The Washington herald., 1916-01-09
Copyright. pls.l

sion remains that Edith Ellis dramati-
zation OF W. B. MaxwelHs novel, ''The
Devils Garden.Y presented by Arthur
Hopkins at the Harris Theater, is a
chaotic and mishre performance. Though
perhaps in justice to toe lady 1t were'
only meet to observe that the novel it.
self was and Is an overestimated piece OF
fiction writing and one the vogue Of
which is not wholly easy to compass.
Poised before the book reviewers largely
BY the book reviewers thenselves) as an
gntIdote to the ..bosh and bathos, the
bowling sentimentality and the siekening
gush so often offered TO us as English
fictiOn" Il quote the gentleman de le Lon
don Daily Chronicle), the work, rather
than being a study in lsck-sentimentality
is nothing II not a study in sentimentality
Of a high and peaky order. Its central
figure, William Dale, Is a prince of self
tear-brewers, a SOusa of sweet succu-
lenCe.
This Dale. briefly to rehearse the IA
BILE. is a self-made, II still humble, fell
low who learns that his wife, in order
to regain for him a postal service po-
sltinn which he is in danger Of losing,
has enlisted the offices Of one Barradine,
2 lCcherOus gentleman Of wide repute.
His suspicious aroused, Dale now cross
questions his wife into a confession that,
at the age Of fifteen, she was made a
hUuri OF the Barradine harem. The news
casts Dale into a fit Of remOTsc, fury,
sObbinE-and. to avenge his honor the
fellow sets out to do BarTadine to death.
This business. in secret, he Is success
full in negotiating. Follows act upon act
OF further remorsefuI meditation; fol-
low Dale's spurning of the young girl
Nora who seeks him for a biological con-
ference: follows the mans preparation
for suicide; follows, in finis. his death
while rescuing a child from the burning
OTphanage left the community by the
satiric will OF the satyric Barradine.
Miss Ellis stage version Of this tale
a tale neither especially fresh in action
nor i'm eXecution-has faults that are
quickly apparent to the theatrical eye
in the first place she eliminates Barra-
rs8iu, tthe most interesting protagonist Of
the earlier evening" in her very first act
In the second place, she demonstrates
clearly in this same act that Mavis Dale
Is 80 deeply in amorOus thrall to her
husband. SO eager again to claim his en-
tire love. that. even We're Dale imme-
diatrlt the curtain lifts upon Act II to
rJuft-ss 10 her the murder, he would be
forgiven without so much as a demi-
. shUddcr Thus, at ten minutes after
min" o'clock. the curiosity of the audi
,ucv misses any future suspicion Of stage
conflict. In the third place, the char
ucter OF Nora. the next most interesting
stage parsonage, is not revealed in per-
son until Act 1II-and then with 50
little preparation that the impressive
temptation scene between the girl and
Dale goes for comparatively little. In
tine fourth place, the events directly fol-
lowing this scene are insUfficiently real
iz"d-and these events are teasing and
quick To the audiences mind. In the fifth
place, the third act is full of irrelevant
material among which irrelevant mate
rial is, notably, an exceedingly OpeTose
cOmedy-relief episode involving serv-
ant OF the household and her sweetheart.
Nnd in the last place, the dramatiza-
ton. while holding for the first act and
considerable portion Of the second,
drops steadily from the rise OF the third
curtain to the fall OF the fourth and last.
Tho two best scenes of the play. as
IMPLIED, are, first, the scene between Dale
and his confessing wife "a scene tho
roughly patent but in the main still the
atTiCally tcllingl and the scene between
Dale and the gypsy-blOOded girl Nora, In
hiUh the latter throws herself, scream
ing for love, upon the mans throat. The
latter scene is deftly written. The form
Cr owes much to its Interpretation. as it
reveals a measure of rubber-stamp Leslie
CHrter-Henry Arthur Jones mots such
a. Il was not bad girl "as God secs
me. l did It for your sake-only to help
YOU. l couldn't get the help unless l
sacrificed myself to save you" go on
with your story, I'm listening" I've
never really loved any one but you"
not until I've had the truth, and I'll
have it to the last word. by -, If 1
t"ar it ont Of your bOsOm,;" answer me
I1is grip tightens on her throaD-an-
sVcr." and so on.
Tho general feeling of the play, in
short. is of n muddled and meandering
tn SIS The struggle of Dale with his con-
science is less dramatic material than
the struggle OF Dale with his flesh. Mr
Hopkins, producer ever worth serious
approach and one of the most promising
men in the American theater. has pre-
sCnted the dTamatization in splendid
His lighting, particularly, Is
The best performance is
To the credit Of Geraldine O'Brien as
Nora. This young woman possesses a
fascinating techniC and her
selection for the role i'm point was ex-
collently made. She read her scene care
fully; she played 1t with fncisiye force.
lyn Harding was moderately satisfac-
tory as Dale and Lillian Albertson en-
tiTely satisfactory as Dale's wife In
deed. I have not thus far seen Miss Al
bertsOn maReuver a role in so adept a
way. The balance OF the cabotinage was
pleasing. That Mr.. MaxweIls novel sue
ceeded in obtaining its wide yokel read
ing for any other reason than its alIu-
sions to the gTosseF sex activities, l am
disposed seriously to doubt. If the play
succeeds, it will be. one must believe. for
much the same reason.
RuEEIes of Red Gap.
Harry Leon Wilson is one of the very
best of the very few native humorists.
And his social satire "rRuggIes of Red
Gap" was one of the most amusing
novels Of this or any other year. But
Harrison Rhodes dramatization Of the
Wilson story Is, aIack. a poor job. True,
so infectious Is the Wilson fun that a
measure OF 1t has withstood the dra-
matist, yet the stage manuscript on the
whole conceals the bounce and pepper of
the novel Mr., Rhodes has written not
a four-act play, but four separate one
act plays. the first of which alone is
with any show of skill. Mr..
Wilson's dialogue is. of course, quite as
1OcOse as it was upon the printed page:
but the playwright has spun many a VIII
son situation i'll. Why did not Harry
Leon Wilson dramatize hIs own story?
He knows the theater and has already
been successful in writing for 81 a9ug-