The Washington herald., 1914-11-01
Repiew of the Past Week !
In the New York TheaterS

to the scenic effects, but as Compared
with some melodramatic efforts import-A
ed from England with the scenery, Mr..
Buchanan has made the play proper
quite as thrilling as the imported opes
and entirely American except when II
takes Us down to the Mexican border for
the stirring battle which brings the cur
tain down with the Virtuous hero and
heroine in each others arms and, the
horrid villain writhing in his death
throes.
Manager Brady has included in his
imposing layout about everything thai
could come to the mind Of the usual
writer Of scenic American meIodrama
and u let besides. We have a complete
ly equipped and heavily laden coach
with four real horses driven into the
stage, We see Yale and Harvard Justify
and realistically contending in the an
nual eight-oared race at New London, a
spirftudiisuc Seance in full swing an
escape from the bathhouse at Sing Sing,
chase OF one automobile after an
other, hSht on the topmost balcony OF
the metropolitan tower and to hoAd
the interest, moving pictures on the drop
curtain between the scenes to show whaG
the characters are doing when they are
not actually in sight Of the audience.
Life beats anything that we i'm
port regularly from Drury Lane in Lon
don, not only in its local interest, but
in the number of its sensations In pro-
dHcing it Mr.. Brady kept the big Man
haitian Opera House dark fora whole
week, during which time he practically
lived on its stage. rehearsing, not only
the company and the mob OF supers but
the scene shifters, mechanics In every
line and especially the lighting effects.
At the first performance something like
four hours were consumed, but every
body Mayed through for fear they might
miss something more stunning than what
had gone before. The story Is not a
great essential in productions Of this
sort, but Mr.. Buchanan has given US a
plot which enables the scenic episodes to
follow one another with considerably bet
ter ground for their occurrence than Is
, furnished in most melodramas. The
Manhattan is a big house, but 'I.ifeY
bids fair to test its capacity for weeks
to come. -
By Way of AIIeEOry.
First We had "Everyman." the miracle
| play, dug up from the Middle Ages, and
| telling its allegOry Of mans progress
! through this vale of tears in crude buo
solemn fashion. This inspired +'Every4
woman" still allegOrical and fancifui,
| but with scenes Of our own time and
our own ways Of living introduced to
make its lessons and poetry more ap-
pealing TO modern audiences.
The latest allegory is Experience.
with everything except the names of the
characters brought down to the very
minute in scene and language. The hero
| IS Youth. who starts out on his career
| with Ambition and Experience as his
| companions Ambition soon dies, but
Experience keeps along, constantly grow
ing stronger. through Youths encoun-
tiers with Pleasure, Opportunity, Fashion,
\ FTivolity, Wealth, Intoxication. Passion.
1 lat inn -
less other embodiments of the incorporeal
| things one encounters in a lifetime, to
return finally to Love and Hope
| These we're all characters personitied
by men and women in a succession of
scenes drawn from the life OF today. It
gave opportunity for Mr.. George V. B-
bart. the author. and Mr.. William Elliott,
the producer. to show US among other
things a fashionable dancing restaurant
an elaborate gambling house in full oper-
alton, a dive in the slums. and a CO.
caine joint. All these very modern set
tings were elaborateIy reproduced put
with the spirit Of aIlegory pervadfng
them to rob them OF their ordinary quail
ity.
Experience" called for an unusually
large cast, and most OF the character
had some real acting to do. Mr. Elliot,
himself played Youth effectively, and Mr..
Ben johnson, with his deep voice and
excellent training as an actor. made Ex-
perience both allegoTical and practical
\ new young actress named MargoI
Williams made a distinct hit doubling as
1ntoxication and Frailty-the last a pa,
, thetic little habitue of the dive.
The elaborate scenic effects and biz
cast make Experience a production o:
, very considerable magnitude, but the
. clever way in which Mr.. Hobart has
handled the not altogether original idea
! and the very evident care given to cast
ing, mounting. and producing the PLAY
insure its enjoyment of a long run IN
New York and long life on the road
With the tendencies Of the day ther,
cannot be much doubt that between Per
, formances in the theater the company
|, ! will play before the camera for canning
purposes. and that Experience will be
, shown in film form in very many places
where it would be entirely out Uf the
, Question to take the scenery and com.
. pany to give it in material performance
Experience lends itself admirably l.
moving picture use, and with prOpeI
|, manipulation 1t should prove an adSfr
able example of this method OF enabling
, dwellers in the most remote places I,
share some OF the pleasures of thOst
] who live in the metropolis.