The Washington herald., 1915-09-12

The story is melodramatic but absorbing
The main attraction of the play lies in
the war scenes. Among them is a very
effective one showing the first coming
of the German forces to a Belgian viii
i la ge Stress is here laid to good dramatic
purpose on the method and system OF
| the Germans, not a little OF the color
! being added by the fact that the super
| numeraries who represent German SOL
diers are really trained reservists who
| have not been able to get back to take
} their places in the army We are also
| shown the trenches by night, with
bullets and shells hurtling overhead
and one final explosion wreckins the de-
fence in most realistic fashion. Then
we are taken for the action of the play
to one of the hospitals improvised to
provide shelter and treatment for the
wounded In its entirety. Under Fire"
| is interesting we'll done and up to the
minute in its scenes and settings.
| The other Max MARGIN play is called
| The House of Glass" and its serious
ness, contrasted with See My Lawyer
shows that the new author has versa
! tility Its story is of a girl who, wrong
| ly convicted of crime, serves part of
| her time and then breaks the parole on
| which she is released, to take up a new
| life outside the Jurisdiction of the New
| York police. Happily married to an
eminent railroad official. she returns to
! New York after an interval of ten years.
| She has failed to count with the fact
| that there are detectives with pride in
| their profession, and one of these insists
| on doing his duty when he recognizes
| this woman of importance as the quarry
he has long been seeking The side
| incidents and final solution of this theme
are skillfully woven in to make in the
hands of competent artists one of the
most interesting dramas seen this sea-
son. Mary Ryan gives a feeling i'm
personation of the hunted heroine
Thomas Findlay is excellent as her detec-
tive Nemesis; Frank NJ. Thomas gives
the fine promise for the future in his
strong acting OF the reformed thief, who
in his earlier career incriminated the
girl. and Frederick Burt, Harry <.
Browne. William Wolcott and Frank
Young all help in the general excellence
of the character portrayal. The House
of Glass" is quite worth seeing.
More Sociology.
John Mason and Jane CowI are joined
as co-stars in Common Clay" written
by Cleves kinkead, a kentucky lawyer.
who took the dramatic course under
Prof. Baker at Harvard. 1t was written
in play competition and in somewhat
different form had its first presentation
at the Castle Square Theater in Boston
1t is a product OF the recent period when
the picturing OF social problems was the
vogue in drama. The author sets forth
in dramatic form another statement of
the greater punishment that is meted
out to the woman than to the man when
there has been an infraction of the laws
that society has set up for the control
of the sexes. An ingenious plot well
developed, points out once more this
world-old injustice. but, as usual with
playwrights, fails to suggest a remedy.
Dramatists of the day are not given to
creating heroic roles for the middle
aged. but in the present instance Mr..
Mason has been given good opportunity
il the character of the eminent lawyer,
whose early amour brings about the
complications that make the story and
give the other persons of the play their
material In the clever telling of the
story. Jane Cowl as the heroine, proves
to be the daughter of the lawyer, the
discovery coming at the moment when
he is forcing her to disgrace to save his
client This is one of several thrilling
scenes in the play which are only partly
weakened by the authors evident ambi |
ton to dwell on social injustice. Jane
Cowl, always beautiful. shows that she |
Is not content to stand still in her pro- |
tesslon, and this performance is an ad- |
vance on her creditable work in otner |
roles In the uniformly good cast Mr. !,
Russ Whytai stands out by his personal !
qualifications and a fineness of merit too |
rare IN these days of unfinished acting.
Common Clay will hold its own as
one of the most important plays of the |
year, and is likely to run out the season |
at the Republic.
Marie Tempest Interprets Barrie.
If all the actors who are here be-
cause of conditions abroad were of the
artistic caliber of Marie Tempest we
should hear less complaint of the
English invasion. Her bill this sea-
son consists of a revival of The
Duke OF Killicrankie" and J. NJ.
Barrie's one-act sketch, entitled
'RosaIind." The former is only eleven
years old. so still remains in the
memory of present theater-goers who
saw its former production with John
Drew in the title part. His absence
from the present cast is not vastly
because Ferdinand Colts
chalk is again seen in the role Of
Pitt-Welby which. though an eccen-
:ric character part, really over
shadows the one which gives the
l
,est share the best of the acting pos
'ibilities and are aided by ascompe-
ent company. so We have a most en- II
oyable performance of a very witty. Il
,olite comedy.
'.Rosalind" shows Marie Tempest as
London actress, who has fled to K
he country to enjoy a rest without
he tyranny of clothes and makeup
'he is no longer young, and is glad
o be rid for a while of the need OF
eeming so. A young man who has
.dmired her accidentally discovers her
n her retreat and takes her for her
wn mother. until she disiIlusions him
~ telling him the truth, and finally
'resenting herself in her town attire
nd aids to youth. The merit of the
iece rests on Barrie's wit in the lines
nd the actress delightful impersona- /.
ion of the same woman at apparently
ifferent ages. OF course, improba-
ility weakens the construction, bu,
this out of mind the skit is :
,ood entertainment
On Elemental Lines.
William Hodge is at the Shuber,
nth The Road to Happiness" New I
'ork does not take so kindly to rural 9
rama as do many other places, but
here is public for IL as witness q
he long runs of "srhe Old Home- {
tead" and Shore Acres" The pres. 1
Mt play does not rank with those q
lassics. nor is Mr. Hodge in the
ame class of character actors with
he late Denman Thompson and James