Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-22
SHALL A WIFE DARE
WHAT A HUSBAND DOES?
Problem of Mems Neglect and Decep-
ton of Wives Theme of"The Revolt"
A Play That Gets Across"


waiting wlfe-a wife waiting late in the
night for the husband to return-who loving,
deludes herself into believing her husbands
excuses and unruths, and caring for the
home and child is stinted by a meagre al
lowance, makes over old dresses and bears
negligence patiently. A wife tortured with sus-
picions, narrowed with jealousy. still devoted
and meek and silent pathetic fgure-a too
common figure in life. Her counterpart is to
be found in the little frame dwellings of every
town. in the drab rookeres of every hive like
city apartment house.
1t has remained for Edward Locke to present
this piteous human drama in such a popular
way as to express and bring home the injus-
tce Of the double standard of morals in the
marriage relation in THE Revolt" which
opened at the Adelphi last night. One might
say 1t remained, through the vehicle of Mr.
Locke5s play. for Helen Ware intimately to pre-
sent the heart tragedy OF too many wives.
The Revolt as a play has excellent quail
tiles. 1t transplants complications and phases
of actual life to the stage. 1t carries its allie
CORY convincingly. 1t is u play that must seri-
ously do good. While it throws before its
audience, in the second act the meretricious
elegance and luxury of vicious living as main
tained by self-righteous. self f-justifying men
The Revolt" is clean and saIutary It is an
American play, dealing with familiar domestic
conditions. 1t is effective a play on it's
theme as was the antseptic much-explolted
drama of Brieux on another
Anna Stephens the wife has waited for ber
husband night after night for seven vears
There only honeymoon year of bapniness
John the husband, acted by Alphonz Either
spends his evenings many husbands do and
While he tells his wife he works at the office
mingles in the company of a certain kind of
emancipated women To them he gives his
money. A tribute must be paid to Miss Ware
as an actress. Unaffected by the tricks of the
stage, intellectual in her Interpretation, her
acting has the simplicity OF really great talent
One is never conscious OF the actress, you see
only the wife. Such a portrayal is art
Assured of her husbands infdelty by her
scheming viainous, whisky-addicted step |
mother who urges her 10 the life which, If it |
costs men money, brings money to women,
Anna confronts John with evidence of his mis-
doings in a letter received from a woman The
long pent-up passion of years bursts forth, and
Anna rushes forth to the life of freedom en-
joyed by the husband While her precipltate
flight after midnight in the morning from the
dngy fiat in Brooklyn to the "sweIl' apart
ment of Flora La Rose. formerly Lima Schmidt
ner old school chum, on Riverside drive, raises
doubt as to its FEASIBILITY, it Is supposedly
excused by the claim of dramatic exigencies
Most women would wait till morning and. il
they loved their child prodgously as Anna
asserted. would take their child with them
In striking contrast to the mean home Of the
lecent wife, the second act faunts the allure
md horror-of the luxurious home Of the aban-
Ioned woman. Beth Franklyn, as La Rose, Is
hocl'nsly true to life-we Just almost hate to
make her acquaintance in public. A night. or
ather very early morning revel takes place,
nd Anna stephens, radiantly clothed in a
'arisian gown of rose satin and spangIed sill
er is wooed by intoxicated admirer. She
Kinks champagne, sings. smokes cigarettes.
nally breaks down and weeps. There is a
trusgle. for the indomtahe honesty and purity
+ Annals nature recon from the abyss At
he crucial hour Anna is rescued by one OF the
nonymous visitors, and Is about to flee when
telephone message informs her OF the serious
lness of her child.
over the bed of the child, believed to he dy-
lg, the husband, confronted with the folly OF