The Washington times., 1913-02-25
7 GRADED by the Paris critics
as one OF the best things that
i Bernstein, author of THE

ERALDED Dy the Paris critics
~ as one OF the best things that
Bernstein, author of THE
Thief and other notable plays
has ever done. 1.-THE Attack" was seen
last night in the National Theater with
John Mason In the role of Alexander
Merital. French politician of the self
| made type. 1t seems a pity that Mason.
whom we, have all admired for his woE-
derfully excellent work in ''The Witch
ing Hour "What Man Thinks" and
other meritorious plays, should have
been chosen ito interpret such a char
acter as that Of the man he represented
last night in this newest vehicle.
Frankly. John Mason is too good for
THE Attack" Perhaps In its French
form It may have been less severely
''talky," but after listening for three
hours to the play in its Amcricanized
shape, one can only look at ones neigh
Dor and inquire what it is all about.
and the reason for its existence. One
thing that can be said in its credit is
that II js unlike the usual run of French
plays. in that it has no suggestion of
the eternal triangle, and is perfectly
proper. But nobody can deny that It
is preachy In the extreme.
In the third act 1t took exactly twelve
minutes by the watch for the hero to
tell the heroine all about his past life.
which could have been told in sixty
words as we'll He tells 1t to the young
girl who loves him and has asked him
to marry her, while she sits absolutely
still n "psfience !; on Inos,1nsnr'
attitude listening to him, clasping and
unclasping her hands while he rambles
on about the 1000 francs which he stole
when a young man, and which he paid
back, and which should have been for
gotten long, long ago.. but which a;
nasty newspaper has raked up out or
the ashes Of his past, and has utilized
as a campaign document.
He tells the story with all of its har-
rowing details. He came heme one day
and fonnd his delicate, young wife
scrubbing the floor. and this, coupled
with the fact that a child was about to
be born to them, drove him into
frenzy of agony, which forced him back
to the office of his employer, where he
opened a letter and extracted the 400
francs which paid his debts and brought
comfort to the wife, who died soon aft
erward. Twelve minutes of tears. only
such as John Mason can shed! And Yet
somehow the audience falls to sympa-
thize with the comfortable looking,
middle-aged gentleman who succeeds in
making this scene reek with agony.
John Mason is a splendid actor, but
The Attack is not the play suited for
his brilliant talents. There Is one eN-
ceIlent scene In the play, that between
the two senators, Merital and Frepeau,
a role admirably played by Sidney Her
bert. Frepeau Is a hypocrite, spare of
figure and gaunt Of visage. but carry
ing with him an air of French pro-
priety. After Mr.. Mason mas finished
with him., he has changed from the
oily. tongued' rascal, into a withered,
trembling old man. frightened sick at
the discovery of and unmasking OF his
own hypocracy. s.
AT the beginning Of the story of THE
Attack the audience finds Mason I'm
the role of Merital. bysily engaged in
making a match between a very pretty
young girl. Renee de Rould. who is
visitor in his home. and his son. He
has a long talk with the girl and dis
covers that, instead of being i'll love
with his son, she is really in love with
him. In a scene of native simplicity
she asks Merital to marry her. SO that
they shall never be separated. This Is
the June and November love story
about which the plot Of the play Is
spun.
He tells her that he can never marry