The Washington herald., 1914-11-22

mate drama Hence "The Big Idea,
which seemed to achieve instantaneous
success, II one may Judge by the recep-
tion given to the piece by its first audi
ence in New York. II had previously
been tried on dog in other places, and
largely modified before II was brought
into New York: but there's no doubt Its
first audience in this town found II fine
entertainment. Whether the less sophis-
dcated audiences that succeed the nrst
one agree in the verdict remains to be
seen.
Another Ingenious Turn.
The Big Idea" is a follower, in the
line Of eccentric drama. Of Seven Keys
to Baldpate." That play fooled its au-
diences into the belief that they were
seeing a play until the last curtain
showed them that they were only wit
Messing the workings of the authors
brain while he was writing what is known
in the publishing trade as best seller
Then we had ''On Trial" with its in
genious mechanism depicting in acting
the episodes Of a crime which was the
subject of official investigation, the tes-
timony of the witnesses in the murder
trial being turned into dramatic action
instead of being heard in speech. Then
came the drama play idea, put into evil
dence by THE Phantom Rival and My
Lady's Dress" both of which plays told
the grea lest part of their stories hg the
acting out Of the dreams Of their prin-
cipal characters.
In the newest development Of this kind
of playwriting, The Big Idea" gives US
what seems to be rather stupid first act
until we get into the stride Of the action
which develops as we learn that what we
have sen as a play so far. and for which
we have Raid for tickets or have accepted
the -hospitalities of the house, is going to
be made into play to be worked out
into its final conclusion before our very
eyes.
At the end of the second act of THE
Big Idea" We have the play written up to
that point by its dramatist hero and then
break into the third act Of both plays,
the one he is writing and the one we are
witnessing.
Both are incomplete The curtain rises
on a very up-to-date theatrical managers
office, correct in every detail, except that
the manager, agreeably personated by
William Courtleigh, treats those with
whom he comes in contact with some
thing like human feeling and ordinary
courtesy. He has heard with approval
the reading of the first two acts, and is
ready to hear the third. When he is told
that it has not yet been written and that
It can't be until il is acted in his office by
him and the hero and the heroine au-
thOrs he is naturally inclined TO believe
that he is dealing with a couple of mad
when he asks them if they have provided
a happy ending for the play. and they
tell him that they have in the shape of |
his givin2 m his check for $1,000 as
advance D cites.
The Grand Dilemma.
This convinces him that the young man
and young woman are mad until he is /.
equally convinced that the young man /
must have the money and as an alterna- |
tive can get it on life insurance policy |
by committing suicide. This would COM |
pIete the play but would give it an un- |
happy ending. The manager is up against |
the awful alternative of giving up SO, OOJ |
Of his own real money in advance royal |
ties for an untried play by an unheard |
of author or being in a way responsible |
for a suicide. In real life there could, of !
course. be no doubt that the theatrical |
manager asked to separate himself from /
such an amount of cash would tell any |
playwright on earth TO go ahead and blow
out anything that he called his bloom
ing brains This. though, is manager.
in a play and at that in play that hasn't
really been written until he gives it its
needed happy ending by consenting to
part with the $1,000 and thus provide
happy final curtain for THE Big Idea
There's no denying the clever ingenuity
of this bewildering and laughable mix
ing up of the play We are seeing and
the play that We are seeing constructed.
Its authors, A, Z. Thomas and Clayton
Hamilton have used their knowledge of
the machinery of the drama and of the
theatrical business TO a novel and in
teresting result. In carrying out their
purpose Ernest Glendinning shows again
that he is a young actor of present power
and great promise. Desmond Kelley, who
first distinguished herself in the not long
lived Help Wanted" a sort of white
-, k,,l til
a far from beautiful but nevertheless at
tractive young woman, shows a stronger
personality in an acting way than any
of the young women of her stage gen.
Grafton. II
The rest OF the cast is well chosen for
parts that are only contributory The
Big Idea" is so ingenious in conception
and its exposition of the art of play
writing carries with it so much that is
laughable to the lay mind that 1t seems
as though this curious contraption might
become popular success even in this
period Of strenuous theatrical competi-
ton when all conditions seem Unpropit-
ious for stage enterprises. III
GoodwIn's Monument.
Poor Nat Goodwin, How sorry-allow-
ing that he has the capacity to be sorry II
for anything-he is likely to be some day II
that he ever wrote the book of which
lne advanced copies HdNe just appeared.
1t is called Nat Goodwin's Book" but
would have been better named NAT
Goodwin's Grouches." In II he mentions
almost every man who has been prom
inent in American life, particularly that
Of the American stage. for the past half
century. Some of them he praises in
maudlin, sentimental style, but most of
them are the victims Of the most spite
full comment ever put out in book form.
His abuse Of newspaper men, particularly
of dramatic critics. is limited only by
his knowledge Of English permissible to
be put in book for general sale. But
these targets Of his venom are men, al
though many Of them are defenseless
in the grave Or in advanced years. Some
of them. however, are still OF sufficient
vigor to avenge themselves, and after
this publication it would seem as though
there were some neighborhoods where II
would not be prudent for Nat Goodwin
to intrude himself unarmed and unaccom-
panied.
The worst feature OF the work Is his
unmanly gossip and worse concerning the
women who have been his wives and
other women who have never had that
misfortune. In this particular 1t is doubt
full that in the whole of all the books
published since publishing was a known
process has there been one so deserving
Of contempt. It would seem that Il should
be easy for Maxine Elliott and for others
mentioned in the work to go into court
and with Cniy the hook itself as owl