New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-26
NINE. S|MONE RETURNS
Is Charming in Louis N. Park
er'S "The Paper Chase"
PLAY HAS GRACE
Reveals Finesse in the Lights
and Shadows of
Comedy.

Nine. Simone, turned Coincidence, is
delightful stage personality. Her inspir-
ing ability to keep her head and hold the
situation in the palm of her hand under
any and all circumstances is as true OF
her in the fantastic subtlety Of comedy
as il is IN the deeper pitch Of emotional
acting. Her decisiveness is not the kind
that shows lack of imagination. 1t Is
merely a result Of a complete self-conh-
dence, and for this reason is both stimu-
lating and exciting.
In Louis n. Parkers latest play, The
Paper Chase" in which Nine simohe
appeared at Wallack's for the first time
last night, the French actress has good
part 1t is sketchy in fits lines. In fact
q leaves everything to the actress and
is, therefore, a capital acting part-for
the right person.
Rettina, Baroness Won Schoenberg' Is
the adorable wretch" who laughs rear
swev over the curve OF her fan and out
wits courtiers and statesmen by be-
wiIdering persistence in openly telling the
truth. It is at the court OF Nersailles III
1850. The Austrian princess then queen
Of France is threatened by the Req Cap
Club, a band of revolutionaries, headed oS
no less terrible eminence than the DUKE
of Ricbelieu. The duke had made out
ust of the secret members OF this or
SANITATION and detailed a plot then In
proiect against the queen. Bettina, the
Austrian baroness and loyal friend OF
the queen, stole this valuable paper at
the court ball the night before the play
opens. and all four acts Of the comedy
devote themselves whole-heartedly to an
attempt to get It away from her. Rich
ellen himself. aided by the Marquis OF
Joyeuse, lead the chase for the MOBILES IN
volved, while the common Red Caps are
headed by Boehmer. the jeweller, a Pa
rjsian from the streets. The Marquis OF
Belange, who Is really loyal subject OF
his sovereigns, fnds himself, alas! IN
volved in the paper chase to save the wire
Of Joyeuse, whose name is on the 1atai
ust RELIANCE had thought himself In
lo,o with the marchioness before ne
caught sight Of q certain yellow Domino
AT the court ball All during the evening
no had followed this masked figure. lie
had talked with her and oanceo
With her How could he know that
tho yellow domino enveloped the Count
ess Won Schoenberg, who mao sIoien
Richelieu's papers? Nor did he Kno" the
identity of the lovely phantom 10 "hoii
he gave his heart until after ne hau
searched the baroness's rooms LOT Tue
paper and failed TO find it. For durins ms
eagrcb he dropped his monogrammeo
handkerchief there, and Bettina, YER
table sherlock Holmes in her way, having
figured everything out, called on Belange'
anDouucing herself as The Yellow DOM
mo played with him, let him confess MS
love then told him who she was.
She had duped him. In his rage he drew
mr., an order committing her to the Bastiile.
pofore she left him, however, he had
promised to go with her 10 Austria Oh t'e
following day. and she had PROMISED MN
that she would appear at his dinner party
on the same evening and beard the Duke
o. Richelieu and all the paper chasers'
Meantime another polite raid is made on
the baroness's apartments, and by none
other than the false Belange' VINO
haunted by the fear that his beloved had
mt told him the truth about where she
baA hidden the paper, dropped in through
the window TO see. The other paper
chasers come and surprise them me
paper is searched for and FOUND. But
not where she had said. False woman
outyitted! The curtain dropped TO niue
her shame. But when It rose TO reveal
Rettina at Belange's dinner party II also
revealed the witty woman triumphant
for the chasers had hunted iorseo
document 10 it's lair. while the real one
bad lain inst where she had told them II
was all the time
Thu NAV IL a Watteau-full OF arch
coouetry, playful falseness, color hght
and laughter. It's author calls IL on the
programme IAN irresponsible COMEDY
And that Is a pity. Perhaps he had
prophetic feeling that folks were going 10
tell him that his historical play was Dad
history because things did not happen as
he wrote, and bad play because Things
could not happen as he wrote. Hence
irresponsible. Who cares about either
history or probability in q comedy? The
object Of the poet-drsmatst-and surely
Mr. Parker has shown himself TO be all
of that's to create feeling and an at
mosphere. II he is making comedy,
nothing more could be asked of him than
that he create the genuine comedy mood
the shadow-chasing, enchanting, teasing
mood OF comedy. This he has done capt.
tally In THE Paper Chase" and Nine.
Slmone has made of Bettina Won Schoen-
berg a truly historical figure. more genu-
Inc IN the historical memory of the play
goer than a dozen histories and state
documents could make Of her. Besides
which achievement 6imone never looked
more charming. In white wig and one
black patch, well placed, in costumes ct
the period OF varying but well chosen
coors, she was a figure Of complete sat
isfaction.
Julian IIEstrange also found his meter
In the costumes of France in 1850. As the
MARQUIS OF Belange he showed almost
reason enough why such as Bettina should
announce her marriage TO him before he
had so much as hidden her to the feast
Edgar Kent aimed at distinction In the
role Of Richelieu In part, he achieved II.
Pauline Frederick was good looking III
tle mink as the jealous marchioness, Whlle
Bettina's maid. Manon, was done with the
proper falseness by Carmen Nesville.
a - h0E