All these appropriate de-
tails assist the imagination of the spec
tator and have their part In carrying on
the simple but interesting tale.
The acting is best in the cases Of Leslie
Faber. Frederick Lloyd, Auriol Lee and
Gladys Mason. The scene that went best
was In the second act, between Mr.. Lloyd
and Miss Mason, and IL went best because
these two players spoke better than any
Of the others, could be understood without
the hearer straining his attention. The
Liberty Theatre Is somewhat too large
for play Of this description, and actors
-rl
at first some difficulty i'm getting their
words TO their hearers ears. Leslie Faber
should have no difficulty, because he has
good voice, knows how to speak, and IS
accustomed to American theatres. But he
was occasionally indistlnct last night.
Miss Lee was occasionally indistlnct, Miss
scaife Invariably so. In the first act, the
writer who sat IN the eleventh row, had
70 guess what the ladies were saying.
With some plays this guessing exercise Is
az advantage, but In play Of such quail
ity as 'Milestones" 1t Is not
The novelty in "Miestones" is the de-
yeopment Of character through many
years OF living; the strife of the young
generation with It's predecessors over the
same problems. The dramatists have
done their work simply and well. They
have suggested faithfully the spirit and
The habit OF each period with which they
Zeal The result is one of the most inter-
esting Of recent plays. The town and the
entire country will take to II. On one
Jay two OF three weeks ago five theatrical
companies left London TO act this play.
one company came to New York, another
Went 10 Chicago. three went to the Eng
hsh provinces" 'Mlestones" may not
mark Il dramatic era. but II marks a great
success. Although an English play. 1t is
human. Therein is It's appeal TO Amer
Yea. And il Is blessedly "untheatrical" A
WORD should be said in praise OF Miss
Margaret Macdona. who. In a small but
elective part in the third act, spoke
we'll In these days good speech is 80
rare on the stage that 1t should be noted
snen heard. "Milestones" is worth hear
mg-seeing, too. II rewards the evening.
A. w.
CAST OF "MLEsToNEs."