New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-09
The Casts.


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A touch of realism would have
helped considerably at the Bandbox
Theatre last night. As their second Of
fering Of the season the Washington
Square Players staged four highly
imaginative comedies in four highly
imaginative ways, the result being a
tendency on the part Of each play to
merge itself more or less with the bal
ance of the programme. The Players
acquired one of their plays at home
and went to Austria, Italy and France
for the others, but it was not difficult
to maintain ones neutrality.
Which is not to say that there is not
much that is thoroughly delightful in
the new programme at the Bandbox.
For one thing, one may see Lydia Lo-
pokova in hoopskirts "a picture so
charming that it is well worth jour
ney 10 points even more remote than
East Fifty-seventh Street. And, for
another thing, there are the settings
Of all four of the comedies, but par'lc-
ularly the last of them, "Whims."
Not even Joseph Urban has contrived
finer scene than that formed by the
solf pink draperies and blue what-you-
call-'ems and fellow thingumbobs that
served as a background for this play
of dc Musset's. 1t stood out even at a
time when the eye was surfeited with
| beauty. for "Whims" was last on the
! programme. Prior to that one had
| feasted upon symphonies of lavenders.
/ cerises, puppies and all OF the delicate
/ and one or two of the indicate colors.
Separately considered, too much can
not be said in favor of the settings.
When one judges the ensemble. the
lack of contrast is the only weakness
1t gives one feeling of complacence
in these days of talk about prepared
ness. TO record that it was the Ameri-
can play which came the closest TO
standing out for its own sake. Alice
Gerstenberg dramatized Alice IN
Wonderland" which was not a remark
able success. In "Overtones" she offers
a novelty, although it must be admitted
that the idea has been worked out none
too expertly.
oliver Wendell Holmes, if memory
b serves, NTOkt u NtiSt 80
Parentheses." II told of the visit OF
woman to the home of a friend, and
recorded the conversation. But in the
parentheses one learned what was
really passing through the minds OF
the two women at the time. There IS
nothing particularly novel in the idea,
but Miss Gerstenberg achieved novelty
by putting the parentheses on the stage
as person. While the "overtones'
talked politely and circuitously,. the
real characters, lurking behind them,
expressed the actual thoughts OF the
women. Grace Griswold. as one OF the
"overtones." did excellent work.
"Whims," admirably acted by MISS
/ Lopokova and Helen Wesley, was an
utterly inconsequential but quite de-
/ lightful play from the French OF DC
/ Nusset. set in the time OF seIty years
| ago. II is said 10 be the first OF de
/ Nusset's plays to reach the American
stage. and one cannot but suspect that
/ n was placed in the Bandbox pro-
gramme chiefly to exhibit Miss Lopo-
] kova in an attractive frame.
! Schnitzler's Literature" contains
| clever idea. but its careless handing
| of the law Of probabilities Will un-
! doubtedly infict great pain on those
automatically inclined. Margaret and
/ Gilbert, drawn together by comm )n
interest in literature, have had an al
/ fair in which restraint did not fgure
as a particularly prominent factor
/ They separate, and Margaret becomes
engaged 20 Clement, Who does not APP
/ preciate matters literary.
Following their separation, ooSh STAR
qaret and Gilbert make their liaison
D e nntral olfbnmUh veil
4 ing the Identities of all concerned. But
both elect TO print in full the CORE
/ spondence that has passed between
/ them. and IL is obvious that the un-
/ literary Clement will not be required
10 do much guessing if he reads both
! volumes. The play contains some witty
/ limos. in addition to a tedious stretch
| of exposition. Frank Conroy, as ILL
bert. did some OF the best work Of the
evening.
II seemed rather a mistake TO ex-
hibit "Literatdre" and Robert Bracco
/ "The Honorable Lover" upon the same
programme, the plays being somewhat
alike in theme and in treatment. In
the Bracco play Florence Enright was
excellent as Mamma, and Frank Conroy
I added to the laurels won in the
Schnitzler comedy.
Although the presentation Of an en-
tire bill of comedy may appear to be
al attempt on the part of the Wash
ington Square Players to cater to the
popular taste, such is in reality not the
ease. No one Of the plays would have
heen considered a second time by the
kind of managers called commercial
and throughout their programme the
players preserve the high artistic
| standards that have brought them