New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-04-26

leg al courtney ............. william faFmohl
Ofge- Nllcvlt ....... ........ RosiLni Bucks,one
Ahrahsms .......... ...... ..... no.sfd Rushtou
bailf, ..... RAJ Brosu AMI Ge0-s- Leach
Mortimer .......... Edgar Norton
B~1i0r ......... ........... Nsl
Sfup.o T. y coleman
DucIes. OBJ, fssuin..on. ..... Niueaue Nlrs4er
J. sir Fa-hfH .nIfs Morris
NJ. So. Auf.u. ........ Katharine hse rel
Mariana Vincent ....... ....... ... Roma June
kathleen ...... IVA ueluisou
Landau .......... ............ Renee We Moavl
Elegance. after all is largely a state
o. mind II there IS any doubling silk
manufacturers IN the audience. they
are urged 90 attend q performance Of
Beau Brummell" at the Cort Theatre
and be convinced. At that playhouse
the ambitious Arnold Daily is reviving
the character made famous by Richard
Mansfield, and, indeed, doing II quite
well. He "a polished Beau. a droll
Beau, pathetic Beau and in the last
act he is an elegant Besu. And that
IS strange. as Lewis Carroll was wont
90 remark. because the las, act finds
him in the dingy garrett in Calais,
stripped of his silks and iinery.
Clad in exquisite. shimmerlng gar
ments. attended by White-wigged
funkies and surrounded by every lux
ury. Mr.. DAILY was Beau who just
missed elegance al every turn. Polish
he had, but polish is merely the veneer.
Elegance is the soul. But in the va
cant garrett IN Calais. face 20 face with
starvation. Mr.. Daily rose eXcellently
20 his opportunity. Here was ,ele-
gsnce in abundance. and made the more
emphatic by the lack Of all It's phys
lea manifestations.
Although his work as the Beau IS
not to be classed az great. Mr.. DAILY
has every reason 20 be proud Of his
Characterization. Il is quite az good a
piece OF work az his poet IN Can
dida." whom. incidentally, he greatly
resembles IN <e makeup o. the Beau.
And. OF course. additional tribute must
be paid Mr. DAILY on the score OF his
courage Although twenty-six years
have passed since Mr.. Msnsheld's ere
alton Of the role. II was in his roper
tory until his death, and memories OF
the Mansfield Characterization are
cherished by countless theatregoers.
Even when played quarter Of
century ago This play by Clyde Fitch
won no laurels upon its own account.
Il il dependent for It's virility solely
upon the Interpretation OF the leading
role. Some wit IL possesses and
fine scene OF psthos in the final act,
but IL contains much that Is trivial
and lot that is downright bad play
writing n these facts were recog-
Lized twenty-five years ago II IS obvi-
Gus that the higher dramatic stand
ards OF to-day cause them 10 be abso-
lutely glaring. Thus. although the
programme credits Stanley Dark with
having made certain excisions IN the
10 Ia, AL
~ weak thing. In the course OF the
second act one i particularly likely
20 lose patience with playwright
whose lack Of ingenuity forced him 70
resort 20 such clumsy devices.
In the opportunities that II offers 20
IFS leading actor, however. Beau
Brummell" ranks high The exquisite
audacious. self-satisfed. pathetic Beau
20 whom a commercial obligation IS
rothing and a debt OF honor every
thing. q character that offers ire
mendous sweep 10 an actor. Artificial
though il is. Beau Brummell" IS as
sured not infrequent revival Just so
long as actors are actors.
For the most part, the players re
cruited by Mr.. DAILY neither look nor
act a. though they would have been
o. the English court in the early part
Of the nineteenth century Having
been endowed by the playwright with
no human qualities, however u IS not
10 be wondered that they failed TO
suggest human beings. Rowland Buck
stone, both in appearance and acting,
was an utterly impossible Oliver Vim
cent Roland Rushton, as Hebraic
money lender, failed 20 realize even the
slightest of the roles possibilities. I'd
gar Norton was good Mortimer, how
ever, and Herbert Percy looked as one
might have imagined Richard Brlnsley
Sheridan 10 look A lack Of familiarity
with princes compelled one 70 accept
f. j. Radcliffe for what Re pretended
70 be
Roma June was more the ingenue
than the heroine. and Eva Dennison
more the heroine than the ingenue. An
exchange of roles. consequently, would
90 wonders for both. The Mrs 81.
Aubyn Of Katharine Kaelred was sadly
devoid o. lure.
Mr.. Days. Characterization. however,
COUPLED with the standing OF the play
IN the affections OF the thestregoer,
should result in season % spring
prosperity for the Cort. To which Mr..
DAILY, as sincere and hard working
actor. is heartily entitled.