New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-07
"BLACKB|RDS"
Another Crook Play with a
Queer Kink at LyCeum.
ABOUT A PRAYER RUG
Through Which the Underworld
Gets Religion and Plays Rou-
lette for an Honest Living.

lette Tor an Honest Living.
An odd little point about "Backbirds,"
presented at the Lyceum last night, was
that il ended where most plays begin.
1t ended with the first dramatic situation
of the evening. With the hero in full
fight down the outside wall of Detroit
mansion, the heroine left behind in the
moonlight. praying for new life for
them both in Nome, and the police about
to rush into the room, the curtain falls.
Is this kind way to send an audience
out into the night?
The play opens with a rather charming
theory 1t is just this: IL you are born
an illegitimate son of proud Englsh
earl and find yourself on that account
inhosptably received by a cold world,
that same world owes you a living. But
not all the world. Only those people owe
il to you who are newly rich and there
fore snobs who are cruel to their grand
ma. Or If you are not the near-son OF
an English earl, but the sure-enough
daughter of man who makes false
money" and are brought up TO smugsle
goods past Mr.. Loeb, the world also owes
you living. and on precisely the same
terms as though you were the other
thing
In "Blackbirds" the almost son ana the
altogether daughter meet and love on
westbound Atlantic liner Each as
su,nes from evidence OF dress, manner
and department that the other belongs 10
the nobility. They also meet one OF
those families which owes them living
II is an "Amurrican" family of the type
Hoyt made famous several seasons ago
They have no ancestors except grand
mother. who gives them a social black
eye whenever she appears. But they have
enough money to buy out the French gov
eminent and they seek culture Fair
game for those to whom the world Is In
debt
The two blackblrds. after they have
discovered each other and agreed TO work
together FOR life, proceed to Detroit as
invited guests Of their debtors. and both
endeavor to extract payment after their
particular bent. The crook tries 10 get
advance moneys on an alliance between
his illustrious brother. Lord Llewellyn
Trask. and the daughter OF his host. while
the crookess steals a 40.0J0-g ulden prayer
rug which had been bought IN Vienna.
But here IS where Grandma came in.
With quite haphazard talk about ethics
in general and the punishment OF sinners
IN particular. she effects a complete revo-
luton IN the naive little smuggler, who
gets religion so suddenly that she puts
the prayer rug right back and walks up
10 her boudoir with white soul.
II was nice for little Leonie Sobatsky.
the smuggler. because presumably, she
was thereby laying up nuts for the long
winter in heaven. but this sudden con-
version was very rough on the drama.
We were there TO see the prayer rug
leave the house OF n thousand pretences
and go back to the mosque OF Allah,
whence II had come.
Besides, what about that nicely turned
theory which had ushered in the play?
Evidently Providence decided against it.
Providence. indeed. has for many years
seemed to be on the side of the American
millionaire. even II he does say TURF
BILE" and speak OF Rosenstein's Melody
In f."
The two crooks, though OF low comedy
origin. proved last night TO have quite
pleasantly light comedy manners. Laura
Hope Crews and H. b. Warner, who
PLAYED these parts. took them con spirito
. con amore. The scene In the first act
In which their mutual confession OF crook
dom was made was done very amusingly.
Many glasses In the auditorium We're lev
elled with added interest and excitement
at Miss Crews's eyes, from which real
r-e-a-l-tears dropped 1t recalled that
part Of Tristan und Isolde where Ilur-
wenal cries "Das Schifr. Das Schln"' and
every one in the auditoril III wakes up and
rustes around to see the ship come in. r
Mr. Warner got a way OF hanging his
head during that long jaunt he had as
Jimmy Valentine. No wonder. of course.
The only amazement IL that an actor can
ever really shake Off a part he has played
for three years.
Miss Crews has her little dancy way
still-on tiptoe, with girlishness, spirits.
curls and dimples, or all droopy and for
lorn II things so wrong. She was quite
the heroine of romance when she sug-
gested to her lover that they 30 off 20
that gay little town in Alaska called
.NOlilt anu optH - N"''H't '"N'N ny
could make an honest living at roulette
and rouge ct noir.
Ada Dwyer reappeared in the telling
role Of Grandma. She took 1t seriously. as
ordered by the dramatist. but even her
stern authority could not convince
frivolous audience that there was any
thing In her sermon. Mathllde Cottrelly
did her suavest as the old French maid
Suzanne, and IL was more enjoyable TO
hear her rendering OF a French accent of
English than Miss Crews's Polish accent.
Sydney Valentine played with forceful
solemnity the role OF a weathered crook
of the calibre that would not change his
colors even at the bidding OF twenty
grandmas.
The new play is by Harry James Smith
If only the dramatists had something TO
write about and would wait until they
grew up before they wrote II.
CAST OF "BLACKBIRDS
suzanne Nine Mathilde Cottrelly
MIR Bechel. ........... Sydney Valentine
Leonie Sobatsky. ...... Miss Laura Hope Crews
Page hoy. .........'. ..'........ 'hoDert 1Ouns
The Hon Neyil Trssk. ..........H Il. Warner
Mrs Edna Croker. Miss Ethel Winthrop
airline CIocker ............ Miss Jean Gailbraith
Howard Croker. ........'.... flames bradbury
Grandma. .........'...''.'.'. MISS Ada DWyer