Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-10-20
Belasco,

| All the wealth a vivid imaginatio
can lend in scenic splendor to a ro-
nance plucked from the heart Of the
Arabian Nights. with the added charm
Of the heart-searching poetry of Omar
Khayyam, woven with dreams of the
old, old story as told in the gardens of
the Persia of ages ago. blend in the
appeal that goes out from Richard
Walton Tully's play, Omar. the Tent
maker" which. based upon the ideal
lied life of the author of the "Rubaiyat"
and rejecting its times, was presented
for the first time in Washington at
the Belasco Theater last evening.
More happy in its scenic beauties,
perhaps, than purposeful in its crea.
ton, the play seemed to fascinate one
Of the largest audiences that ever fill
ed the house, and, If one might Judge
by the applause. astonishingly fire.
quent. very insistent and long contin-
ued, until the star had many times
bowed his acknowledgment and made
a speech of thankfulness, both play
and players scored a pronounced sue
cess.
Stagecraft is probably seen in its
highest degree of accomplishment in
the play, and two effects especially
the apparent disembodiment of Omar's
soul and its search for the real truth.
while he was being bastinadoed, and
with those he had known. into earthen
jugs-were ideal creations. Yet withal
the plot seems to lack coherent con-
nection. and at times the indistinct
delivery of their lines by the players
becomes almost painful.
AS Omar, Guy Bates Post presents a
series of impressive characterizations.
for the story takes the tentmaker from
gins with his youth in the outer court
Of the home of Imam Mowaffak.
teacher of the Holy Word" when, like
Romeo. he makes love, through her lat
ticed window, to and lures the beauti-
full Shireen, the daughter of Imam. ito
the wilderness" that with her was to
be his paradise. 1t closes in the same
court garden when he and his Shireen
are united In their feeble old age. Its
intermediate stages tell of Omar's des-
olation at her loss. which he browns in
wine, so hateful to the true believers:
of 1.-The little Shireen" that has been
sent to him for protection when her
mother has incurred the displeasure of
forced to marry; of the love of the
little Shireen for crusader, with
whom she finally escapes from his per-
secutors. and Of Omar's deliverance
from his enemies and his meeting again
with his beloved Shireen, the little
Shireen's mother.
The play proceeds like delirium,
with all the uncertainty and stiffness
where agreeable and disagreeable
events follow in quick succession with
out apparent reason or purpose.
Indeed. one might be pardoned for
saying that Omar's dream while he was
being bastinadoed was typical of the
state of that part of the audience at
least that was endeavoring to ascer-
tain what it all was about. A puzzled
auditor from the highest seats in the
house was heard to mutter something
about dope dream" by way of COM
ment upon what he had seen.
And yet withal 1t has it's charm. at
least with youth, for last nights
audience, made up largely of girls and
their friends, applauded it with such
pronounced enthusiasm that the beau
tiful entr'acte music, I'm a Persian
Garden by Liza Lehman, arranged
for the production by Anselm Goetz,
seemed to fall unnoticed upon deaf
ears.
So forceful were Mr.. Posts characteri-
cations throughout that the remainder
of the cast seemed presented in strong
contrast. Jane Salisbury idealized with
earnest effort Shireen, Omar's beloved,
and Louise Grassler was charming and
adequate as her daughter, the little
Shireen. Perhaps the most effective bit
of individual acting, after Mr.. POST s,
was that OF Ra1pn Bunker as Mdnt oSs'
Omar's Bedouin ferrash, especially in
his death scene in the third act, after
being desperately wounded in assisting
the little Shireen and her golden haired
crusader lover in escaping the wicked
Hassan Ben Sabbah, who was both gov
ernor of Nishapur and leader of band
of cutthroat robbers at the same time
The latter role was in the care of ].
NJ. Waller, and that of the new vizler.
who brought him to justice and rescued
Omar, was intrusted to Fred Eric, VINO
made the most Of limited opportunities.