The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-03-02
Mrs. Campbell Gives a Fine
Performance in Pygnali0n
George Bernard Shaw's Play at the
National This Week Is a Satirical
Comedy. Whose Poisoned Darts
Are Aimed at British Middle
Class Morality"
By JULIA CHANDLER MANI.

The program of the New National
Theater announces "Pygmalion." the play
in which Mrs. Patrick Campbell made
her first appearance in Washington in
many years last evening as "a romance
in five acts by G. Bernard Shaw. II
you saw the eminent English actress in
I the Washington premiere Of the Shaws
/ latest arrangement of the middle-class
British subject. you will not need to be
| told that the word romance Is mis-
homer when applied TO this story Of the
apotheosis of a flower girl of the London
streets.
We We're introduced TO her as she seeks
shelter from drenching rain, crying her
wares in hackney accent in the street.
wheedling the aristocracy into the buying
of her flowers in phrases which mark her
social strata of the lowest. Among her
purcha sers is Henry Higgins. professor of
phonetics. whose profession is something
of an obscssion.
| Meeting his frie nd. Col. Pickering. who
/ is interested in similar work, Higgins
| declares the possibility of Transforming
/ the street slattcrn into a Duchess within
six months. and the girl hearing the
| boast. turns up next day at the Profess
sors esta blishment to arrange for les
| sons in English as it is spoken by the
aristocracy with view to acquiring suffi-
| Cient proficiency to enable her to leave
| the streets for a flower shop of her own.
Appealing to the professor as an inter-
esting experiment he offers TO take the
girl into his own home for period of
six months wagering the Colonel that
in the matter Of phonetlcS and man
nerS she shall become the equal OF tile
proudeSt ariStocrat of the Kings realm,
whereupon he fits her out in suitable sar-
torial style and begins his TRANSITIONAL
ton in utter indifference of what effect
education may have upon the girls char
acter and inclinatiOnS, or what Is to
become of her at the end of the term
stipulated i'm the wager, if indeed, he sue
ceeds in winning.
And so. through hve acts We see the
rebirth tof Eliza Doolittle: her COM
ptete transformation from the humble
flower girl stepped in ignorance to the
proud and beautiful young woman who
does her teacher high honor upon a
state occasion. Also we see the tragedy
of the transplanted flower that droops
in unaccustomed soil: the suffering of
a human being grown out of her own
element and having developed inClina-
lions, ambitions. and emotions quite
foreign to her former station and i'm
possible of satisfaction in her new en-
vIronment, and the best the man re-
sponsible for the metamorphoSis has
to offer her is that she go on living
with the colonel and himself as their
"comrade and friend-three bachelors
together" Final curtain with the
audience leaving the theater wonder
ing just where the romance" comes
in.
As a satirical comedy. quite Shavian in
spirit. ''Pygmalion" is unique in theme.
refreshing in development, damning
British ''middle-Class morality" and re-
speCtabiity with the Irish playwright $
usual cyniCism and ceverly turned
phras-"losy, and Mrs. Campbelrs por-
trayal of the pathetic figure of the hero
inc is as Nne a Characterization as ever
gTaced the American stage, touched with
splendid spirit and developed with ad-
mirible consistency and feeling. while her
brunette beauty adds much to the picture,
particularly in the latter scenes in which
the slattern has become "a lady in
something more than frOcks and pho
netics.
Supporting Mrs. Campbell is an admir-
ably balanced company of English play
ers. Philip Merivale presenting splen-
did piece of work in the role of the err
ratio professor who has more head than
heart; Dallas Cairns giving a consistent
portrayal Of Col Pickering. while Ed
ulund Quincy is Mr.. Shaw's mouthpiece
for the deiVeranCc Of the most of his
rdiculc of social conditions as they "x
ist in the British metropolis, playing the
part of Alfred DOolittle, the father Of
Eliza. who fairly gloats over his posi-
ton at the SGualid foot of the social
ladder. until he is raised TO the height
Of despised responsibility through neither
work nor wish Of his own. Mr.. Quincy
is excellent i'm the role.
The less important characters are ca
pabIy portrayed by Algernon Greig, Miss
Beatrice May. Miss olive Wilmot Davies |
Miss Madeline Meredith, Miss Nellie Nor |
tyne. Mss Doris Bateman. Richard Hat |
teras. and Thomas Robinson.
As a sat irical comedy aiming its poison |
ed darts against aristoCracy. "Pygma- |
lion is interesting addition TO the |
Shaw dramas, hut il is in sense a |
romance in the general aCCeptation of |
that word