The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-11-10
GREAT ROMANTIC ACsDR,

mJOu--"Ene Monte carlo fstflaO hIrr-
icsIue, matinee aud night.
Supcrlor-Picturcs.
GREAT ROMANTIC Aeon
IN BEAUTIFUL PLAY
When Otis Skinner reads tho rolling
lines OF poetic drama, as. for example.
!rhg e rende Of ire
more sonorous,. yet more musical; wnt n
he swagsers his debonair way through
days as "Kismet.. he both " deepen ehi ia
element OF mystery and heikhtens and
bi brighten, its whimsieality., SO, TO The
Silent Voice" in Which he he now low ape
p more ,San play ,S,c Of ato.d,sy yet play
with unreality--he brings a rare qua,
ity OF art that is more thun mere act
ips: II Is called temperament. under
it may be most nearly described, per.
haps, rs poetic insight
Whatever it is. It permits him TO en-
dow the play that Jules Eckert Good
Gouverneur Morris's short story, The
Man Who Played Cod. with beauty
reality truth without robbln na either s ao of
It's charm or of it's appeal
True, the play Itself Is beautiful,
Of Mr. skinner e perf S,ss IN in it, It
Is that he realizes too fully from the
first that quality, ana. in the earlier
what is TO come. and plays too scnsibly
for the poetry. which. he knows. 1t con-
Briefly. and rather badly. he is too
first few scenes.
But only in these; inter the theme
OF the play has become apparent, the
reason Tor his manner, his, intonati ion,
also becomes apparent, and thereafter
one settles down TO. the sheer delight
has long been acclaimed as the great
est romantic actor and the finest read
er on the American stage interpret his
part.
AS has been said, the play Is beamti-
full. Mr.. Goodman has taken the short
not only in point OF brevity. but from
the standpoints of form and construc-
has aae of pa ahS
than this, he has given It an atmos-
phere Of exaltation. OF which the story
Bricfy, as the play has IL a great
musician, who happens also to be n
rich man. suddenly becomes hopelessly
hardened he turns away from the
world. shuts himself up. but he loarns
TO read the language OF the lips. He
very fond" Of him. and then he learns
that she loves man OF her own age.
Then agnosticism. atheism: beset him.
and defyinS God. when he aces and. by
means OF glasses, understands n con-
versation between two bits of human
driftwood in the park beneath his
Instantly change comes over him.
and he sets about, In the words of the
story.s title. PLAYING God" to the un-
story is. wisely changed--his good
with the world for him: The manner
necessary To detail. II Is sufficient TO
say that the closing scene Is worth
waiting for In .silcnce-not a word, not
"a m n h.. m md
The formal settings are good. OF
course but the scenes, the conversa-
tions between the derelicts in the park
we'll displayed by a craf:so,an,ike
adaptation of an old idea. but they are
AL PLAYED In manner that makes
well worthy of being In Mr. SINNERS
company.
And this Is true OF all the members
Of the COMPANY. II is infreauently
n star as shat which surrounds Mr..
skinner: Maud Dprein fMrs. Skinnnrl
is vcryilovely in person. and plays with
part OF Mildred Hellam peculiarly APP
pealinE. Florence Fisher. despite a
ssomewha , garish makeup. gives a
wife. PLAYING the last scene. In par
ticular. with method that makes the
audience forget Mr. skinner. who.
1t should be SO.
All the other parts are OF compara-
tive unimpor:ance. but they are PLAYED
items OF q complete whole.
The Silent Voice" is n dramatic
Choir Invisible"
Douglas Gordon.
Hest Dill OF Lyrics season.
After the motion pictures. which in
the Uncle Tom variety that was
quite out of place and altogether UNI