The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-10-19
Nine. Olga PetrOva Scores
Personal HitinsThe ReDOt'
But the Piece Itself Is a
Crudely Motivated, The
atric, and illogical Melo-
drama Beneath the Stand
~ ard, Edward Locke Achiey-
4 ed In The Case Of Becky"
BY JULIA CHANDLER MANI.

: BY JULIA CHANDLER MANz.
AZ the Beiasco Thsater last evenin,
Nine. Olga Petroya made her initial bow
to a Washington audience In what 4
commonly termed the legitimate held'
= The piece chosen by the Messrs.- shu.
bert for the exploitation OF the histrionis
gifts OF the Ansio-Polish actress Is a
errdely motivated and theatric meIo.
drama despite certain adherence tc
truth in the matter or detail, and the
generous opportunities II affords the sta,
for emotional acting. failing to measure
up to the standard which Edward Locke
has achieved IN other pieces notably
| THE Case Of Becky"
As its title somewhat suggests, THE
Revolt Is the story OF a woman's IN
sursency against the double moral stand
ara at which society winks indulgently.
Anna, the young wife OF John Stephens
10 driven to the point or desperation by
the neglect of q self-acknowledged roue,
and bibuious stepmother who advises
the easiest way to friIls furbelows and
all the soft things o woman loves. ~
In the sordid Brooklyn fiat Anna reaches
the sad EYE for an eye. and tooth for a
tooth philosophy. and quits her whole
miserable lot in the wee sma' hours, in
IOE
whose sake she has bourne the injustice
OF years.
She is welcomed In the luxurious apart
ment I'M Manhattan by her some timc
friend Lena Schmidt, who Is now sailing
under the more symphonious title OF Flora
Larose. She and Anna had been school
mates together; had worked In the same
store until Flora decided that IS q week
Is q 1T living for no pretty girl and went
the primrose path to destruction. Hay-
ing an imagined score 10 pay of, Flora
not only bats the young wife TO imbibe
too freely Of the wine, out tricks her into
position through which the guest hes
to fight her way TO honor. a feat which
Is made possible OF accomplishment by
the one decent man OF the party, who
takes her home to her I'll baby.
Called The Prude by his associates,
Annals defender is in reality a promi-
nent physician, who heals the sick child's
wan little body. and administers as ably
to the moral illness OF the parasite hus-
band, leaving the way clear for a re-
establishment Of the home on a new and
better basis.
smacking Of To-day" Cthe melodrams
In which We last year saw Edmund
Breese and Ethel Valentine. The Re-
volt" moves through its FIRST two acts,
adding a more conventional third with
the forgiveness OF the offender. In the
telling OF his story Mr.. Locke has not
escaped the triteness Of his theme. nor
avoided drawing illogical conclusions In
presenting II. In this day and generation
OF woman's achievement in the world of
business the author, who suggests no
alternative to submission to a profiisate
husband save that OF the sacrifice OF
ner honor, is a brave man. And. how
ever well the idea may serve as skele-
ton upon which TO hang a sermon on So
cial economics, 1t still lacks the sterling
ring OF truth.
Madam Petrova accompiishessz certain
amount OF interest In the piece through
her vivid emotionalism, but even her art
cannot lift the first act from its sordid-
ness. nor relieve the finale from its trite-
ness. The second act strikes q truer
note through the Introduction OF an at
mosphere of reality accomplished by the
Ella borate setting for Flora Larose's
apartment: a plenteous sprinkling of
slang: the accumulation Of the entice-
ment TO the morally weak woman OF the
life represented as well as its unutter-
able pity, an anthithesis which WIS fur
nished by the presence of the beautiful
Young wife in an environment utterly
foreign TO her taste and character.
Mime. Petrova Is at her best in this
act, riveting the attention OF her audi
ence through neT EeNulsiUn
rnulates until she reaches a yeritable hys-
terra OF emotion in which she defends
her honor and learns that the woman
she has thought q friend has betrayed
her.
Supporting Mime. Petrova In this demi-
monde scene, Jean Thomas visualizes to
a nicely the cruel intolerance Of prosti-
tuition for decency; Hazel Turney sings
the slang effectively. and Helen Haskell
furnishes the pathetic note in her OBJ
vious inner struggle to escape her deg
radiation. The men of the hilarious
party are capable. including John Maui
rice Sullivan, Richard Lyle. Fred Peters. |
and Albert Gran.
As Mrs. Biddle, the step-mother.
Earla Elverson strikes too strident
note. and Fritz Leiber's conception Of
John Stephens does not inspire us to be-
lieve that any such woman as Anna
would ever walk through fiery furnace
for love OF him.
In the less important roles are Herbert
Mann, Fred Ford. Mary Holton, F. Rus
sell Smith, and Clarice Snyder, the lat
ter impersonating the little girl who Is
fed bananas in the middle Of the night |
by an inebriate step-grandmother.