The sun., 1916-12-24
By LAWRENCE REAMER.

uncUniniVniy finished n In
tclligcnt actress not ursug-
re.t.vc of Ccnevicve Ward. who Is
years oder than the clever inter-
prefer Of Catherine the Great, but
vas st.ll not too old last spring to
issue from her retirement and act tho
;rufan, noblcwoman in "The Basker."
Miss Kingston is realistic in the very
lost sense Of the word. Her diction
i. admirable. her action eloquent but
+, s,ralncd and her gamut easily COM
prehends dramatic as well as humor-
ous outbursts. II she IL deficient in
ans of tho qualities which she might
-c.d in other plays. that would seem
to lie In the expression Of deep emo
ton. But there are no such demands
IN her present programme. as whether
rs the Empress Of Russia or Ermvn-
trxSe, the. masquerading English
iady,s maid. her acting ia delightful.
She has the technic Of her art ut her
fingers ends.
Thers was q cruelty Indifferent and
meagre audience at Maxine Eiliott's
Theatre on Monday night. This is all
tho more inexplicable in view Of the
ability Of Shaw to do what the lana
$3.50 call draw" Almost no other
playwright now active in the theatre
makes the same appeal TO the public
rs b. Whatever his work may be in
tho long run. II is at least sure Of n
hearing. Many other playwrights
would be happy to possess the same
sympathy from the public. but I'M
fortunately such consideration Is re-
served altogether for the dramas Of
Shsw. The mere announcement of
III name Is sufficient to assure large
audiences for at least a week or two.
Audiences faithful to Shaw not only
turn out in numbers but they arc al
ways prepared to smoker loyalty.
II took some loyalty to keep those
whe dd turn out on Monday snickering
wsth any enthusiasm. One Of the dull
1T scenes v known to the con-
t~snporAneous theatre used to come In
the second act Of "Fanny's First
play" when the boy WAS put on the
liable and rolled about by his family.
II wa one Of those episodes intended
10 b humorous that failed So COM
pletely as to impart to every spectator
a personal sense Of modification at the
wholly pifhing event OF the effort.
There had been nothing for several
years 90 completely futile from the
pen Of Shaw or any other dramatist
worthy Of the name. But IL has ar
rived In Great Catherine" When
Miss Kingston was compelled to tickle
the PROSTATE Leslie Austen. the i'm
potent struggle for fun could not more
completely fail. Again the spectator
feels that slckening sense Of personal
disappointment that such n playwright
as Shaw could he responsible for the
silly episode which ends Great Cath
crime" Leslie Austen. as the young
English officer. laughed immoderately
because It was his business to when
ever the sovereign stuck her toe be-
tween his ribs. But the rest of the
audience was solcmnly silent.
Much In Great Catherine is enter
tanning. and such lapses as the dulness
Of the final scene and the long drawn
out drunkenness Of Pdt.omkin do not
altogether deprive the play Of its pleas
ant interludes. Yet the sacred name
Of Shaw Is altogether necessary to
larry II. There is so much hypocrisy
about Shaw--all the Ibsen cult seems
10 have been inherited by him that
the burden Of carrying on the old
mania became too stronghold the
perfect Shavian would be bored to ex-
tinction rather than admit that the
Master could be dull. Perhaps even
The Inca Of Perusalem," in which the
genius Of Shaw scars so high as 10
achieve such a brilliant flash Of humor