The Washington times., 1915-03-09
COLUMBIA.

Though ell the best authorities agree
that farce Is distinguished from other
forms OF comedy by the slightness of
us thought and the abando of its stu
atoms. Tho Blue Envelope" which
Richard Lambert produced Sor the first
time at the Columbia Theater last
night. would appear to be distinguished
~ the extreme complication OF Its
thought and the uproarous laughter to
Whlch the audience abandons itself from
itself.
Charles Frohman said recently that
the most important thing actors are
work. The audience that watched The
Blue Envelope" last evening laughed
until 1t was as tired as though 1t had
peer WORKING. And an analysis of the
OF producing laughs In farces has not
changed to any great degree since that
torm or entertainment was originated.
Lhe French have been the past mas
and the new Lambert piece is along
french lines; pure and simple. The
raw material for French farce is.
BADLY, three acts and six doors, a man
indiscretion. designing woman and an
angry wife: Whatever else is supplied
by the author is due to the manner In
which the several kinds of plots are
are mixed. The sole purpose of a farce
Is to produce laughter, and II is In the
mixing of the ingredients to that end
that the author shows his skill.
author.-a pair of them, according to
the program. They have not only
utilized the ordinary raw materials, as
set forth. hut have supplied a few of
their own that are not in the regular
books Of farce recipes.
TWO of tha three CTS kc ce ~ N
ceautN Doctors office. where there are
the six doors demanded by tradition
and farcical usage. The third act is in
sanitarium. The first departure from
doctor himself. who IL rather decent
sort of young man. seriously engaged
in a legitimate business
The second is in thu typo, of designing
to line art and her methods are as
rapid as they are sure. But while in
ordinary farces the author is content
to make her the other woman" for thc
chief character only, il this production
she performs that office for the entire
cast. being the wife of two of them to
start with.
Tho story deals with the adventures OF
man from cOhocs. supposed by his wife
to have gone to Cuba to look after q
plantation, but found 10y her In the beau
~ doctors office to which he was re
mover fer repairs by the designing fe
male after an auto accident and light.
The blue envelope of the title contains
the letters the man has written to the
adventures and its is the cndeav ors
| e both Of theE' to get them back after
they have been mislaid that lead the
| east through its PAGES and the audience
almost to mysteries.
The action Of The Rlue Envelope Ia
| swift. exceedingly swift after 1t gets
started. 1t Is probable that the au-
thors. Frank Hatch and Robert iio-
mans, will find It necessary TO star. It
bit sooner and 4 may be necessary
for them to mend the third act slightly.
The faults that are To be found III the
piece are rather in the efforts of the
authors to give too much than to cur
| tail the supply of materia! over which
they ask their audiences to laugh.
That most accomplished artist and
skillfui farccur, W. J. Ferguson. I'm the
part of the indiscreet midle-aged gentle
mamie calls himself "a sturdy oak
lnent as furnished by the play. Mr..
| Ferguson has been before the American
public more than half a century. He Is
| the only native actor We know who
real iarceur. In The Blue Envelope"
he has a part that is one of the type
he knows best how to present, and his
prese ton of It deserves to rank with
Mr. Ferguson exhibits the character in
| almost every possible light. and gives
| 10 each phase that dcft touch OF the
| real artist that makes him so certainly
| the centra! figure whenever he Is on the
| stage.
| Virginia Pearson furnished In the
"clinging vine" type that few actresses s
| are able to give-a legitimate adven-
turess Of Peal dramatic capacity in a
farce. Miss Pearson has the good taste
| and judgment to play her adventures
as she would play it in tensely, dra-
matte production. and for this reason she
gives value to her work that 1t would
| not possess had she followed the ex-
ample OF many capable actresses and
overplayed. Her flashes from sweet in
nocence to diabolical wickedness were
real enough to carry an excuse for the
indiscretions of her victims.
William Boyd. George W. Howard.
Henry Norman, Mark Price. Horace
Vinton, Carrie Reynolds, Helen Fergu-
| son. Dierdre Doyle, and Bell Theodore
provided the subsidiary characters In a
thoroushly satisfactory manner.
| GARDNER MACK.