The Washington herald., 1913-10-19
BOOTH THEATER HAS
SPLENDID OPENING
Winthrop Ames Dedieates New Play
house with Arnold Bennett

New York. Oct. 17.-It seemed TO be the
unaI1mouss opinion that the Booth The
ater that Mr. Winthrop Ames opened
asst night with Mr.. Arnold Benefits play
The Great Adventure" is the hand-
Iomest playhouse in New York. II stands
At the corner of Forty-fifth street and
he private street that bisects the block
lust back of the Astor Hotel. Named
after the illustrious actor and housing
pictures, a bust and playbills OF Booth
L Is the second playhouse Mr.. Ames has
ouilt here, the other being the Little
Fheater.
Its interior is exquisite In color scheme,
being wainscoted in oak stained drift
wood gray, Offset by mulberry curtains
and upholstery. The curtain is a mosaic
effect, showing a fountain in moonlight
against a mulberry colored background.
The chairs are comfortable and the light
hg is subdued and beautiful.
There is a balcony, high above the or
ehestra floor, and no gallery. In the base
nent is a lounging room that is artisti-
cally furnished and paneled. 1t is quite
a large theater. but SO much room has
been devoted to the cause of comfort
that it seats less than 700 The boxes
are projections of the balcony only, the
lower floor being free of boxes Sim
plicity has ruled in the design OF the
proscenium arch, but IL is of fine, ample
proportions. In a word, it is a beautiful
playhouse, built apparently with deeper
thought for the comfort of its patrons
than with keen eye for the box office
possibilities. "
Now as to the play. "The Great Ad-
venture is Mr.. Benefits dramatization
Of his own novel, Buried Alive" The
book is not recent by any means, but
the play was first produced in London
last March and achieved success. 1t
deals with a case of mistaken identity
like THE Temperamental Journey"
which is being played at the Republic
Theater, and which in the original
French was produced in Paris a year
before 1.-THE Great Adventure" was done
in London. The similarity between these
two plays is only that both tell of an
artist who is believed to be dead and
buried with pomp and is later discovered
alive. There all resemblance ends.
In '"The Great Adventure" the English
artist, liam Carve, a famous painter.
noted for his shyness, is mistaken for his
valet. who is stricken with pneumonia.
When the valet dies and is buried in
Westminster Abey under the name of
liam Carve the real Carve is too shy to
rectify the mistake He also seems to
enjoy it. He meets a woman with whom
the valet had been corresponding through
4 matrimonial agency and marries her.
She is a simple, businessltke, thrifty
soul, who makes him very happy, and
his past would never have been discov-
cred but for the fact that he continues
TO paint, and an art expert finds him out.
Threatened with a lawsuit as to his
Identity, he finally reveals himself as
being Calve by showing two moles on
his neck.
The play is in four acts, and during |
three of them it drags. The audience |
was indulgent, and after the third act |
called the principals, Miss Janet Beecher |
and Mr.. Lyn Harding, before the cur |
tain.
The final act was a brilliant bit of
writing. brilliantly acted. If Mr.. Bennett |
had proved himself Mr.. Bennett for three I
acts, he surely showed all the George |
Bernard Shawian tricks of argument and
dialogue in the last. This delightful bit
0f comedy writing more than atoned for
The early acts, which were episode, there |
being two scenes in each and a lapse of
time between each scene. The passing of
time was announced in a novel manner,
an electric sign on the dark stage max
ing such announcements as: -Four Days
Pass" flashed while the dark stage was
being set.
The handling of the scenery was flaw
ess and the stage pictures were effective
md we'll lighted
The cast was generally good.