The Washington times., 1914-03-31
AT CAPITAL THEATERS THIS WEEK
COLUMBIA

II In . fairly safe guess that, from
President Wilson down, scarcely one Of
the Hundreds who filled the Columbia
Theaier last night but came away con-
v.n:ed there were the makings Of q
great riay IN The Man who Would
Live" or who wouldn': have besn glad
to offer william Hurlbut . suggestion
n to how to do It. Pinned down BY the
nass OF material that had been piled
on them during the progress Of what
Mr. Huribut calls four parts" and not
acts. ordinary human mental faculties
fall to respond. The business Of 5uxta-
posing the ethics of modern captains Of
industry with the spirit Of '76 IL enough
Of a Wholesale job Of philosophizing to
strain the ordinary minds imaginative
capacity. but when attempt Is made TO
ductiop most Of the social elements OF
modern life a. well. there is a defuge Of
ideas which completely overwhelms.
That is tho condition Tho Man Who
Wcnld Live seems to present That
the ides is there: that. some time. some
one Will mako play Of It. there Isn't
the slightest doubt. Mr.. Hurb6ut may
be the man and this may be the time.
In :ts present condition the play seems
only to hit the high places-the author
seems to have seen too many such emil
nepc-s and felt that he Was compelled
to hit them all.
Tho character Of the audience, In
cluding as 1t did tho President, tho
Vice President, the Speaker. and a
host of slightly less distinguished in
Of its expectations, and for that mat
ter. hearty APPRECIATION was shown for
the finer parts Of the play and the
work Of the piayefA
"The Man Who Would Live h worth
ANGLES, Mmiie ilH% snd Ms Mhen the author and the
stage director have finished tho pruning
and fitting which were begun after the
initial production in Atlantic city last
week, It may present q smoother ap-
pearance and be more easily asstmilar
ted BY the type Of "tired business man.
to entertain whom such plays are.sup-
posed to be written.
The story deals with q revolutionary
captain VINO 10 captured by Indians and
he had Just received for his services in
the war. His life is saved by q Jesuit
missionary, who places him In . state
Of catelepsy. with the expectaion OF
awakening him when danger = Hass
and the captain. II not awakened until
1914, when coal miners In strike attempe
to blow up . shaft
The leaden casket with The captains
body Is exposed; It II taken to the home
Of his brothers heirs. who have made
millions from the property. and the
revolutionary officer Ii reeuscttated
again by means Of pu1motor. The
play ends with the sacrifice OF the cap
tain's life to save his modern descend
ant and heir from the wrath Of the
strikers and to impress on the young
man the spirit Of the fathers Of the
nation.
Elliot Dexter. in the part Of the cap
tain, leads q cast that seems to have
been selected with a very fine idea OF
its peculiar fitness for tho types pof-
trayed. Mr.. Dexter has . most DIM
cult Job and he makes the very best OF
his opportunities. Julie Herne. as a
young woman with social service ideas,
is not only thoroughly modern but
dehEhtfully feminine. The work of
Violet Howard as q precocious child,
and Estor Banks as q very old woman
seemed to 'Stand out-though the entire |
cast was 30 well placed 1t would be |
difficult to give one moro mention than |
another GARDNER MACK