New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-08
By HEYWOOD BROUN.

BY HElWOOD BROUN.
As long as an inebriated person re-
taius consciousness he fancies he is
funny. AS a matter Of fact, he is, but
only FOR a blessed hour. After that he
becomes burden 20 his friends, a
. disgrace 90 the community and a fit
subject for an illustrated editorial in
"The Evening Journal" In Fair and
? Warmer Avery Hopwood has drama
.Ilcd The blessed hour
Il simple justice 20 the new farce at
the El.nge Theatre it should be stated,
first Of all. that Fair and Warmer" is
among the most amusing plays which
New York has seen. It may be set down
as a matter Of record that the audience
which attended the first performance
on Saturday night laughed throughout
f the performances And among those
whose amusement was evident were
several persons who see the drama
through glasses, darby. Neutral atti-
tudes hitherto inviolable were overrun
by the drive which Avery Hopwood has
set IN motion.
The all-peryadine humorous quail
ties Of "Fair and Warmer" must be in
sisted upon, for It is impossible for US
TO convey to the reader any Of the fun
Of the farce. The notion around which
the play is built is familiar. It's best
scene Is kin to episodes in scores Of
other plays. A husband whose wife
has tired of him because he is too set
lied and wife whose husband has
grown oyercoufdent decide TO kick
f over the traces They team up for their
fling and become hilarious on amateur
cocktails. Discovered together by the
other two members of the eternal
quadrilateral a sufficient amount of
jealousy is generated to insure the
happiness Of all concerned for the rest
of their married lives.
Our sketch probably does not even
suggest the humor which Mr.. Hopwood
has put into his merry play. In fact,
the statement that there is a drunken
scene may bring 10 mind other plays
in which inebriation has failed by a
wide margin TO inspire anybody Of or
binary intelligence with amusement.
But those were not scenes in which
Madge Kennedy or john Cumberland
took part These admirable farce
actors know the difference between
suggestion Entity made and abandoned
and one driven home. Charles Lamb
felt no moral concern al the conduct
of the rakcs OF COngreve and Wycher-
Iv because he never conceived of them
as being real people, but accepted them
as figures in "a theatrical Utopia. Just
so the couviviality of Miss Kennedy
AMI Mr. Cumberland never for a mo-
ment suggests life. The audience ac-
ccpts them as fctional characters
! babes in the wood alcohol, as 10 were.
Not oven in the blessed hour Of in
/ cbration previously mentioned could
/ anybody iu real life be as amusing as
/ Miss Kennedy II 10 were possible for
as TO describe adequately the manner
in which Miss Kennedy weeps with her
hands or TO draw picture of herexpres-
sion when sho emcrgcs from under the
bearskiu ro0c at the end OF the second
act 70 would be necessary TO write
nothing else. Then the reader would
/ be convinced that "Fair and Warmer"
Us thing Of JOY.
Among the best things in the play is
the mixing of the cocktail Neither
Billy Bartlett nor Blanny Wheeler has
ever taken q drink Casually they have
observed the preparation of cocktails,
and with the remarkable assortment of
beverages which Mrs. Bartlett keeps on
hand they decide that they will have
10 trouble IN putting the proper ingre-
dents together. The trouble with
Blanny Wheeler is that she remembers
too much. She knows that she has seen
whiskey. gin, French vermouth. Italian
vcrmouth, brandy and absinthe put in
cocktails, and under her rcassuring 81
know that goes in" Billy calls on all
these bottles for contributions. For
hidden fruit is added because II is for
hidden, creme de menthe because il is
green. creme yvette because it is per-
fumed and peach brandy because
B.anny loves peaches.
One might almost have wished that
the actors had passed the resulting
mixture around the audience. The COM
bination brought 20 our mind. some
what NILlttlAs q NI4Lh WNltu Astl 10 De
made az the Pres Club called a re-
Nuisance. The cocktail of Billy and
Hlaruy proves a d6bacle. But after the
crash everything is adjusted 10 the sat
isfaction Of all concerned IN the final
act.
Il is perhaps worthy OF comment that
Avery Hopwood's farce is put together
with great deftness. Although the ac-
zion never flags. there is little use of
sudden entrances. upon which the
humor Of so many farces depends.
Moreover, the thing is plausible
throughout. which is rare in farce. q
field where authors are frequently in
clined to ask too great concessions in
the realm OF possibility. There is wit
iu the play as well as humor. and its
GOOD lines, If laid end TO end. would
reach from the Battery 10 The Bronx,
and probably will.
Although the chief acting honors
we're captured by Madge Kennedy and
Jobn Cumberland. Miss Janet Beecher
cave an excellent performance in a
rart not so bOuntlful in farce opportu-
mites. AZ that, excellent actress as she
H. Miss Beccher has dly the same
talent for farce as Miss Kennedy.
Ralph Morgan is adequate as the fourth
Side Of the quadriiateral and Olive
i W9y distinctly amusing in a small part