Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-03-01
Frances Starr in "Marie-Odile."

Frances Starr, at the Belasco The
ater, last night absorbed the interest,"
Of a large audience in the story OIL
.Marie -Odile."
1t is a story as old as Eve. and tells
Of the same Eden-innocence, with the
apple of scripture replaced by the SOL
der of Knoblauch's play Eve ios'
paradise and the novice was cast from
the convent that had clustered ner
from life-the one because OF her cur
osity. the other through love- MARIE
Odile is the dramatic incarnation OF
Eve
The plot concerns a founding VINO
has been reared in convent IN tne
mountains of Alsace. The first act mas
her novice joyously content win
humble service, the friendship Oh .ne
nuns and the love of her pigeons Inc
mother superior. a newcomer, conslo
ers that the girls affection for spe-
cial brown pigeon displays a human
tendency which must be checked. She
orders ancient Peter to XIII the ol,u'
and when Marketable slips up 10 tne
loft to bid it goodbye an invading
army reaches the convent, Just as tne
nuns have escaped, leaving the gIri
alone. She mistakes young PrussiaH
officer for st. Michael made human anu
falls on her knees in ecstasy OF VISION;
A year later. when the war is over ana
the nuns return. they find Marie-Odile
Grooming a lullaby to her child Know
ing no evil, she is conscious OF no
wrong. Motherhood is an angellc mir
acle. And she is a mother.
The superior. whose implacaole VIZ
tue admits Of no acceptance or mis-
fortune wnich even logic could ran ~
twist into sin. casts the girl from ine
convent. Another nun, whose VISION
goes beyond the convent door, piaces
the blame on the community, ana IN
the voicing of it cites to the bar OF
justice every mother VINO Keeps iiie
"Marie-Odile. the production. does
not belong to the realities of everyday
life. 1t is the type of drama mat
gives the world its legends and mys-
terry plays. Marie-Odile. the girl. is q
being of uper-innocence. whose like
probab bly, could only be found in the
crystal-pure environment or noun
tain convent hidden from the world
With no music and no change OF
scene to blur the atmosphere of mo-
nastic remoteness created by soft
black-robed nuns. the intoning
of prayer and the chime of Angefus
bell the play conveys a sense of rev.
erence ard mystic charm which calls
for no criticism as to its right or
wrong. 1t is simply beautiful II un-
real. play.
Frances Starts Interpretation of the
role is beyond criticism. 1t ranks with
the master painting which art has
marked Exempt"
Marie Wainwright as Mother Saint
Dominic, the austere disciplinarian.
gave a very real conception of the
role, though there was faint human
hope conveyed that. having held the
baby in her arms. the nuns might in
duce her to take it's mother to her
heart.
Harriet Otis Dellenbaugh gave to
the character of Sister Louise a woman
ly sympathy that added to the nobility
of the nun who dared discipline in
defense of the girl she had loved from
and Jerome Patrick as the
6ashing Corp. Meissner captured very
real admiration for the honesty which
would have saved the girl-had not her
Innocence lured him into the tempta-
tton he had tried to conquer.
The entire cast of nuns and soldiers
conveyed the startling contrasts neces-
Sary to the play. and the old priest and
more ancient Peter were wildly por-
trayed by Edward Donnelly and Harry
Holiday.