The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1914-04-21
AT CAPITAL .THEATERs THIS WEEK
BELASCO

An idea several historic persons have
used as the foundations for schools OF
philosophy. Ashley Miller made into the
PLAY he calls Ambition" and produced
It at the Belasco last night for the FIRST
time before metropolitan audience.
With nothing but a few whole-sorled
swear words to give 1t spice, Mr.. Miller
has boldly prepared a singuiarly clean,
honest little romance to satisfy the de-
sire for amusement that has been slim
ulated bv the salacious salad-school Of
PLAY writing to the point where It
ceases to be an appetite, and becomes
ilabit. There isn't a line in "Ambi-
tom that need cause the most de-
licately adjusted mental condition to
revolt. except. perhaps. where Maria,
the maid. catches sight of herself in
a goddess" And that really shouldn't
because she Is.
There are undoubtedly lot of rer-
sons who will welcome the advent Of a
has really cut off four huge chunks
OF human nature. and attempted to
mt them together in such a way that
you can't see the cracks between. and
yet can get an Idea Of the supreme
impulses to live that actuate persons
as far apart as the four points of the
compass.
Has Spoiled Taste.
And Mr. Miller has done another
thing-he has spoiled to taste Of q
theaterful of persons FOR musical
comedy Of the conventional type, by
cutting out all the tiresome parts OF
SUCH productions. and putting merely
the skeleton on the stage.
Bert Chester. an English composer,
swallows his pride and packs it away
In a trunk with his sonatas, fu2ues
and concertos, while he tries to win
fortune with a musical comedy Of
popular music. He starts in well, but
lands in the attick Of cheap boarding
place. with nothing but two suits Of
clothes and still fairly vigorpSs as
scrtment Of ideals.
Here he meets the landlady, Miss
Love. who expresses sweetly and SIM
tie Italian maid of all work, makes
more attractive and emphatic in the
slang of the street. Zelda, a typical
show girl, another inmate of the
house. thinks she sees chance for
the long deferred starring tour IN
orphan child of a pair o: grind opera
chorus singers, finds liiat the opera
satisfies her unexpressed hunger for
music, and she listens at the key
hole while Chester drills the future
prima donna. The opera is finally
produced. after many trials, but 1t is
with Maria-not Zelda-in the principal
part.
In working out the four characters
In the piece, the cast proves itself I'M
usually well selected.
Temperament Of Composer.
Charles Maude. as Chester. seemed to
have both the temperament and the
musical education of a composer. He
played and sang the music written for
the piece by Alfred Salmon as though
1t was his own. In his emotional work
he resisted manfully the temptation to
overdo. Ethel Browning was satisfying
as the young Italian girl who had a
voice and a philosophy that was a
combination of the fatalism of the
street and the lofty ideals OF a re-
ligious enthusiast.
Helen Royton gave remarkable per-
Torrance in the part of the showgfrl.
She was everything that a showgirl is
popularity supposed to be, and added a
the sweet, simple boarding house keeper.
with an all-powerful faith in the. future,
Marguerite st. John was highly ac-
ceptable.
Ambition is a lesson in intensive
optimism done partly in slang. And we
liked 1t a whole lot-even II the man
who sat behind US and probably paid
for his seats was bored enough to say
so continually in loud nasal tones.
GARDNER MACK.