The Washington times., 1914-03-24
COLUMBIA

A lot Of US stubborn folk who went to
the Columbia Theater last night ostenta-
tiously determined to pass impartial
judgment. but inwardly true to the
hustle and basque epoch Of dramatic
literature, left quite an assortment OF
beautifully embalmed memories Of an
old play called 'rThe Henrietta" under
our seats when We passed out-and We
hope the caretaker will quietly dump them
in the rubbish barrel without trying too
hard to find out who lost them. They
were good old memories Many Is the
time We have hauled them forth and
shaken them vigorously in the faces Of
the modernists who pretend that there
are actresses and actors today just as
there were in the mid-Victorian period.
They served our pride an excellent pur-
pose. All that is left Of them now is
good old timbers Of Bronson Howards
plot are still as sound as they were
twenty-seven years ago. We can still
point with pride to the fact that they
wrote plays ''in the old days"
A New BERTHE.
. It may be that we went to eat moro
than our share Of humble pie. and It
may be that others saw. IL differently.
but those of US who fondled the image
of Stuart Robson's BERTHE close to
our hearts before the curtain rose. will
admit. most Of US. that the principal
reason We 30 thoroughly enjoyed our
selves during the four acts that fol-
lowed the rising OF the curtain was
Douglas Fairbanks. We all know
Crane srans ss sIsholas snd ns HsH' Tsm Al
styne. We have held up Cranes per-
Torrance Of old Nick as q model. 1t
has grown in our minds to a classic.
And the Crane. performance last night
quite filed out the heoric proportions
of our glorified memory.
But Fairbanks
The strange part of it all Is that
Fairbanks didn't take the place OF
Robson in our, minds at all
as as II eyer Was as We ddn
feel the need Of dislodging a single
Idol. We saw a brand new '.Bertie."
A very wonderful ''Berte." because 1t
was brand new. And a finished, we'll
bu1ss spon as spon
as Robson. and-we must
confesseS it-wdth modern impfover ents
that make Fairbanks 1914 appeal to US
whole lot more than Robson 1887 would
have done in 1914.
All Worth While.
The whole Of 1.-THE New Henrietta"
Is worth while. Winchell Smith and
Victor Mapes have worked well-they
had good material to work with. The
pictures Of the F1a.iron building in
Van Alstyne's office tell tho story Of
tho difference in the new and the old
plays.-the difference between 1887 ans
1914
There are four stars in "The New
Crane and Fairbanks figure
in twenty-four-point type on the pro-
gram. Then there Is Amelia Bingham
in twenty-point type, and Patricia Coli
ings In twelve-point caps. Hay We the
typing Of the program he'd have put all
four I'm forty-eight-point caps, and added
a line of similar sized characters to
the bottom Of the cast, where 1t states
simply. PLAY staged by Robert Milton"
Robert Milton had a lot to do with the
applause that the big audience bestowed
last night
There are q lot Of good, honest citi-
gems who wouldn't mind looking after
the business affairs Of the kind of a
widow Miss Bingham made. or the
sweet. pretty. ward Miss Collinge i'm
The two women stars de-
served a place beside the men, as far
as producing results go. They didn't
have as many opportunities as the men
to star, that's all. The play was we'll
cast and magniheently staged. At the
end of the third act both Crane and
Fairbanks made brief but happy &C
Of the reception given
them. GARDNER MACK.