New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-10

by HEYWOOD BROUN.

by HEYNOOD BROUN.
The Liars" OF Sir Henry Arthur
Jones was first played eighteen years
ago. II was revived last night at the
Playhouse by Miss Grace George and
her company. and although MIR. Jones
Is probably one Of the enduring figures
Of the drama it seems perfectly
natural TO ask first Of all Does the
play wear II may be natural TO
ask that, but since We have set the
question for ourself it is rather IN
wise. for the answer is dificlt.
In the main The Liars" is as fresh
as upon that first evening when Miss
Mary Moore said for the steenth time
81 started to walk TO the station. /
must have taken the wrong turning
for instead of finding myself at the
station, ! found myself at the Star
and Garter"
The fine burst at the end of thu
third act. when Falkner gives Gilber.
the truth which he had asked, ia drama
of the sort which never ages, and there
is also time defying stuff in the final
scene when Sir Christopher calls to
Lady Jessics and tells her that her hus-
band is waiting 10 take her home. Tn,
audience knows more than the hus-
band and glories in its intimacy with
the situation. The audience knows that
Lady Jessics's lover is with her in tina.
room of stage and that within the
space Of minute she must choose be.
tween her husband and Falkner. The
fine moments of all plays, we think, are
set al just such crossroads.
When. in addition to what has been
I said II is added that the craftsman
ship Of Mr.. Jones in "The Liars" ranks
with his best carpentry and that much
of the dialogue is almost model writ
ING for stage purposes il seems carping
10 attempt defence Of the statement
that "The Liars" is in NAM respects
old-fashioned and somewhat teasingly
out of date. Standing in the lobby az
folk filed out il was easy to catch again
and again the remark Its a little bit
old-fashioned OF course. not few
persons said that because they knew it
was an old play. Such system Of rea-
sQning Is not So absurd after all An
old play usually is old-fashioned. We
are not certain but we believe that If
we had seen The Liars" knowing
nothing Of its history. We could still
place IT as q piece written before the
vogue Of George Bernard Shaw or
Stanley HoughtoH.
We think that Il Mr. Jones were to
call n Mr.. Shaw and ask him to finish
the play from the point where Sir
Christopher calls. Lady Jessica, your
band is waiting TO take you TO sup
per-" falkner would have stepped
through the doorway and not Lady Jes-
sica. And we for one would have APP
plauded if he had.
The muddle-throuen school of matri-
mony has taken "A lot of beating in the
theatre. 1t has grown unpopular. OF
course. we mean IN the theatre. That
Lady Jessica should return TO perfect
beast Of a husband because wise
counsellor shakes & finger and SAYS
Duty" is not altogether satisfactory.
to an audience which has grown to like
it, women unchastened
1T won't work. il won't work." cries
Sir Christopher at the pair who would
tell society TO so hang. For that mat
ter, my dear Sir Christopher, the
reconciliation of Lady Jessica and her
husband won't work either. even if the
curtain does shut off further discussion.
DUTY" "muddle through" so much
we set up as catchwords which have
lost their SAVIOR. And there is moro
than that in "The Liars" which lacks
the tang of the times which are clos
est. II has been said here that the da-
logue or "The Liars" was almost a
model for the stuff which should be
written for the stage. We don't mean
Sir Chrstopher's speech in the last
act. the one about duty, which SENDS
o. Ia lag spL hor l.
is a speech, one OF the sort which
should delight an old fashioned actor.
for 1t contains almost eight hundred
words broken just once by single
word from Jessica.
We know. now, that neither in noii-
tics nor plays do speeches have any
effect, and II Sir Christopher convinced
Lady Jesslca and Falkner he did MOI
convince US. Possibly il was some.
what the fault Of Ernest Lawford. MIR.
LawfOrd is an excellent actor, but We
distinctly heard the woman in the play
who knew him best remark: 81 think
there's great deal Of tho martyr and
saint and king in you" She must have
been mistaken. Those things were not
in Mr.. Lswford. He overemphasized
the worldly wseness OF his character
Grace George was delightful. Her
NOTh - Uttltl lnhU III me new pEh
Idea She does not allow her natural
charm TO blind the audience TO the fact
that, after all, Lady Jessica is a shall
low woman. She is, Of course. COW
ard. And Miss George permits her au-
dience 70 guess that before il becomes
evident in the action Of the play.
Falkner is the best part Ia the play
and Conway Tearle rises splendidly
TO his opportunity. In the superb
scene Of the third act he gets two
handed grip on his audience. The
hum OF the theatre is smothered when
Mr.. Tearle has his moment. And aog
you've got the truth, and be damned
10 vou," II takes the fall of the cur
tain TO bring the audience back 70
R.IOl or Q-13. or whatever il may be
and away from that group in Lady
Rosamund's drawing room.
Mary Nash j. the Lady Rosamund,
end she plays the part a shade too
much in The admirable manner which
sbn affects i'm "The New York Idea.
Gilbert Ncpesn is n rather thankless
mart hut Iumsden Hare need not be
a,,i,e "a heavy. Albert Reed does well
a. Freddie and Alfred Hesse makes
,,ucb II the waters part. Mary
Worth is a fascinating Dolly Coke and
Josephine Lovett sufficiently catty
Mrs Crespln.
The settings. particularly that OF the
arst act are excellent. They were de
signed by Miss George. who was also
ns,onsible for the tasteful costumes.
r,Iont we hope. for the fearful trous-
c n worn by Guthrie McClintic. They
almost III him.
All in all "The Liars" IS a good
,bough nv no means unasssil able. per
foymance Of an interesting play which