New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-02-12

lower Manhattan. with their chmpinS
plumes OF steam, their thousands or nNs-
terious window-eyes. Each one OF thOse
eyes represents a tiny ofiice-Uorld' WIN
teutacles reaching out, perhaps, TO south
American jungles, flaming Pittsburgh
blast furnaces. Butte smelters or droWsy
South Sea isles.
Here this wide-eyed child. If she find
favor. will meet and come 10 know In
curious sort OF intimacy type or man
she has never known before-the men
who rule these little worlds. men with
town houses and country houses, horses
and yachts, who drift about I'm velvet
footed cars like Sndbsd on the roc
wing, men Of force as we'll as charm.
who. in her ewes, at least, will seem to do
the work OF giants as well as to play
like princes.
Such. in way, was the situation OF the
little stenographer in Mr.. Jack Lat
play, Help Wanted" produced at tn
Maxine Elliott Theatre last night. The
dramas brought about in the most matter
OF fact way by the modern pouring or
women into a mans world-dramss quite
as romantic and infinitely more subtle
than the old-time fictions Of kings in
chariots and roadside shepherdesses-are
Of endless variety and of psychological
import often worthily to have engaged
the best skill of a Frank Norris or a
Meredith.
Mr.. Lait has taken one OF the more OBJ
vious and theatrically approachable
situations-the sinister firtations Of an
old Romeo" Of an employer with an I'M
usually simple-minded stenographer. and
the rescue of beauty in distress, in the
nick OF time, by this married mans noble
young son.
The Chicago production OF the piece
Il has been playing successfully IN the
West for several months-was reviewed
at length in these columns several weeks
ago so that il is perhaps unnecessary 10
repeat the story In detail here. 1t is
enough TO say that IN spite OF certain
structural defects. especially IN the last
act. and a lack of anything like distino-
ton either in the matter expressed o.
the manner OF its expression. Mr.. Lait
has written crisp. entertaining and pop
ular piece. thoroughly American and or
the live to-day, and well worth seeing
Its faults are those of the amateur rather
than the infinitely more depressing
falsities of the shopworn professional and
its merits the pleasant ones Ct heWsl-
ness and genuine fire.
The authors deficiencies were less APP
parent in the Chicago production than
they are here. thanks 10 the extremely
satisfying way in which the two prin-
clpal PARASITIC "old Romeo" himself and
the stenogra pher-were played In COM
menting on the character OF the en-
ployer as played there We explained that
il must not be taken for granted that
he was merely absurd. He was man
of force and tact and intelligence, with
the cleverness and good taste (and the
actor who plays this part in New York
will do well to observe how skilfully Mr..
Henry Kolker contrives to convey this
impression) always 10 appea" disun-
guished and graceful, whatever villanous
business was afoot. Indeed, he was a
silly old sensualist rather than con-
scious villain. and I'm his cloud Of vanity
doubtless often deceived himself.
Unhappily Mr.. Charles Richman mas
failed TO take advantage of this sage ad-
vice. The light touch has never been one
Of his noticeable characteristics, and last
night he marched through the part with
the tread OF a fve-foOted elephant. the
lines are not diamond pointed in their
subtIety. but Mr.. Richman did nearly
everything he could to make them more
obvious. Scarcely once in the two nrst-
and most interesting-acts, did his voice
ring true with even suggestion that he
might really mean what he said. His vii
lalny and hypocrisy were Invariably tele-
graphed to his audience, nay, all but
shouted at them through a negaphone
and spelled out in electric lights
Little Gertrude Meyer would have had
10 be even a bigger fool than she author
makes her not 10 rave fled at once
from such a carefully mapped and
labelled villain And here entered in
the other comparative weakness IN the
cast. Miss Grace Valentine, who did
the part in Chicago. played in very
subdued. untheatrcsl key. without the
slightest suggestion Of Broadway man
ners or sophistication. She didn't know
enough to 20 in out of the wet: she was
about as wise as a currant bun in bake
shop window Miss Lois Meredith, on
the other hand. who plays the part OF a
little girl here was quiet enough. but she
did not achieve Miss Valentines gum
drop simplicity OF manner and there was
a sophistica.on in her speech-especiauy
rather stacy rolling Of the which
was also out Of place.
The meeting OF these two comparative
artifcialities produced an effect decidedly
different from that eXerted by the piquant
distinction OF Mr. Kolker's business man
and Miss Valentines curiously genuine
and uEable little dumbhead Of stenos-
rapher. These things may not be fe-'
nv those who see the play for the first
time here. but IL is only fair TO the young
author 10 mention them.
Mr. Charles Ruggles as the young son
md verv unaffected and likable he ~
too-is taken from the Chicago cast; as Is
Mr. Charles Able. the old bookkeeper
Miss Edna Mayo was amusing as slangy
Young nosrapher-adventuress Tor the
few moments she was on the stage, and
Mr. John Mintern vivid as always al
though with rather too melodramatic a
,.oior AZ tho protecting lawyer TO the old