New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-04-07
THE CAST.
BY ARTHUR RUHL.

day. and viii there continue during tho
week
This farcicsl twisting-about OF the
husband wlfe-loyer situation-an exam
pie, according TO Mr.. Shaw, "of what can
be- done with even the most hackneyed
stage framework by filling IL with an
observed touch OF actual humanity in
stead OF with doctrinaire romanticism"
was originally written during four
days continuous rain IN the north Of
Scotland" for Mr.. Arnold DAILY in order
10 piece out THE Man of Destiny TO
the length OF full evenings entertain
ment II was Mr.. DAILY who yesterday
presented tho piece again and played the
part OF the romantic youth
How lie Lied TO Her Husband Is, M
nome perhaps may not clearly recall, a
sort Of parody on Mr.. shaw's own Can
dlda." In the latter play a woman Of
fine feeling and rare understanding rs
loved by two men-a big, noisy capable
spoiled child of q husband and dell
cate, high strung. intuitivs young poet.
Tho men agree in the end that she shall
choose between them. She chooses the
husband, because this clustering. prac-
teal man, TO whose work and comfort
she has made herself absolutely essen
tial. is weaker and needs her more.
The high strung young idealist. rather
F.. proud Of his isolation and quite accus-
tened TO II, IS the stronger" and more
fit 10 stand alone.
In How He Lied to Her Husband
each OF these three characters is cheap
ened and. so 10 speak, 'let down" The
woman has an air Of being young and
beautiful, but dress and pretensions
apart. is a very ordinary South Kensing-
/ ton female OF about thirty-seven, hope
lessly inferior in physical and spiritual
distinction to the beautiful youth" The
! latter is n romantic boy, sincere enough
but more callow than inspired. The hus-
band Is merely robust. thick-necked.
well groomed city man. Immensely proud
OF his extensively dressed wife.
We are introduced to the wife and her
young lover just after the latters pas
sionate verses have been discovered.
The young man. deadly serious IN
his allegiance TO the romantic creed,
talks Of their walking out of the
house without concealment and suoter'
fuge, freely and honestly. in full honor
/ and self-respect." "Out into the night
as they say-as was said in Candida
I'm fact All Greek, OF course, TO the
VERY ordinary South Kensington re-
male" who is only worrying about
her husband and the fact that this ap-
parently harmless boy, whom she was
willing enough 70 firt with a bit, should
I ba drOll
trast between these two points OF view
IS interrupted by the arrival OF the nus
band. who whips.out the fatal poems IN
the face OF the young man. The latter
true TO romantic convention begins to
lie like a gentleman" and insist that the
verses TO Aurora-"Aurora' Is Mrs.
Bompas's name-wero inspired By read
ING swinourne's Songs Before sun
rise"
The Increasing eloquence OF the young
mans protests Of his lack OF interest In
Mrs. Bompas, instead OF modifying the
husband. only enrages him, and he finally
informs the boy that his wife has been
admired by much better men than he.
she's the smartest woman in the smart
est set in South Kensington, and the
most fetching to experienced men VINO
know q good thing when they see II, what
ever she may be to cOnceited penny-a-
lining puppies who think nothing 5000
enough for them. It's admitted by the
best people, and not TO know II argues
yourself unknown. Three OF our ilnest
actor-managers have omered her nun
bred q week il she'll go on the stage wnen
they start repertory theatre ana
think they know what they're about as
we'll as you. The only member or the
present Cabinet that YOU might call a
handsome man has neglected tue pusl-
ness of the country 70 dance with her,
though he don't belong 10 our set as
regular thing One Of the hrst PROBES
sionel poets in Bedford Park wrote
sonnet to her, worth all your amateur
trash AZ Ascot last season the eldest
son Of a duke excused hlmselt lrou
calling on me on the ground thst ms
feelings for Mrs Bompas were not con,
sistent with his duty 10 me rs host ana ana
a. ala him honor and me. too. But with
gathering fury) she isn't GOOD enough
for YOU, IL seems. You regard her Win
GOODNESS, with indifference; ana you nave
the cool cheek TO tell me so 10 my race.
For two pins I'd fiatten your nose In 70
teach YOU manners Introducing a nne
woman TO YOU is casting pearls betore
swine yelling at him); before swlhe'
Dye hear?
The boy Is Anany driven into ad-
hitting that he wrote the poems to the
wife, adored her. thought the husband a
scrdid commercial chump and thinks so
still The husband promptly forgives
everything, and, embracing his irresls-
tible Rory" asks "a special favor
that he be allowed 20 have the poems
printed-"in the best style. finest paper,
sun,ptuous binding. everything first
class. They're beautiful poems.
should like to show them about biz"
Such is the quaint twist Mr.. Shaw gives
An old situation. The contrast between
the Young mans romanticism and the
vifes and husbands practically Is bet
ter brought out in the text with NJ.
shaw's stage directions than It was at
the Palace yesterday.
II is much easier, moreover 20 imagine
a certain sort OF stupid, well meaning,
rather brutal type Of middle class Eng
lishman-somewhat the sort OF English
man in Mr. Barrles Half an Hour
acting like the man in the play. than II
Is to imagine such behavior from any sort
OF American. Several lines had been
changed 10 shift the scene 70 New York,
and the husband as played by Mr.. Ray
Brown became a slow, drawing. very
"Amurican' sort OF person indeed This
man might have grinned at the young
mans effusions. as Mr.. Brown did most
OF the time but he would never have
possessed that British social conscious
ness which swelled with pride at the