The Washington herald., 1913-04-27
The Secret of Warfield's
Grip on American Public
His intuitipe and Trained Sense of Pantomime-His
Very Attitudes Express Emotion More Potently
Than Words of Other Actors.

in the doorway looking at the picture OF
the woman who had been his wife, but
who had deserted him, and afterward
died? 1t was the first time he had looked
upon her face for many years. The
scene was a spiritual tragedy. Yet 1t
had to be expressed by an attitude. for
Mr. warfeld stood with his back to the
audience and looked at the picture for
what seemed a long time, but which
probably was only ten or twelve sec
onds.
The audience didn't know 1t. but II
was what was taking place In the ac-
tors heart and expressed in his face
that went through his back to his audi
ence He looked at the picture with a
smile so forgiving and so sad that the
audience felt 1t, and many took out their
handkerchiefs and wiped away tear.
In the second act Of THE Return Of
Peter Grimm when love brings Peter
back in an agony of effort to deliver his
message, Mr.. Warfeld stands for fifty
minutes apparently still in the back
ground, yet during every moment OF his
apparently fixed presence he is moving
in heart and soul with the characters
on the stage, and 1t is this fact which
holds his audience tense. He Is trying
to give his message through little
frightened boy to Katy. and 1t seems as
IL it can never be delivered. The audi
ence is as eager as Peter Grimm to have
his message understood, and wishes that
he you'd cry out and make them hear.
Through II all Mr.. Warfeld. as Peter.
must feel and show that he is dominat-
ing the stage every moment and causing
each person in their hearts to hear him.
The mediumistic scene from THE Re-
turn of Peter Grimm" is the best exam
al af "a
meaning of silent acting and its pene-
trating power.
The appearance Of Sam Bernard In "All
for the Ladies' at the Belasco this
week promises a lively time. the pasce
being a made-over French farce q
which Mr.. Bernard is said to have tAS
best character role since his Hagen
heimer. The company and production
comes to Washington direct from a five
months engagement at the Lyric The
alter, New York In its original form
"All for the Ladies" claimed the atten-
ton Of the French capital for two years.
AS the German filter OF a French
dressmaking establishment Sam Bernard
is said to turn his gift Of farce into
good account. which statement may be
relied upon, for Mr.. Bernard is to my
notion. one OF the funniest men on the
stage.
Edwin H. Curtis, who returned as
stage director Of the Columbia Players
for the opening Of the Columbia stock
season, has gone over to the Poll force,
having signed a fifty-two weeks con-
tract to stage the productions at the
Avenue playhouse. He succeeds George
E. Lask, who has been transferred to
Hartford, Conn, to direct Mr.. Polls
stock company there.
The production of His House IN Or
DER" the offering of the Columbia Play
ers this week, has been under the per-
sonal direction of Mr.. Fred Berger, who
is awaiting the arrival of Harry An
drews, last summers popular director Of
the Poll company, who returns to Wash
ington this week to direct the Columbia
Players during the stock season. Mr..
Andrews went to Bridgeport when the
Poll stock closed here last fall. but later
left the Poll management to assume con-
troll of the Colonial Theater Stock Com
pany in Salt Lake City, from which en-
gagement he now returns to the Cap
ital.