The Washington herald., 1915-12-05
THE. WASHINGTON HERALD SUNDAY DECEMBER 5 1915

gas footlights and nat canvas per-
spective.
Crimfaal MeloArana.
The Ware Case" comes to New
York with a strong London indorse-
ment 1t recalls the fact that the Mary
E. Braddon novels are still reprinted
in England as serial thrillers. for
merly known a. penny dreadfuls.
The basis of the play 10 a murder and
its interest consists In the ingenuity
of the author in directing suspicion
the cast The mystery survives to the
very end through q long drawn out
trial of the really guilty person. who
il acquitted. only voluntarily to con-
fess his guilt and take poison at the
fnal curtain
This IL taking a mean advantage of
a confiding audience. II q thoroughly
organised British court carrying on q
searchinE criminal investigation
through practically two entire acts OF
q play cannot find out the truth. how
can an American audience with moth
ing but the same evidence to 90 on
get any nearer to the facts? And then
the author has the brazenness, after
all this effort. and having made us ac-
cept the verdict of the court by bring
ing In the released hero, turn COM
pletely about face and in q very short
scene completely upset all that has
gone before. 1t is a peurile trick for
q present-day dramatist like Mr..
George Pleydell and we can almost
see him and his principal character.
impersonated by Mr.. Lou-Tellegen.
standing on the stage after the fall
Of the final curtain with their thumbs
to their noses twiddling their fingers
at the backs of their befooled and dis
gusted audience. It's easy to take
candy from a baby and equally easy
for an author to deceive an audience
by violating the dramatic canons.
Evidently the court scene with its
close adherence to literalness was the
big feature of the English production.
Here II counted for little. for we
couldn't tell whether II was correct or
not and outside of its wigs and gowns
carried very little conviction to the
audience and none to the man on
trial. The acting in THE Ware Case"
particularly that Of Gladys Hanson
as the wife of the numbering noble
man. and Albert Bruning as the pros
ecuting counsel. was far better than
the primitive melodrama of crime de-
served Lou-Te!legen has become a
pronounced poseur with his accession
to the dignity of star. He moves.
when he is not posing. with his usual
grace. and his foreign accent is not
serious handicap to the delivery of
his lines. But he was a more convinc-
ing actor before he had his present
greatness thrust upon him.
Almost anything goes in these pros
porous days. but II IL to be feared that
THE Ware Case" will not equal in
America anything like its British sue
cess.
Chatter.
The Shuberts have the English
rights TO "Hobson's Choice" and are
trying to organize company among
the English actors in America to play
IL in London. Their main difficulty is
in finding enough English actors now
here who are willing to go within
hailing distance OF an English re-
cruiting officer.
George Bernard Shaw's latest play.
Michael O'Flaherty. v. c." was not
permitted to be acted in Dublin be-
cause the British authorities objected
to its anti-recruiting arguments. 1t
might be unpopular here with a big
section of our public for the same rea-
son, although the American rights