The Washington herald., 1915-01-31
Rr JAMES 5. METCALFE.

Now York. Jan. 3O-PIays seem to be
getting a little bit indefinite, perhaps too
indefinite. in their wind-ups. As start
ling novelty, as a sort of artistic protest
against the old way of making a play
tell complete story, we had Few sea-
sons ago the innovation of ringing down
the final curtain on strong situation
which by no means concluded matters
and let the audience 20 away with every
one figuring out Just what was to be-
come OF the characters afterward. This
was a good theatrical device for the time
being because its novelty made people
talk
In two very recent dramas, Children
OF Earth and The Shadow. we nave
the entire time Of the PLAYS devoted L"
complications arising from the duplex
r,ossibilities Of a husbands affections. In
each case. after elaborate exposition OF
how the husband wandered from his own
tireside. we find the play at the end IeaN-
ing the situation very much where It was
in the first place-the husband still car
ing more or less for the two ladies' ana
tied to one Of them, and nothing IN the
yyay Of divorce or sudden death To tell
the audience just which one continued
n dominate his rowing fancy. In both
rlays there was an indefinite suggestion
OF what was likely to happen but noih-
ing to send the audience home with the
definite gladness or regret that II nap
1,eDed this wav or that When this hail
ness about the ending of plot was ne"
if nossessed a value in its novelty, but as
# is worked today it seems to be sort Oh
shirIkinE on the part Of the dramatic au-
thor inspired by fear or an InabllIty
10 work his story out to a logical hnlsh-
Ethel BarrymOre's -'ew Play
In tine case Of children of Earth al
ready reviewed, the marital relations OF
the triangle were left unchanged at the
end Of the play; but the Nav Ensiahu
sinister. who was the heroine. had JUST
f1und out that she loved another wom-
ans husband. which in other less andlyu-
cal days would have been the beginning
nor the end of a drama. In Inc
shadow" the title of the play in Whlch
Ethel barrymore returns TO the leSlu-
mate boards of the Empire after n proh'-
able excursion into vaudeville, we nave
a little more hdzy finish.
She is. in the beginning, young
married woman who for six years has
beer paralvzed from the neck down
Ne find her at the rise of the curtain
sitting up in a chair, covered to the
chin with an cider-down quilt What-
ever acting she does is only with
vocal and facial expression. The cil-
max of the act is her sudden natural
command OF her upper anu lO"S'
limbs. dramatically effective. but with
its credibility still subject to medical
corrohoration.
Next We have her paying a sur
prise visit 10 the studio Of her nus
band. who has not Vet been informed
of her ability to get about and 2aN
Uueypected visits Here she finds in
stalled. on housekeeping basis. one
q her most intimate women friends
and an unexplained baby. When the
explanation comes, her inference Is
that she was better off as paralyzed
wife rather than a well-infOrmed one
The story goes not much further than
this II leads TO N"werful scenes
or scenes meant TO re pOwerful-bu:
The final curtain shows things left
about where they We're when the sec
ond household was discovered The
audience has to guess whether the
solution was the death OF some ore,
more paralysis restoring things to
their former condition, or Just an or
diuary divorce with the husband and
potential correspondent resuminG the
studio habit. the aud 'enCa Is per
lnittod to 90 away with all sorts Of
.guesses coming 70 it. and none OF
Them Included ~ the price Of admis-