The Washington herald., 1914-03-08
ny JAMES 5. MErCALFE.


at the usual hour. despite the storms OF
an sorts. and in the cases Of the new
plays on not much that justified their
disregard of The elements. The most
worth while OF the ventures that dened
the weather 10 TOO Many. Cooks is
author and leading man Is Mr.. FRANK
Craven, who made big hit as an actor
in Bought and Paid For" In that
piece he was the brother-in-law VINO re-
Sarded the advent OF a millionaire into
his family by marriage as personal
asset and worked 1t for all II was worth
In "'Too Many Cooks" he has taken
part Of a proverb for his title. and used
it. not In a culinary sense. but as de-
scribing the family of the young woman
named Cook, who was about to become
his bride. In addition to his wires rela-,
tives he had on his hands the building
OF q small country house to be his pros
pective home. In the first act OF the
play we have the stage principally occu-
pied by the brick foundations OF the
house. In the next act the house has
rome up into the air to the point where
It Is ready for the rhingles. and the mai
act shows IL completed and ready for its
tenants
There have been complications, now
ever, arising largely from the interfer-
ence of too many OF the COOK iamiy'
OF course, this is all Strengthened out
and the young couple get their oreameo-
OF home, but the incidental complicauons
make the fun Of what is really orisi-
nal. clean, and naturally amusing h'ue
comedy.
Mr.. Craven himself justifes the impress
sion that his work In Bought and Paic
For'' was not a mere fluke, anG tAet ne
Is. in fact, a quaint and unusual iegit-
mate comedian The parts in me lay
are mostly types, and the company OF
not well-known artists has been selected
apparently with view to the aointy ot
its members to look their parts ana IN
cidentally to act them, toth OF "Icn
they do successfully. TOO Many Cooks
isn:, III, hui IFS quite worth including
by those who are making rouno OF the
New York theaters.
Muck-rnkinE Again.
Mr.. Scarborough is never more nappy
AS a dramatic author than when ne Is
hurlIng his melodramas at some esIao.
lished institution. Every one knows VIVA,
he did in the police-censored Inc L,ure'
and in The Last Resort he taxes
u.,aI,,.rIv vicious swing at the integ-
it, m our Judges, elected or appointed
sx the case may be. The plot OF the
niece NAV be inferred from the PLACING
of the scenes in a judges champers' III
a courtroom during a trial, in the con
sultinC room of the Judges OF an app
late court and finally in prison ' ceI'
where is confined the Virtuous you"s
awyer who has been made the Vicuin VI
the summary proceedings ihclaeh. "
contempt of court. Through an -
scenes trails the wicked politician wiz
ms the courts and judges into all |oru
% scranes I'D to the point wnere ne
t,;,,,.olf Is made the victim OF outraeeu
iustice and political virtue rises supre,i hi
..Tho T.st Resort Is pretty wen
,,.,,ad With Mr. George Fawcett IN his
faroiII.r role of the tough. unpohsneu' -
nouerful politician- OF the otners III ~,
cast who stand out at all proniiiie"''
Mr. Wilson Melrose is the qui,e ~
,.irtuous and reforming young lawyer
- is elected governor while he Is IN
;.JI for contempt of court, ana oi'e
T-,,ndbam who is such neWspspe,
v.cmsn as never was seen on sea or iano
or in a newspaper oftce
Wall street Again.
IFS difficult to believe that "ha'
wouId You Do?' comes from the same
non that wrote the really laughaoie taree'
"Oficer 666" Still, Mr.. Augustin mac
tIurh.s name is at the head OF tne pro
gram which means that he is Wilihs "
stand for whatever comes to his venture
into new field. Unfortunately ne
rl.oso in this case a field that may be
now 70 him but which has been thresheo
over SO often that il has become only
st,,bbIc to the playgoer of any expert
ence whatever. Il
Tho main motive is the tendency OF
woman to let her desire for dress and
social display make her forget her wneS
duties and drag her husband into ois-
honesty to satisfy her extravagances.
The husband is a bank official, and. OF
course gets into Wall Street. Instead OF
following the usual dramatic formula
and blowing his brains out to make his
wife an interesting widow in hard luck,
he is saved by his friend, the usual stage
newspaper man. with cynical ideas ana
unlimited practical ability to deal with
the unusual circumstances provided by
dramatists. AS played by Mr. A. Byron
Beasley, this always fat part gets most
of the audiences interest. Then there Is
the foolish but pretty wife. with her
worldly mother as might have been ex-
pected. And. of course, the tempting
millionaire, who is treated with unusual
partiality by the ladies OF the household
after the manner of their stage-kind
There are some other characters brought
in to trim the stage, but they are not i'm
portant. and the others sufficiently indi-
cate the nature of the plot.
What Would You Dor is well done
by a company. including reliable Milton
SilIs, unelocutional Louise Drew, daugh-
ter of John of that name; pretty but in
efficient Bessie Barriscale, Gladys Wynne, |
a newcomer likely to be heard Of in roles
where brains count; Richie Ling, immacu-
late but not soul-stirring, and a number
OF others of less note.
What Would You Dor is too easy q
title to Jest with, but as a query with re-
gard to the play, it would suggest too
easy an answer |
Cream of 'the New York Theaters. |
The Gsrrick is another standard theater |
that has just gone over TO the movies, |
which again limits the theaters producing |
plays to be recommended. But there are
others. The Comedy, for instance, has !
its extremely unusual and clever kitty |!
Mackay," with its good acting and witty |
drives at Scotch character. Laurette |
Taylor in Peg o. My Heart is doing |
much the same thing with British snob-
hishness. Mr. Cyril Maude continues his |
hne character work in the melodramatic |
comedy, Grumpy" Oriental gorgeous
ness is spectacularly shown in "A Thou
.snd Years Aro" and "Omar. the Tent-