New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-10-07
4STH STREET THEATRE
"To-day," a New Play, by G.
Br0adhurSt and A. S. Schooner.
HAS POWERFUL LAST ACT
Drama of Vice for the Sake OF
Luxury-Needs Pruning to
Quicken Action.

Five minutes of superhuous dialogue cut
out OF each of its first three acts will 80
vastly improve the quality OF To-Day"
the four-act play, by George Broadhurst
and Abraham S. Schooner, produced last
night at the Forty-eighth Street Theatre.
that IL Is a wonder that this simple
operation was not performed before the
drama reached its first performance.
There is too much comic relief for its
own sake over and beyond what is need
ed to sketch in a lovable old German Cou-
pie. whose son. Frederick. has within
five years worked himself up. through
real estate specuations. from poverty to
atlluence all Of which goes to the ad lrn.
ment and the qualification OF the social
aspirations OF his young wife. Then
comes the crash. Frederick Wagner fall;
everything goes by the board. They must
start again at the bottom.
Father and Mother Wagner plain, hon
est. loving Germans. do everything IN
their power to help along the young
couple. who have gone back from house
in the Fifth avenue region to fiat on
the upper West Side. But the wife
misses the Injuries which had 80 quickly
become necessaries To her still more the
eXcitements and adulations Of the gay
social circle that has dropped her. She
broods. and finally. unable to Withstand
the lure of pretty things runs into debt.
Here the only one of her grand friends
who has remained faithful TO her with
an Interior purpose) approaches her with
plan by which she can pay her bills.
and secure all that her shallow nature
Graves.
There are discreet. luxurious apartments
in this city, where highly respectable
gentlemen OF great wealth meet handsome
young women whose husbands earnings
are insufficient TO satisfy their extrava-
CANT tastes. Lily Wagner recoils. horri-
fed then che listens and finally con-
sents. II is I'm the drawing room OF one
OF these apartments that her husband
finds her in the last act which grips the
interest and holds It I'LL the drop Of the
curtain.
one sees this is the social evil APP
preached from above instead OF from
below The plays purpose is to war
upon the extravaganza into which the
| women OF lO-DAy blt ~ 'Ho'tg i'N
until they are caught I'm n trap II IS
white slavery" OF another sort This
topic seems 10 have taken complete pos
session Of the minds and imaginations OF
our dramatists. and We shall no doubt
have 10 pass through season Of IT. To
Day" Is. however, good play, II only
the authors will cut out much Of the
comic dialogue and business Of the old
German couple. whose serious purpose.
that OF chorus commenting TO the audi
ence through each other upon ldlfs IN
creaslng command OF money and It's mys-
torious source. will thus be made far
more telling. The dialogue In general
bears the glittering stamp OF Mr.. Broad
huryts cleverness
AZ the young wife Emily Stevens gives
meritorious. consistent performance. a
really good character study. EDWIN
Arden. az the husband. plays with dig
nifty and strength. particularly I'm the last
act which makes severe demands upon
him. Theresa Maxwell Conoycr ss the
tcmptrcss. gave her cynical lines their
FUN value and Marie Wainwright was
convincing as the well bred. discreet
keeper OF a brothel OF another KIND
Alice Gale was. Of course. sympathetic
as well as amusing az the simple German
mother. Gus Wcinburg with a less con-
yincing accent. supported her more than
acceptably.
IA