The Washington times., 1914-12-31
COLUMBIA.

The difference between Green Stock
ings," as produced By Margaret Anglin
and her company Of excellent players
at the Columbia Theater last night and
stockings Of this and other colors as
exhibited at other times and places dur
ing the course OF theatrical season. Is
the exact difference between what -
wholesome and entertaining and real in
the art of the theater and what Is
simply artifcially enliyenins. It Is the
difference between the soul Of the
drama and the body that has been
utilized for exhibition purposes In the
theater so often, with the idea, doubt
less, that a soul must be contained in 2
body, but with the curious fact made
very apparent that the bodies selected
to be thus DANCED before the public
eye seldom contained a soul OF any
kind. Green Stockings' is not a Sreat
masterpiece OF dramatic technique and
sparkling dialogue II is simply a clean
comedy that has the honest purpose OF
being entertaining and acconplishes
that purpose by the simplest end mos,
direct methods. It has the cleanliness
the simplicity and the innocence Of =
school girls thought. as compared 10
the triangulation Of eternal debaucnery
that requires a more advanced under
standing of the human equation thar
the average school girl is Commonly
supposed TO possess.
The play belongs TO what George Co
han would call the Cinderella class a.
most people who are familiar with thee
trical history are aware. The eldest OF
four daughters. remaining Unmarried
because she looked after the comfort OF
her family in her dead mothers place.
grows tired OF being alternately shunt-
ed aside like a paid housekeeper a.
tainted by her young unmarried sister
of the fact that she is an old maid and
should not clog the matrimonial mar
ket. She invents sweetheart and an
engagement OF marriage and for eight
months basks in newly created respect
and good will OF her family. At the END
Of the eight months she ''lziils'' her
lover and prepares TO depart for Amer
lea with an aunt in whom she has con
fided her secret. Under the solicitiou.
eyes of her family she --rote love LET
te-s 10 her imaginary fiance. One Of
these letters is seized o,- = sister and
1osted. The chance that a real person
her imaginary creature and the further
chance that the person bearlns thi,
name and title was actually in the re-
mote part OF the world TO which she
had directed the letter. provided the
complications which upset her caicula-
ton and almost turned on herself the
Joke she had perpetrated on her family
That it doesn't-thats the play, and
because IN tNlS hOlu1E season most
people like TO the surprised, and because
most people will have forgotten the sur
prise OF Green Stockings it Is NOT
recited here.
Miss AnsIin gave fresh evidence o.
her right 20 the afhSttc laurels she
wears in the part ~ Celia Farradsv
IIey. nresentmsnt &C the woman who
had served for so long that she had
become looked upon as a part OF the
household service was most counIets
She was the misunderstood ''I'tnSer-
ella OF modern conventions and mod
ern life. While she did not sit by tho
fire and carry IN the fuei herself, she
provided both the tire and the tuei that
ker; the TAMIL hearth glowing. Tho
actress made The type 50 true that rem
reSentativc5 ~ many families in the
audience having their own CI-derellas
easily recognized he.
Ruth Holt BoUc!caUIr added another
picture 10 hov growing gallery OF ex-
celIcrt character studies IN the part o.
tive aunt. Mrs. Chisolm FaT-sdsy, OF
chicago L. : y. She was deiicately
deUShtful, especially IN the scene N
which she takes too much brandy
scene that q less accomplished artist
could, and probably would. havs over
done. Florence Carpenter. as the
yource-- daughter. Sidney Gr2enStreet.
as the father. and Wallace Widdicombc
the younger daughters sutton. were par
ticuIsrIy bright spots in the dnely bal
anced cast. although AIr. Niddiconbe's
DEVELOPMENT OF his part was so much
like that OF his Mr.. DUMMY. in -Lady-
Wirdermere's Fem. that he seemed to-
have walked out OF one play into the
other Green Stockings will, be re-
evening performance tomorrow.
GARDNER MACK