The Washington herald., 1914-11-10
NJ JULIA oHANDLER MANI.

When IL comes to choice OF women
for the Interpretation of the plays he
produces Charles Frohman is a won
der. His sureness Of judgment 50 nearly
approaches second sight that IL IL al
most uncanny. Here. for example. was
Ann Murdock. the hoydenish heroine
Of Excuse Me-" and so many other
eQually boisterous farces that she all
but went on her knees for two years
iimploring managers to give her a
chance in q serious role. And always
they smiled back into her pretty face
and advised her to stick TO farce. Not
so with Mr.. Frohman. who seems to
have q genius for recognising talent
as well as magnetic personality in
actresses. He did not condemn Miss
Murdoch to a lifetime Of acting silly,
irresponsible farce roles just because
audiences had been pleased with her
In this capacity. He had the temesity
to offer her the highly emotional part
OF Helene De Trevillac in The Beau
tiful Adventure" and Miss Murdock
dared accept It in the very face Of her
decriers
And believe there was no one in last
nights audience at the Columbia Theater
who did not confirm Mr.. Frohman's Judg-
ment, for Miss Murdock's Interpretation
Of the highly sensitized young heroine is
exquisite in its delicacy, poetic in Its ex-
preston, and delightful in its frank and
girlish charm.
The first OF the three acts of the French
comedy finds her In her wedding veI-a
sad little bride-to-be. who within a very
few minutes il to enter into the holy
bonds Of wedlock with an impossible mid
dle-aged lover, who has been selected for
her by the aunt with whom she has her
home.
Five minutes before the wedding Andre
dEguEon Cthe youth Helene loves and
from whom she has been estranged by
whisks her away like fairy prince from
the unhappiness Of a mesalliance.
The second act finds the youthful
pair launched upon their beautiful ad-
venture" for instead of leaving her in
Paris, Andre has escorted Helene to
her cottage at Perigord, where Nine.
De Trevillac, Helene's grandmother
(expecting the bride and bridegroom
to arrive), plans q surprise for them in
meeting them there. Dear old Gran
ME" naturally accepts the lover for
the bridegroom-who-wa -have-been,
and the sweethearts agree to postpone
telling her the truth to save her an un-
pleasant shock.
Much to the old lady's disgust they
prepare to occupy separate rooms for
the night and the doting grandmother
reads them a lecture on the absurdity
of present-day modesty, whereupon
they alter their plans to suit her pleas
ure.
Next day, when the Tilted man turns
up and grandmere learns the truth, she is
much perturbed over the delicate situa-
ton which her meddling has brought
about, but the middle-aged lover Is easily
transformed into q very good friend by
the gentle wiles Of Helene and danlson
jam, and in the end . primrose garden
Of love Is promised as q background for
the life story Of Prince Charming and
his Lady Fairre."
THE Beautiful Adventure" written by
R. De FIers and A De CaiIlavet, was
prepared for America by George Egerton,
who obviously considered the American
mind too immature for the French YER
sion of the peace.
In the original, when Ceramic" knocks
on the door OF the room In which Helene
has retired, demanding the girls imme-
diate presence the latter appears In her
negligee. For the satisfaction of our
the adaptation still wearing her conven-
tional travelling costume. which dulls the
point Of the scene through the very fact
Of its improbability.
The expurgation OF the play by way Of
the omission Of a woman's negligee seems
rather an absurdity In view of the very
frank sex suggestion in both lines and
action that have preceded this scene.
But It is typical Of the De Caillavet and
De F1ers comedies that their most deli
cately turned scenes should be spoiled,
and much Of their Gallo humor rendered
havorless through their English adtpta-
ton.
Let it not be understood, however. that
Mr.. Egerton has gone quite so far as
the elimination OF all the fun and humor
from THE Beautiful Adventure" for
such Is far from being the case. II there
is an occasional "straining at gnats and
swallowing camels' there is also the re-
tention Of many flashes Of mischIevous
wit. and the sentimental quality of the
drama is quite poetic, II a bit overdone.
And always there is Miss Murdock-
piquant. temperamental, and delightful.
One might call her Interpretation of the
role Mr.. Frohman has entrusted to her a
veritable love lyric, for she is an en-
bodied poem Of transcendent beauty
There Is another charming bit Of char
acter drawing in The Beautiful Adven-
ture" in the doting old grandmother so
splendidly and sympathetically visualiZed
by Mrs. Thomas Whiffen, who holds to
the true spirit OF the adventure" through
thoroughly wholesome and consistent
performance.
Ernest Lawford Is better cast in the
current performance of the comedy as
the phlegmatic, methodical, unpoetic and
unsympathetic middle-aged fiance than
he was in the original presentation at
the Lyceum Theater, New York, when
he appeared as the young lover. pre-
senting last night an excellent char
acterization, while Jerome Patrick as
Andre D'Eguzon is manly and sincere in
his ardent wooing.
Other members of the cast give ade-
quate support in the minor rloes and
William Seymour has set the comedy with
admirable taste and discretion
BELASc0.