New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-09-26
The Cast.
PsrAIBs


"Upstair. and Down" is poor play
in bad taste ineptly acted. The HAT
tons. Frederic and Fanny, have done
some good work for the stage, so II
they have gone wrong thi, time II IS
for reason. We think they have gone
ever so wrong, and it seems 20 Us that
their failure is due 70 inconeeiyaoIy
careless. observation OF life. The play
abounds IN false touches, but the one
on which the plot swings-hsngs would
be better-seems TO as the worst OF al.
CAPTAIN Teranc. O'Keete, a philan-
derer, has been playing az love with
Alice Chesterton, a debutante OF elgh-
teen. Both are guests az the same
house party and Alice is indiscreet
enough 70 meet the captain IN town
attend a play and have supper. She
spends the night at the Martha Wash
ington. The other guests at the house
party learn OF Alices eseapade. but sc-
cept IL as harmless indiscretion.
Later, Alices elder sister. Betty, APP
pears, and with her the captain falls
IN love IN earnest. But Alice, finding
herself cut out, lies 20 Betty and says
that the captain has ruined her and
must marry her. BY design or acci-
dent Juliet Day, who plays Alice, lies
very badly, but Betty Immediately &C
cepts her story and true love does not
run smooth again until the last act.
when Alice tells two other women Of
the joke she has played upon her
sister.
The device Is neither plausible nor
pretty. and il would be enough % ruin
a much better play than Upstairs and
Down il was last employed in VIII
lard Msck's study OF rural life called
Broadway and Buttormilk.'
Alice Is impossible, ard IL not that.
she ought 10 be. The only suspense
the play built up which held our in
terest lay IN the promises made by
several characters 20 spank Alice.
fortunately they also lied.
Next 20 Alice the most impossible
person in the play - the hero. Captain
Teranee O'Keefe. We hold that IL IS
not open 20 debate that any nan who
sets out 20 announce on all occasions
and in all company that he Is dew!
with women IS a fake or failure. But
this is exactly what the captain does.
and vet we are asked 20 believe that
everybody "a fascinated by him. An
other cardinal canon In the captains
system OF making love Is that any
woman may be won II only man
will twist her wrist or step on her toe
or in some other way make himself
physically disagreeable. So potent does
this system prove that even a hope
lessly bad lover wins out when he
seizcs girl about the waist and
On okes her.
Some woman in the play is being
meuled pretty much all the time.
Seemingly this Long Island polo play
ing crowd has learned its manners FOR
mixed company from "ScnehereEade."
At least. no one can accuse them OF
being faded The few selected guests
who are entertained az Ivehurst do
enough hugging and kissing 20 last
Jacks through ten election nights and
as many New Years ewes. Really, Mr.
Hatton and Mrs. Hatton. It's not done.
People don't kiss around indlscrimi-
ratcly that way before lunch. and men
dent talk 70 each other about women.
Well, not very often.
The play serves TO show that much
the same sort Of life goes on upstairs
as down. Each amour OF the society
folk IS duplicated among tie servants.
The idea sounds ingenious. but u does
not work out particularly we'll There
are TOO many iutrigues gong on az
once 20 keen track OF them al. Not
enough attention or time is given TO
allow the spectator 10 become very
much interested IL AIRY QUO affair.
No, a little OF the dialogue Is anus
ing. although u - fcarfully cluttered
IN with sham cynicism. The worst or
sham cynlcisr : that IN the last act u
tends to switch 20 islse sentimenta!ity.
Thus the hostess, Who scorns ner nus
hand through Acts 7 and II, grows ten
der shortly before the fnal curtain and
wishes that she had six children. How
ever. Miss Christine Norman managed
20 carry of the serious mood with much
success. She Is an excellent actress
and is badly miscnst for light comedy
role. Courtney toOte was the captain
and II was not his fault that the char
ac.er was not more real. juliet Day
gave an aggravating performance as
Alice. Good work was done rs MARY
Servoss as Betty, and Ida -. Leon
scored hard in a small parlormsld part
Fred Tiden was the only male MEMBER
of the society colony who acted much
like n gentleman.
And, with all the rest Of It, the play