New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-10-30
THE CAST.

NeyiI Ingraham .'''.'''''''', rohridge
rbnrlie Frost ,..............Wi William sampson
Mrs Frost Josephine ,n,,t
80 r,nJoeran ............. Vivian Martin
i H;acie pap,oSd ....... Allison Skipworth
H. pacLard ............ George w. HoWaru
Mrs oliver ....................A lexsndra oaiHS'
Tho three acts of Mrs. Anne Crawford
rlexner's farce, 1.-The Marriage Game
which was produced at the Comedy lhe-
atre last evening, are played on yacht
Three married couples, in various stages
Of disagreement, are aboard, ana the
owner of the yacht young Mr.. Nevil In
graham. is trying to smooth over their
differences and bring them together.
The acting was good, the characterize
ton easily grasped and amusing, ana the
genuinely bright and humorous lines sus-
pested certain ripeness OF experience
and observation not too often encouh~
tered I'm pieces of this kind. For the
greater part of two acts the auulehce
LAUGHED constantly, and with good reason
They laughed after that, too. but II III
not quite so wholehearted Iashion II
was because the action all at once snllteu
from the farcical key in when II hau
hitherto progressed, and the altogether
delightful lady about whom the run hau
revolved pIayed in an altogether delight
ful fashion by Miss Alexandra Carlisle
suddenly developed into quite another
sort OF person, from quite another part OF
the theatre word. Ethics and preaching
entered in, and although the audience
continued to be amused the spell OF per-
feet fun had been broken, and they never
know oIite where they were after that'
Young Ingraham was a bachelor, but
radoubtable Mr.. FiX-it so far as married
bappiness WAS concerned. He knew Ruie
No. and Rule No. ?, and so on, ana
was not in the least backward ABOUT
quoting them TO the married people OF
his acquaintance. He was particularly
concerned about the happiness OF MS
young married sister. who was aDsurdly
disagreeing with her husband, and sur
prised them into spending several days
together in his yacht, with the notion
that propinquity would smooth tner
childish differences over. To assist IN
this scheme he also inveigled aboard for
the cruise two other couples-the Frosts
and the Packards.
Mrs Packard was bridge fiend and Mr..
| Packard devoted himself to joy-riding
and they saw little of one another in con-
sequence. Mrs. Frost worried about her
unhappy husbands health-which was eN-
J cellent-and insisted On bundling him up
! i'm blankets and mustard plasters. All
very simple, to be sure, yet the dialogue
is so fresh and amusing and the parts so
well taken that the result is entertaining
enough. The unexpected guest is mys-
ferrous Mrs. oliver whom the dashing
Mr. Packard brings aboard thinking that
he is starting on a bachelor party. Ii Is a
bit odd and puzzlinG. to be sure, but Mrs.
! Oliver. as played by Miss Carlisle, is so
sweety distinguished lady, so much
more intelligent. beautiful, tacrful and
generally charming than anybody else on
| the stage that the spectator is willing to
| take her for granted and ENJOY her all the
more for the mystery.
Those who basked in Miss Carlisle's
charm when she appeared here few
years ago in that delicious little satire,
The Molusk"-a part she fitted so per-
| fectly that the amused spectator could
only surmise how much was art and how
| much mere personalty-will readily I'M
derstanG how enchanting she becomes on
Mr.. Ingraham's yacht, when it is ex-
planned that she conquers every one
aboard in the same quiet, apparently eff
fortress, way.
All the husbands are soon at her feet.
| Ingraham's sister is shown 10 be silly
| little spoiled child. and the other women
trcsome frumps, without the sense to
realize that they must keep themselves
attractive after marriage as they did be-
fore In the midst of this amusing How
of action it suddenly develops that the
duintessential Mrs. Oliver is, as they
used to say, no better than she ought 20
be; that she had intended to go with her
new acquaintance, Mr.. Packard, on a
cruise. thinking that they were going
ALONGSIDE would have objected terribly to
ANYTHING so rough as a crowd-and, In
| short, that she leads her own life," and
doesn't much care what one does, pro-
yided, as Hedda would say, it is done
beautifully
Now. lady may run away with gen.
tleman on yacht without in the least
spoiling a farce, provided you know soon
enough that she is going to do it and
things are arranged accordingly. But you
can't start her and the farce in one key
and that very light and whimsical one
and then suddenly turn about and make
the poor creature tense, speechifyins
heroine from realistic sociological
drama. II seemed especially hard on Miss
Carlisle. who always seems TO have drift
ed I'm from some elysan bourne where
there is neither toll nor spinning noI
worry about anything. And the cruelty
became frghtful just before the final cur
tain fell and Mr.. Orrin Johnson, as In
graham. had to come in and with speech
which might have been clipped from the
"Suryey" and not the slightest warning
that he entertained such sentiments Offer
his unconventional guest his heart ano
hand.
Possibly this hybrid technique will not
trouble future audiences, for last night
laughed even at joke about mothers-in
law. The scenes on the yacht were pict
uresaue. Mr.. William Sampson was very
amusing as the pestered Mr. F'rost-s
dryly humorous part, similar to some III
has had beforehand Miss Allison Skip
worth as the cigarette-cmoking bridg
aend, was particularly good. Miss Car
Isle was ineffable. but words fail wher
one approaches Miss Carlisle A. K.
LIFE OF TANGLED LIVES" ENDS
| ..ro,oiad ives the nlay nv Rutlp