New-York tribune., 1912-04-16
DEAR OLD CHARLIE"
Charles Hawtrey in BrookfieId's
Adaptation Of French Farce.
LIGHT PLAY WELL ACTED
First Night Audience Is Amused
at the Many Sprightly
Passages.

! :
comedian. who has not been in America
since his successful experience here In "A
Message from Mars" seven years ago, has
returned 70 present Charles Brookhelds
farce. Dear Old Charlie" The play was
seen last night for the first time in Ne"
York at the Maxine Elliott Theatre.
I Dear Old Charlie" has been the cause Of
! considerable discussion and even Of some
excitement in London, II reports are to he
believed II was first translated and adapt
! cd from tho French Of "Celimare lie Bien-
| Aimt." by I,abiche and Delacour, about
! four years ago. and was then presented at
! the Vaudeville Theatre. in London by
! Charles Hawtrey. Audiences In the Eng
! Iish metropolis found that the play had
| preserved it's French conscience. and they
were more than trife scandalized.
Mr.. Brookfeld, who has made an un
usually clever transposition Of a French
artificial farce. preserving its form ana
sparkIe. had 20 bear the responsibility Of
it's morals both at the time of the plays
/ first presentation and again lately, when
| Mr. Hawtrey revived the piece at the Prince
! OF Waless Theatre during the February
iust passed Now of course the situation
| IS far more grim for the dramatist. as he
IS Ironically enough, seated on the perllous
throne OF Play Censor of England.
Since the piece has come 10 these no
longer virgin shores with a raft of pecu-
Ilarly Anglo Saxon criticism about its NOR
! ality I'm tow-and with very little of any
other kind of crlticism-its theme and treat
ment have naturally enough become of trst
moment.
Well. then, the whole horrible affair is
this-dear old Charlie has had at least two
intrigues with respectable married sirens
before the opening of the play. When the
! curtain first goes IN, revealing Charhe
apartments In DE Grey Mansions, he Is
| about TO marry an adorable young bud.
Three acts Of capitally bult-up farce
! then follow. I'm which bonnie Charlie. with
discovery always imminent successfully
keeps all knowledge Of his past not only
from his bride. his father-n-law and his
I uother-in-law. but from the husbands ot
the two women by whom and on whose ac-
count his background was ''purpled.'
The preserving OF this secret involves
many amusing situations but the play does
not depend on situation alone for It's com
edy IT has fine sense of nonsense IN th'
exposition Of character. Rather natural
i
and without very much extravaganza 2.
language or emotion. have keen WhlI'
light OF playful satire thrown on them from
some source or other that il IS trlfie diin-
cult to trace. Perhaps they shed II OF
themselves. II Is seldom that farce-ahd
. broad farce at that's made 50 quiet, yet
so full OF suggestion
The morals Of a situation in play eVi-
IDENTITY do not depend-as has been devoted
.ly hoped and bclieved-on the treatment
nor upon the happy ignorance OF the play
wright that he Sc offending. For II they
did no fault could have been found with
Mr. BrookGeds French play. For IT'S mood
ia of the llghtest. its wording OF the most
discreet. IT'S spirits irrepTessible and lts
humanity most generous. II trips as light
Ily over the depths of reality as properly
chosen and properly thrown peDoie sAI"s
and skps over "A smooth pond.
II seems hardly possible that Dear Old
Charlie" will be frowned upon here for its
tone II il not imaginable IN view Of some
iother PLAYS that are now finding favor
Ihorc. The little farce Is very much more
likely 10 lie found insufficient In substance
by theatregoers who have grown TO need
and 70 demand only those plays that greet
a
has no punch" Sometimes plays might
J fantastically be likened TO perfumes. some
,perfumes have punch" IT cannot be de-
] MED. Others-aud these after all are more
powerful ones-are merely dclicately per
meating.
Charlie. whom every one loved, was capi-
tallv played by Mr.. Hawtrey. his qu''t
! restraint-he never even raised MS VOC
beyond a natural tonc-had IN II an ar OF
suspense. often of unawareness, that mdue
fine comedy He has the trick OF looAHls
into his audience; he seems often TO sl"sle
out special members of II 10 share coilA-
dences with. This method usually breaks
the sense OF reality. and Is not much liked
here. Perhaps the style OF the play more
or less forces the actor TO II. though az
there are several passages-and TINS u
thing that American plays have done Wen
70 abolish altogether-in which a character
alone on the stage INDUCES in explanatory
renectlous He must say things that obN-
ousiv ne would not say TO himself: conse-
ouently he says them TO the audience.
rbe other members o. the company. ell
of whom are English actors who played
with Mr. Hawtrey during the recent pres
entatIon OF the same piece in London.
pIayed their parts with finish and discre-
ton.
Mr.. Hawtrey. being called upon to MAKE
a speech at the end OF the second act
gracefully observed that, although the CITY
was SO changed since his former visit that
he could hardly recognize II. the welcome
which greeted him was quite the same in
warmth and generosity
CAST or DEAR OLD CHARLIE"