Evening star., 1916-10-17
ADJUSTMENTS
Belasco.

An audience eminently representative
OF Washington's theatrical taste and
refinement filled the Belasco Theater
last night, even to the towering gal
leries, and gave enthusiastic and seem
Angly irrepressible expression to it's
pleasure in Frances Starr and "Eittle
Lady in Blue" which marks her entry
in the field of comedy in its purest
sense. The performance was a Belasco
premiere and the play the latest effort
of Horace Hodges and T. Wigney Per-
cyval. whose Grumpy" won them fame.
As Belasco first production the play
was equipped with a cast and detailed
beauty and accuracy of presentation
such as to command the attention that
is inevitable with the work OF David
Belasco- For Miss Starr it provided! the
most delightful opportunities of her
career for the display of her talent,
that, like fine gold. is adaptable to and
adorns every situation and places her
In a niche peculiarly her own in Amer
lean theatr;cals. Indeed. it is doubtful
If her like is to be found anywhere
upon the stage.
But Little Lady in Blue" is not a
one-character play designed only to ex-
plot the artistic ability of the star. 1t
Is a realistic romance, presenting other
fine character types that grip the at
tention and linger in the mind along
with the charming picture of the young
Soverness. forced to fee from unwel-
come attentions, with poverty accen-
tuated by the scanty funds that jingle
In her purse and the holes in the Soles
of her shoes, full of the breath of spring
in her heart and only hope as a vista for
her future, as she works out her own
destiny
What wonder then, that a chance
meeting with testy old English
admiral, who was making d last effort
before his approaching death to res
cue a dlssolute nephew and restore him
10 his place in the navy as an excuse
Tor leaving him $4,000 pounds, and his
suggestion that only woman could
bring about the desired result should
Tempt the young governesS in the
sentIenesS of her innocent heart as
Wen as the urgency of her need to try
.le experiment even though it did
lead to the role of an adventures?
Her incentive was that she needed the
money her excuse that she would be
Golng meritorious thing. and her mis-
tprtuhe, entirely unanticipated, was
was reforming. The climax for her
was real tragedy. 1t made her hate
the money as it made her despise her
ser, and only her quaint confession to
the man she loved, and who had asked
ner, Wnen success had been attained
10 De mis- wife, redeemed the situation
and brought her the real happiness
sne now longed for.
10 the delineation of this role Miss
starr brought charm of personality
and delicacy of art. Her rebuke of the
iecherous prosecutor from whom she
was compelled to fee; her forced en-
trance to a taproom in an English sea-
port IN search of the roistering blade
sne was 20 reform: her innocent gem
Unity and refinement that forced re-
spect, with admira ion, from the char
acters with whom she came in contact
and. finally the realizat ation of the part
she had played for the money when
sne found that her heart had become
entangied and the emotion of the brief
but bitter moment when she felt she
had lost everything, served to tax
both the art and the ability of the
most versatile artist. And Miss Starr
emerged from it all with a new por-
trait for her gallery of successful char |
acterizations that many will believe |
the best of them all
Another splendid picture in the paly
Is tt,-,t - 'the II tie admiral" present
ed by Albert ]. Andrews. Carl Sauer- |
man. as the Baron Won Loewe, the per-
secutor, also furnished a dramatic por- |
trait of commanding excellence. while |
George Gidden, as Cobbledick, the |
FAITHFUL old bo'sun, won his way to the |
sympathy and admiration of his aud;
ence with a realistic impersonatior |
that is one of the features of the play |