New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-10-20

By HAYWOOD BROUN.


sam Observation-Disclosures. George Meade
By HAYWOOD BROUN.
/ "Our Mrs. McChesney," which was
i produced az the Lyccum Theatre last
! night. has as its star Ethel Barrymore
an actress OF exceeding charm The
/ play contains much bright dialogue and
| a plumber OF amusing character
/ ske&hes II Is refreshingly wholesome.
+ At this point the defence Of the play
must rest. -.
| We think that "Our Mrs. McChesney"
is the most inept material which has
been brought to the stage this season.
/ As people we're fond of saying year
or two ago about a book, q person, or
what not. "It's not immoral, it's un-
moral" Just so "Our Mrs McChesney"
+ is not bad drama, it simply isn't drama
at all.
give lot Of reasons for our opinion,
I because Miss Barrymore Is skllful
and popular actress, and because Miss
Edna Ferber has written excellent
stories for the magazines. Possibly
there is some reason why an eXplana-
ton is also due 20 George y. Hobart,
Miss Ferber's collaboration, but we
cant think Of any just now.
+ First of all, then, a play ought 10
have movement. Hamlet mas H.
Ghosts" has il. sherlock Holmes has
it. "Our Mrs. McChesney' has not
/ This dramatic movement is IKE
river current. II may be fast or slow
as you choose You may be able TO
see its direction or not. but every min
ute Of the time each person in the
audience should be certain that the
L l. J. e foH o. "a
and not a lake.
You might miss one act, two acts or
/ two and one-half acts OF "Our Mrs. Nc
I Chesney" and upon returning 20 the
/ theatre feel no necessity Of asking
"What has happened q" Each act is an
episode no, that's hardly fair, one cpl
sode lasts through two acts, but there
/ is not a theme which persists through
out the play.
In the first act much the best Of the
/ play. we find that Mrs. McChesney has
received q business offer which will
make it possible for her TO quit selling
goods on the road and settle in New
/ York, where she can have a home with
/ her son. who is soon TO be graduated
+ from college. Later in the act she finds
that her boy has raised one Of her
checks from $50 to 5000 and has mar
ried a chorus girl. She is forced, there
fore, to refuse the business offer be-
/ cause 10 involves her making trip 70
| South America. She resolves that she
Will stay at home and make her boy
q man.
When the curtain descends az this
point the audience has right 10 e&-
pect that the play will concern the re
generation Of Jack McChesney by his
TOT 80 IA
filed. The regeneration has been COM
pleted before the second act begins.
although the Toy falls under suspicion
in this act and is cleared by his mother.
That ends the boy problem. II does not
figure IN either scene one or two OF act
three.
Another theme is taken up. Mrs Nc
Chesney has invented a new skirt, but
the trade is slow TO receive II. The
fortunes of her firm depend on the
skirts success, and the first scene Of
the final act shows the head Of tho
house of T. A. Buck in despair because
he cannot meet a note. Emma McChes-
nev walks in with a bit more than
900 i'm certified checks, which sh4
has received for her new gown. And
so the frock goes out of the play. There
( j. still another scene, and IN THIS !. A.
Buck woos and wins Mrs. McChesney.
Matrimonial motives in life are often
obscure, and so. perhaps, there is no
reason 10 carp az the lack of apparent
reason for Mrs McChesney's choosing
a husband. 1t just had TO be done 10
get a final curtain.
Admitting that Edna Ferber's play
was not consistently plotted, it might
still be a good play of sort If Emma
10 vel f
mating study Of character. She Is not.
On the stage character Is shown in &C.
ton "There's nothing she can't do,
said Jack MChesney Of his mother.
"Why, she could sell pretzels in Lon
don" As a matter Of fact. from the
first act until the last Emma McChes-
ney sells nothing, and although many
persons talk Of her admirable sales
manship, the audience must take II on
trust Except for brief conversation
between the heroine and a customer in
the first act, no indication is given OF
the methods Of Mrs. McChesney.
We are even disposed 10 complain Of
the manner in which Ethel Barrymore
used the material at her command. An
actress of great charm, as we have said,
she 'ails to suggest to US the business
woman. She had hardly trace of the
brisk manner which one might expect
70 find in such q woman.
Certainly neither Miss Ferber nor Mr..
Hobart were very businesslike in de-
vising the play for no less than thirty
seven characters are employed 10 tell
"a simple story. The prodigalty in
ueople is q matter OF concern 70 the
audience since the authors persist IN
free-handedly hinging new characters
uuon the stage until few minutes
before the final curtain. BY the time
the third act is reached the interest OF
the audience should lie with certain
persons whose fortunes II has followed
FOR an act or more, and we think il is
tho poorest sort Of craftsmanship 20
proiect four new and useless characters
upon the stage in the last twenty min
utes of the play.
one thing Miss Ferber can DO. She
has an extraordinary faculty for put
ting individuality In person who has
only few minutes OF existence IN the
nlav In fact, the minor characters are
hhet;er drawn than the major ones, and
.better played, for the most part, as
we'll unfortunately hardly any OF
these minor people have anything In
particular 20 DO with the play.
Gwendolyn Piers was exceedingly
,kilful a. Pearlie Schultz, a STOUT
stenographer. Thomas Reynolds MADE
Toe Greenbaum stand out, although nc
Rad only the briefest sort OF a scene ln
tbe FIRST act. Anita Kothe was Hmuslhs
as Hattie Stitch, and Lola flsher wa.
pleasing in the more important part o.
! Vieya Sherwood.