The Washington herald., 1914-11-29
Repiew of the Past Week
In New York Theaters

Beulah NJ. Dix. voicing in four seemed,
Imaginative play, included in the new
bill at the Princess Theater, the gem
eral sense OF the absolute uselessness
of the awful sufferings that war brings
on those who are In no way parties to
II. Her hero is a soldier who has been
trained simply as a soldier, to light,
to kill, and to destroy. He and his
experiences in life and in the delirium
consequent on a wound Cgiving the
play its title, Across the Border"),
supply the thread on which the author
hangs her exposition of the unreason
Of war and detailed illustrations of its
horrors. Most Of this is an amplIfica-
tfon of Gen. Sherman's aphorism, and
her arguments are the familiar ones
just now receiving In the actualities
OF war a far more eloquent setting
forth than any play could give and
which no play could emphasize. The
dramatic form in which the author de-
liyers her message Is not in itself
strongly impressive, being -burdened
with an excess of words over action.
perhaps almost impossible to avoid in
such an effort. She does not strongly
excite or thrill us, and the verboseness
of the piece largely defeats the authors
very evident intention to drive home
an argument which is today appearing
y
paper that is printed.
other Items In Princess Bill.
- The curtain-raiser in the new Prin-
cess Offering is wouId-be gruesome
bit called The Denial" with scene laid
in the deathhouse at Sing Sing. Its
story is Of a convicted tough about to
die, who. sooner than let his aged
mother know that her son is suffering
the penalty, denies that he is her son.
To prove 1t he claims that he knew the
real son; that he was a good man and
a credit to her bringing up; that he
himself had murdered him, and that
therefore she could erect monuments to
her son and his virtues instead OF go
ing through life with the bellet that
he had died a murderers death. The
piece is so far outside the limits OF
possibility that IL fails to carry con-
viction or thrills.
The Fog is far more In the old
spirit of Princess productions. 1t Is
an in1eniously conceived tragedy of
English Iower-class life, with hus-
bands jealousy as the motive. He kills
the man he supposes to be his wite
lover and when the real lover comes on
the scene realizes his mistake and then
locks the couple in the room with the
corpse, having first told them that he
is going for the police and that they
may explain to the authorities whicn
one OF them it was that committed the
murder.
In lighter vein is Mr.. George AIDES
..Nettie." an up-to-date playlet with its
scene in a secluded corner OF tash-
ionable restaurant. HereS arriving IN
turn. come three men, each expecting
TO dine with the same young woman.
The two younger ones discover that they
and their generosity have both been
exploited in exactly the same way py
this shrewd young woman, but their
chagrfn is dissipated when thV learn
that the third. a very experienced old
man-about-town. is also victim OF the
same wIles They find consolation In
their disillusionment and for their ma |
terial losses in his vaunting confidence |
in his own powers of discernment and
in his satisfaction over his newest
conquest Mr. Ade has supplied a lot
of clever fun to this slender but we'll |
worked-up episode, and it makes an ex-
cellent aIleviator of the general gloom
OF the bill.
The acting in all the pieces Is quite
UP to the standard, Mr.. Blinn's versatil- |
ity and alI-round ability being, as usual, |
a rallying point for the efforts Of his as
sociates. He is better than sufficient in
each OF the three SrOnBly ContIdstln6
roles he assumes. AS the Jealous hus-
band angered to murder, and as the calm
speaker from the other world who de-
Iivers in judicial tones the arraignment
OF this worlds wars, he shows force
fulness in the desperation of the former
and in the speeches of the latter most
delightful command OF clean-cut deliv-
cry. In the Ade piece he gives his
sense of humor full rein in the character
of the very wise and polished old round
er.
1t seems easier for Mr. Blinn to Sc
cure shockers and thrillers for the Prin-
cess bill than playlets in lighter or more
fanciful vein. The present one would be
largely improved If he found a better
thriller than The Denial for a be-
ginner, put ''Nettie" on for the second 7
number, THE Fog for the third and
substituted Little Face" the laughable
cave drama which was in the earlier bill,
for Across the Border" The latter is
not a sufficiently impressive handling of
a momentous topic to make it valuable.
and its depressing tone might, with
profit to the whole Princess entertain