The Washington herald., 1915-02-14
BY JAMES :. METCALFE.

TUW
there is a change in some lines of The
White Feather" This play was pro-
duced. and is still playing with great sue
cess in London under the title of The
Man Who Stayed at Home" Its hero is
a silly ass Englishman. who plays at a
boarding house on the south coast, while
his country is calling for men to enlist
in the Kitchener army. He is of military
age and able-bodied, but evidently pre-
fcrs to dawdle with the lady boarders
rather than risk his precious body in pre-
Hminary camp hardships. and eventually
against German bullets and shrapnel.
Naturally he is the object of the indig
nation of the English boarders, and the
contempt of the AnglO-Germans who
share the hOspitalities of the boarding
house.
The Iandlady of the boarding house is
a distinguished woman in looks and bear
ing with an English name. but of Ger
man birth Her son is employed in
more or less confidential capacity at the
British admiralty office. Her man-ser-
want is a German. who claims to be
Dane. One of the paying guests is
German spinster. who for twenty years
has lived in England as a gOVerness in
the homes OF high British officials All
these are German spies, and the house on
the cliffs near an important English har-
and of communication with Germany. its
equipment including an elaborate wire
ie>s plant concealed in a fireplace with
the aerials working from the chimney.
The silly ass is of course, not such an
ass as he looks, and the part gives fine
opportunities for acting to Leslie Farber
who works the contrast between the fop
and the heroic secret service officer TO
fine advantage. Cynthia Brooke as the
Anp1n- TzavTro9n Mabel Reid
the spinster governess devoted to the
Eaterland. and Elaine InesCourt as
handsome English girl helping the silly
ass all have good parts and play them
well. Eric Maxon also gets away with
the ungrateful role of the German spy
in the employ of the English government
and stealing its secrets as opportunity
offers.
The play is. Of course. melodrama. and
has been constructed more with a view
To capturing British sympathies than
with regard to anything like probability
or subtle effect It has some pretty
crude spots. which in London are doubt
less overlooked in the great interest in
its story and which are not especially
noticed even here where the war spirit
does not run so high. 1t is the first Of
the war plays to reach us from the other
side and its topic embodied in an in
gcnious story. well developed and well (
narrated, gives the piece a timely and alb
Sorbing interest lacking in most of our
stage entertainment.
ManteII and Shakespeare.
Robert Mantell has taken advantage Of
81 season which has been barren Of
Shakespeare to come here for A four
weeks season with a repertOry of seven
plays. all Of them except "RiChelieu
Shakespearean tragedies In spite Of
the facts that the star does not rank a
a great actor OF classic roles, that his
company is a road u0mpany, and that
his productions are lad productions the !
enEa cement is a fairly successful one. .
.ven If not enormously prUfita BILE.
Mr. Manten is good actor, although
not a great ono in the ambitious under |
takinEs on which he ventures. He has
tho necessary qualifications Of physique
and voice and is well versed in the ira
ditions of the English stage. for he serv-
Cd long apprenticeship over there in
provincial companies before ne made his
mark in America in modern plays. He
has surrounded himself with a fairly
good company, who play their parts aC-
rording to tradition and. unfortunately.
with the traditional Shakespearcan elo-
cutiOn.
Apotheosis of Lawrence D'Orsay.
augustus Thomas. some years ago. he .
.amo acquainted with the personality Of
I.lwrence D'Orsay, who at that time had
.a, uicved no distinction OF any kind aS am
.artOr. About the possibilities Of lrOrsay .
n,. wrote the play which afterward h'.-
..:tue big money maker, under the tuv b
Of .'Thr Earl OF PawtUCkct." The PLAY .
Mas hawzed about from manager I" (
manager and in every case turned down /
rccauso none OF them had any knowl-
'.IC" Of DOrsay's personality and what
Nr Thomas proposed to do with it. Fin
aIy Mr. Thomas found theater and
largely on his own responsibility put the
play into rehearsal He developed and
emphasized all the D'Orsay possibilities
as an English swell of the heavy dra
"a p" and showed the actor many ways
.a which to make them effective with an
t.di-nCe.
The result was that THE Earl of Paw
,ucket" WAS an instantaneous success.
and the morning after its production Mr..
- Orsay having read the morning pa
..rrs awOke to the consciousness that he
was "A great actor. And ever since Mr..
DOrsay has been the Earl Of PawtuCkct
.I whatever play or surroundings he has
.,ppcared.
Nj Salisbury Field wrote the book
from which the farce, Twin Beds" was
made into a play. He also wrote a book,
,d q farCiCaI theme possible for stage
l-' If properly handled II is the same
i"a that utilized in somewhat diff
',rrut fashion in The Man from Blank
ley - where a hostess shy one guest
.r dinner. sends to department store
Nnich prides itself on being able to sup
Ijy anything any one wants. and deliv-
.rS for consideration a properly accept
thl" person To filI the vacant chair.
Not the BeIted Earl.
The trouble with The Rented Earl is
r.nr any deficiency OF Mr. D'Orsay in
uIIIng ,h" part and giving effect to the
0u"~ provided for him. The part perfect I
suited the actor as ne is and the actor
Ucu' as far rs ne could with the material
supplied by the author. II Mr. Field (
uad been Mr.. Thomas steering Mr..
D'ursay i'm new role he would have
supplied more original material in the
way Of lines and situations than can be {
found in The Rented Earl" and ne
would have found some way to put a bit
nf novelty into the D'Orsay mannerisms
In their present estate both the play and
the actor are suggestive of only past per-
lormances. using that term as it is used
10Th in the theater an on the turf {
As it is. with Mr.. DOrsay as he has I
always heen since he first achieved 1
prominence and with The Rented Earl" '
not marvel OF originality ia the way of '
a farCiCal play. the combination makes
"a fairly amusing evenings entertain
ment. The best OF il is the stupid but :
amiablc British nObleman's efforts to un- {
dorstand and acquire the use OF Ameri- 5