Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-22

A
~ on hand at the present moment
in "Blackbirds.' daring eifor.
IN combine the destinations OF
rho thief play with the conventional nu'
powerful appeal OF trite sermonlzhs' WI
Miller has a facile command VI S"e
artistry which knows how 10 teirpei q"
equally large equipment OF auoacltS III
theme. where the response OF the III 81
few audiences is not satisfactory
Great Divide seasons ago, was careluhs
revised and deftly tempered In expressioh
until the unqualified disapproval IL met
with for the first few weeks was changed
to ringing demonstrations OF appreciation.
Mr.. Miller has the art of letting the puo-
lie help him reconstruct his plays. rms
IS no great injustice to those VINO come
early and avoid the rush, for even when
he has not polished his expression In ac-
cordance with the requirements of popu-
lar taste as he finds it he is sure to have
something interesting to convey. 1t Is
law laid down by current fiction that a
story or play must have "a punch. In
"BIackbirds'' a prayer rug is made to do
duty as the punch
An authority states that punch IS
mixture composed largely of ardent spir-
its and lemon Care must be taken not
10 have the ardor too raw and yet not
to allow the lemon to predominant.
The most important parsonage in the
story is the grandmother who makes the
oriental prayer rug the subject of
moral appeal so impressive that 1t re-
forms a young girl bred to the evasion
of the Ten Commandments and the po-
lice as a rule of existence. The impress
sion at the moment is profound. The
grandmother Is the autocrat of the scene.
What she says carries weight with the
audience even as with the characters OF
the play Second thought reveals host
OF contradicting considerations.
The prayer rug is a symbol, not of
Christian faith such the dear elderly
lady relies on, but emblem of Mo-
hammedanism. Some of the prayers ut
tered on ii were doubtless for success
in annihilating Christians.
AS a matter of superstition its appeal
would hardly be forceful with girl
whose education in keeping her nerve
under trying conditions had been so care
full and systematic.
The young lady who figures as the
heroine is of the type usually associated
with alert. analytical mentality. She is
a rosy blond, quick of decision and prac-
teal in her conclusions. Superstitious
impressionability would be more naturally
expected in one of the Latin or oriental
type
A fundamental principle of romantic
fiction is violated in subordinating a
womans solicitude for the safety of the
man she loves TO a sense of abstract
moral duty. The struggle between love
and religious conviction is a theme often
presented, but to make the presentation
plausible motives of the most powerful
and important character are required.
Grandma and the rug constitute the
dead center of the plot mechanism in
''Blackbirds" The most delicate skill Is
required and is being exercised in get
ting momentum of interest and SYM
patty that will carry the action along to
the final scene which witnesses prepara-
lions for extensive journeying for which
the clever author. Mr.. Smith. has. by an
oversight neglected to supply funds. For
tunately an auditor is so grateful for an
evening of truly clever dialogue, smooth
stage management and fine acting that
he disdains to transform himself into
a juror and cavil about matters invoiv-
ing "a reasonable doubt. The Witch
ing Hour is famous example of the
manner in which a plot which in bare
description seems a hopeless absurdity
becomes a pulsing reality when seen
under the influence of consummate stage
artistry. And the artistry OF expression
in ''Blackbirds'' is beyond reproach
There is no of declaiming against
the crime play and its moral influence. 1t
has a clientele which will not desert it.
Ii is largely a choice between the thief
hero or the musical comedy heroine. II
il isn't Rallies il is bound To be ruffies
The players who presented The Drone"
at variance in method with what
ne American stage has grown accus-
omed TO. Their art is precision at the
Expense of spontaneity. The little play
IA which they appear eXcites neither
rhapsody nor resentment. 1t is pic
-ure carefully prepared with an exacti-
ude of technique that claims admiration
without averting the sense of painstaking
Illusion
The Pink Lady renewed Old admira-
.ions-an example OF genuine art ex-
pressed in musical comedy form.
PHII4ANDER JOHNSON.