The Washington times., 1915-01-12
Plays and Players at Capital
Theaters This Week
BELASCO.

The American composer VINO wiaA0o
to immortalize himself and a putoly
American theme in grand opera would
search long and vainly for a better
libretto than that which has been in
corporated by George Broadhurst and
Abraham Schooner in the tense drama
| they have called To-day" presented
at the Belasco Theater last evening
by a cast headed by Edmund Breese.
| Custom and the tremendous effects
or JOY and sorrow as interpreted by
music have decreed that tragedy shall
FORM the basis Of all grand opera.
Usually there Is an exaggeration Of
real tragedy. an imaginary condition
which contains but a shred Of living
fact--but enough upon which the
composer might build his series Of
sonorous individual phrases and tre-
mendous choral effects.
The greatness Of the opera usually
depends upon the reduction of the
lartif1cialities Of the story in the re-
fining cadences Of the music. 1t is
very seldom that a play with the
scope Of an operatic theme can be
produced in convincing way because
these artificialities are necessarily
empha sized in the absence Of music.
To-day" Is here put forwa rd as a
grand opera theme because its story
Is 50 convincinsiy told, its dramatic
technique so skillfully worked out,
that even without music It forms ono
or the most absorbing dramas that
mas been presented in Washington.
Arneaelck A wagner. the typical young
commercial greatness far exceeds his
resources, ls placed with his frivolous
niEuns nisras W Wife LILY; and lo!able common
o%. n the srsfnts rst sst in nsses
by all the luxuries his daring business
schemes and the love for ease and com.
,,o;t Iort ne has created in his wife, viii per.
init; m "a Money has been no Object to them
nom, home and and in the entertainments they
give. Tnis is made fully apparent be-
lore an1 ti,s ne get has proceeded Ave minutes.
the sale or everything that viii brins
m1T,nreS. 1,r, and reduction to>senteel poverty.
me iather and mother easily adjust
themselves vnnns W., to the new conditions. The
come back to his former afhuence to
care. The tragedy of the woman raised
from ordinary circumstances to luxury
ana and then cast down again is one OF the
Lilly Wagner is typical. She cannot
and will not let her mind dwell upon
anything but the fact that she has been
yobbed. Her husband has accustomed
ner 70 think thar ncthinE is too good
for her. and sne cannot adjust her life
to any other condition.
ne result Is extrsvasance and the
in ways that nrs not pleasant to dwell
upon. The end Is inevitable, the con
ditions being " hat they are. In real
IRE 1t does not ALWAYS happen that tho
mas happened often enough to give ba sis
for the play.
The thought one takes away from the
iheater Is not 20 much depreciation of
rs Lilly Wagner. but relief that with
the Opportunities afforded by modern
GGnd1uoRs there are not more Of them.
The one weak feature Of the play. It
not snow q .oung American woman OF
the other. the helpful sort.
The presentation Of this story at the
BGlasco is by one Of those companies
of each character that the audience
sees single harmonious STUDY of life
rather than series Of individual char
acterizations.
Edmund Breese gives a carefully
studied picture of the young American
business man. In the moments or tense
repression Mr.. Breese was magnificent
1t was only at those times when he
him to let go-that he fell below the
average he sustained. And that was
only slightly below.
ethel Valentine. as the young V ife,
was Just the silly. hystercal, moody
dissatisfied young woman Lilly Was ncr
is supposed to be. Louise Sydnnth and
Bernard Reinold. as the German mother
and father. presented 4 par Of clear
cut character studies that have seldom
been excelled. As comfortable very
liNable, ana yet commonplace oil
couple. they were pure types.
Margaret Robinson presented a clear.
cut figure 81 the woman of the world,
Of n certain sort. AMI Grace Thorne
tertained ladies and gentlemen in her
apartment, was another WELL played
type. GARDNER MACK.