The Washington times., 1913-09-30
SK|NNERR[TURNS
IN GREAT "K|SMET"
Star Lives Part of Beggar Hal,
in Wonderful Story OF
Arabian Nights.

As long as there are children Otis
Skinner will have a good siZod audience
for "kismet,'' the story Edward Knob
LAUGH cut right out of the heart Of Bag
dad of the Arabian nights
The curtain rises on the two beggars
sitting in the dirty little street in theiI
rags, everything is an indtscrimlnate
dust color except the VIVID briinan'
patch Of blue sky which shows over the
turreted top of a distant building. Hal
has sat before the Mosque of the Car
penters for many years; ne is waiting
Tor fate to send MIN his enemy, rawan,
who stole his wife and murdered MS
son. Each day, each minute Is lived as
IL it is the last, Aims. for the love or
Allah" he whines, and beseaches t1s-
met will send Jawan into his hands.
Then Meets Enemy.
out from the mosque comes one who
is old and feeble, wealthy. sinner
seeking news of his son, he accosts
Hal and after the beggar has given him
a civil reply reveals himself as Jawan-
Contemptuously he throws down q
purse of gold for his troubles, and un-
able to do more than curse, Hal Is
stricken with rage, but-afterall, gold ls
good Ii is needful, and Jawan here IN
Bagdad after all these years-as s1ft
sent by Allah he takes the money, not
as aims, but as weapon to use against
his enemy in his search for him. Fine
raiment Is bought-he buys some, but
seeing that It is easy to slip away
1t is Kismet again-without paying-off
he goes.
before the Wasir Mansur, chief OF po.
lice to save his life he promises 20 kill
the Caliph. give his daughter In mar
rage to Mansur, and his day and night
Of kaleidoscope adventures have be-
gun.
Over the garden wall. after the man
ner of all lovers, comes one youth OF
exceeding fairness wooing Marsinah.
the beautiful daughter of Hal. who Is
hidden in the little courtyard with the
old woman-Haj calls her cactus
Narjis. The youth is none other than
the young Caliph, but none know-he
wooes as the gardner's son, and the
little heart of Msrsinah Is his.
With Kismet working overtime. mar
sinah is carried to wed Mansur. Hal is
in the palace of the Caliph. Caught in
his attempt to kill the Caltph. he fs
thrown into a dungeon with none other
than his old enemy, Jawan, the desire
is good. die content" He makes way
with the old Jawan. escapes In his
litter and back again into the Caliph's
palace to wreak his vengeance upon
ManSur. From the neck OF the dead
Jawan he has taken the hand of Fatma.
Kismet again. for this will save his
life and enable him to kill Mansur-
drown him in the pool of the harem
and to count the bubbles as they rise.
Skinner Lives Part.
Otis Skinner lives In the part of the
beggar, Hal. A boy in the land of chill
dren. Hal is philosopher. He lives in
the minute and IL Allah is good, 1t Is
well-f not-he is good.
Color is as varied and vivid as the
rainbow. but put on with no blundering
hand. shimmering silks In blue greens
quiver in the lights, the backgrounds
are neutral, and the colors of the pea
cock are repeated in thousand diff
ferent tones
Curtain waits are very short. but the
whole play is long. Hal is the charac-
ter study of fine workmanship, the
cameo attraction of the piece, but the
work of all the many others in the cast
Is highly satisfactory.