The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-11-25
"WHAT Ais YOU" FAILED
TO SCORE AT PREMIERE
ny EMORY b. CALVERT.

ny EMORY b. CALVERT.
New York. Nov. "A play whose trag-
edy is SO old it is immortal. and there
| fore scarcely needs reviewing, and a sec
ond offering whose comedy is so new as
to be unripe. marked the opening Of the
present week in the New York theaters.
Hamlet"
The production whereof we speak first
is Hamlet" which Mr.. John z. KelIerd
has chosen to begin a season of classical
drama at the Garden Theater. Mr.. KEEL
Ierd himself acted the man prince at the
premier on Monday night, performing
| that difficult role with cOnsidera BILE
merit.
He has surrounded himself with an eX-
ceIIent company. though his production
showed no new scenic beauties or IN
suspected heights Of tragedy. In his
cast were Elwyn Eaton. who presented
a highly conventional Polonius; A. Stew
enson. who played King Charles, and
Theodore Roberts. who played the ghost.
"What Ais You."
The unripe farce already mentioned
was staged in the Criterion. also on
Monday night. II was entitled What
Ais Your" and bore on its programme
the information that Rupert Hughes was
to be credited. or blamed. for It's author
ship
What Ais You" might be termed
farce Of the new school. For a long
time there has been an evident trend
among the knights OF the quill to lay the
ancient comedy OF quick action and witty
lines in the moth balls and to substitute
a farce whose construction takes on the
disintegrated interest OF a vaudeville
performance.
What Ais YOU is a fine example of
this new farce construction, though it
is significant that it distinctly failed to
score at Its premier.
The action of the piece begins in the
dining-room OF the St Ritz. Here mem
bers from every status OF society are
gathered about the tables, and here also
do they all agree to repair to Medilrs
sanatorium for reasons both external
and internal.
The second act finds them there in
the gymnasium. and the third act trOts
them across country on a twenty-mile
chase after a comic situation. AS COM
edy is VIGOROUSLY lght-footed it can
not be held as strange that they never
even get within speaking distance of
her
Mr.. Hughes has so loosely strung the
pearls OF humOr on his storys thread
that much OF the fun OF the piece rests
with the typical selection of the char
acters. Thus it is that many a good
laugh Is wasted on one individual who
weighs close to 800 pounds, and on his
fellow-actor. who scales but ninety three.
So little progress was made with
what Ais YOU" that it seems almost
criminal to name those actors and &C
tresses. who played parts in its cast.
1t might be mentioned, however, that
Shelley Hull, William. Courtleigh, Mar
garet Skirvin. and George McGrath are
among those whose fair regulations suf-
fered most.
"Never Say DIE"
To turn from the mortuary gloom that
enshrouded the Criterion to the ready
laughter OF a William Collier play is
pleasant occupation. The play we have
in mind is Never Say Die" which had
its New York premiere at the Forty
eighth Street Theater on Tuesday even
Ing.
Collier ranks high among latter-day
comedians. He has that faculty OF TAX
ing nonsense that is one OF the rarcst
gifts within the province OF the Maker.
And with this faculty ever at his COM
mand he never fails to please.
It was no surprise. therefore, that
greeted the readers of Wednesday morn
ing's papers. when they read OF the hit
he scored in Never Say Die on the
previous evening
Never Say Die" which had the stamp
OF Washington approval a few weeks
ago, was fully reviewed in these col
ums at that time.
"The Red PettIcont."
A rbrettoed. Iyricized musicalizaton OF
Rida johnson Young's "Next." which saw
the light Of short time last year. was
produced on Wednesday night at Daily $
Theater under the title Of The Red Pet
tcoat" The first two operations were
performed by Mrs. Young and Paul
West. and the music was supplied by
Jerome d. Kern
THE Red Petticoat' in every way
proved a pleasant and entertaining musi-
cal comedy. It revolved about the ad-
vent of a woman barber in a little West
ern mining camp-one of those places
where the men all dress in correct khaki
outing suits and talk regardless
The woman barber. Sophie Brush, who
is Miss Helen Lowell of the stage, en-
tiers the camp amid the jeers Of its male
inhabitants and remains to be its idol.
Before a week is past she has the boys
all nicely shaved. manicured, and drilled
into a polite bodyguard. The possibilities
for a woman barber seems to be good in
the West.
Miss Lowell made a distinct hit as the
barberess. as did Donald Macdonald, a
juvenile, who danced and sang well and
is sure to be heard from in the future.