New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-09-29
A PLAY ABOUT A SNEAK
Arnold Daily Acts Well in an
lnSufferabIe Character.
STEVE" BY J. T. M'INTYRE
Curious Entertainment at the
Harris Theatre-Not Much
to Commend It.

VI the many parts played by Arnold
DAILY. the one he played last night NJ the
Harris Theatre Is the least likely to at
tract the public. This IS not because he
did not act well. He acted very well
But the part IS repulsIvc. Steve, in the
play of that name. Is n sneak. a cheat. a
coward. an impostor. an impostor in his
own family; he Is without any trace OF a
redeeminG trait He mist be the meanest
specimen of humanity ever depicted on
the stage But he is the principal person
In Mr.. John T. Mclntyre's play. Mr. Nc
1ntyre was misguided when he made sucn
a character the central figure in play.
( An audience must find something TO sym
pathlze with In a character which
dramatst and star believe to be of so
much Importance. Any audience will
wish to throw bricks a. Steve, or to choke
him. The better Arnold Daily acts the
part the more repellant Steve becomes.
Steve Brown, in appearance and man
ner, Is typical young cub Of New York
slangy. insoent, ignorant ''dressy,"
sneering. loud, "a four iusher." In
morals he is the last word-he nas none.
His brother Tom describes him as "a
Smell ON Ndb a lOliE lllilt ulHCp|tlluS
that there was nothing inside the shell.
So was Molly. the young girl TO whom
Tom vas engaged. So was Mrs Brown,
the mother OF the two young men-or Of
Tom. who is a man, and Of Steve, the
Shell"
Tom Is a big, generous, soft-hesrted'
slowspoken fellow VINO Is bes-nnlng 10
prosper a little In his teaming business.
Steve borrows money from him every
week. Steve never saves anything that
he earns In shady brokers' office. He
tries to borrow from his brother the
money for the expenses Of his wedding
tourney. Torn can't afford. All his money
is tied up just now I'm his business. Steve
tries a trick. With the connivance of his
employer Pike, who must have been the
original "piker." he pretends that he has
stolen $500 from the office, and that Pike
will have him arrested before night II
the money Is not refunded The pair
count upon Tom putting up" the money
to save Steve. Tom can't do ii. But Tom
is the treasurer of the Draymen's AsSo-
citation. Steve and his mother try to per
suade Tom to take the money from the
funds OF the association They will work
overtime 10 repay the loan" they will
economize, and all the rest u. Their per-
suasicn IS useless. Then Molly tries. ana
Tom Yields. All Of which is likely story
the mother urging her son 10 become
thief. the girl being the insJigator. These
are supposed TO be honest folks, MIND
There s a scene which the author meant
10 be powerful. and which he may still
think is so. IN which all this Is brought
about. Emotion is drawn up I'm buckets
ful. But nothing Genes ~ II because the
audience won't be tTicked by a device so
flm5y. If Steve had stolen from Pike the
audience might have yielded It's tears,
not on hi. account, but for his mother
sake and the girls. But they dissent
when the mother turns on Tom, calls
him heartless and selfish, and urges him
10 embezzle, and they resent the girls
weeping because she thinks she can't
persuade her broth,r-in-law-to-b 20 en-
eezzle the expenses Of her wedding jour
ney. And she does take on So, In an ex-
aggerated theatrical way. The unrea.ity
Of the episode starcs you Ia the face and
laughs at you. The audience is tempted
10 laugh back. II yielded 10 the tcmpta-
ton.
The affair vas bad enough when
Steve put up" the trick on his mother
and his brother and his sweetheart. II
becomes an alfront TO the intelligence
of the audience when the mother ana
the girl set Tom on 10 embezzlement
and denounce him for not doing IL read
lily and gracefully.
81. gtr 81 Cd
around the continent. 1t must be two
years since it was tried at Atlantic city
under another name. THE Wedding
Journey" II has been handled and re-
handled since then in various places.
Now IL makes another struggle Tor Ire
in New York. Probably the author ana
the star do not see It's weakness. but
last nights audience saw 1t quickly
enough The star saw "A star part, or
what he hoped would become star
mart But a character without one re-
deeming feature cannot by any acting
attract the public And so Arnold
Daly's work, quite n remarkable piece
of work IS thrown away. The better
ne works the worse ne makes the case.
steve was his mothers favorite. and
he drew tDc HlIt'liOlIo VI tii' b'''f -'O''''
bacause Of his sunny, cheerful ways, ac'
cordiug 10 the lines. 1t Is here that
Arnold DAILY fails to embody trait
unon which the lines repeatedly Insist
His Steve's smiles would never have
deIuded Mother Brown or Molly or
ariIeIess brother Tom. He is an lnSO-
ieut selfish scamp, without tire courage
10 he q rascal. DAILY takes that view OF
rim and plays him accordingly, ana IN
that vein plays him thoroughly but
why play him at all? ,...
The author has to learn the rudlmenls
~ The art OF attracting and holding the
st,,nnathy Of AN audience. His emotions
End effects are hopeless ~ twisted He
~ knack OF writing but knack does
not make drama. Apart from Arnold
Ualv's clever portrayal Of selfish
mean entirely contemplate. mannerless
cwh The only acting that calls for Spe-
ciai comment is that Of Alphonz Either,
ycho in spite OF his name gives thor
onehIv American touch to- Tom. But his
nom was more like a slow, good ma
tired farmer than n rising young con-
tractor In Gotham. However, he did
yell and he drew the 3ympathy which
wa c denied 20 the others. a. W.
CAST OF STEVE"
Tom Observation-Disclosures. Alphonz hthiyI
steve OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. Arnold lJaly
PIKE OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. Edwafh NC hit
Csptain Pitzer ........'.... william Nathrtr
SfoiIv ..............,.. Miss Josephine Victor
Mrs. Brown 49,. 800, MISS JaIs "a''0''
1.-THE BRUTE" ANNOUNCED !