The Washington herald., 1916-04-30
Across the New York Footlights
fcopyrisht Isisl
By George Jean Nathan

lcopTright lsis)
Another season now draws rapidly TO fts
close. A revival By Miss Angiin in the
Fulton Of "A Woman of No Importance, .
revival by Arnold DAILY in the Cort OF
Msnsfeid's Beau Brummel." a to-do
with scenes from Shakespeare BY the
hah-poruon company I'm the lilliputian
Bramhall, the opening OF the new Risltc
Iheater to be devoted exclusively to the
screen show, the Percy Mackaye masque
and few other manifestations-and the
stase hands roll down their sleeves.
What's the nature of the prosecution 3
Summing up? Although one hears that.
at least so far as New York Is concerned,
the season has been lusciously lucre
one for the impresarios, the fact persists
that II has been a not especially signal
season for the admirer Of frst-rate
drama. OF all the many new exhibitions
made in the Broadway mosques, how
many still hnger in the memory? Jus
tice, the Galsworthy play, stands out in
the light as probably the seasons most
important presentation Next, Brig
houses "Hobson's Choice" And next,
shall we say Frederic Ballard's Young
America?" With these three good speci-
mems. one must not omit a record Of at
least two short plays exhibited by the
amateurs calling themselves the Wash
ington Square Players; residence, the
Bandbox. These two pieces, THE Clod''
and "Helena's Husband" to wit, are OF
a grade OF merit that lifts them above the
Broadway welter. This lot, in a word,
comprises the seasons honor roll
Good Comedies stm Run.
The Boomerang" an entertaining and
aelightfully acted and staged comedy
still doing capacity business at the
Belssco Theater, is scarcely meat for pro-
found study. Fair and Warmer, &"
Avery Hopwood's excellent farce,
obviously also does not come under the
head Of stun seriously to be reckoned
with. Nor do the dramatizations, though
-adroit in the main, OF the Potash and
Ferimutter tales and Stevenson's Treas
ure Island" Miss Georges revivaIs OF
shaw's "Brassbound," and Major
Barbara and of Langdon Mitchell's
New York Idea" brought to our notice
pieces with which We were already
familiar, though the lady's exploits in
this direction were pralseworthy Aside
from the plays named, the stages re-
Yealed little Of importance. little meriting
a commemorative criticism.
A statistical review Of the acting brings
TO light a better showing among the men
than among the women. Among the
unstarred and unfeAtured. male per-
formers, we find the following per-
formences deserving Of record: Wallace
Eddinger, in The Boomerang" Benjamin
Sweeney, in Young America" Ferd-
Inand Gottschalk in the revival of The
Duke Of Kilhkrankie;" Gareth Hughes, in
-Moloch;" Conway Tearle, in the several
Playhouse reyivals; Barney Bernard, in
t'Abe and Mawruss;" John Cumberland,
N Fair and Warmer" A G. Andrews
and Whitford Kane, in "Hobson's
Choice Theodore Hamilton, in Back
Home" Charles winninger, in strangely
enough The Cohan Revue" Ohis per-
formancs is certainly something more
than a mere imitation of Mr.. Ditrich-
stein; 1t is cabotinage Of loftier grade); {;
Everett Butterfield, in The Unborn" :"
Pedro de Cordoba, in Sadie Love-" Lewis
Edgard, in Captain Brassbounds Con-
version" John Daily Murphy, in "Erst-
while Susan John Barrymore, in
sJustice;" Frank Bacon, in The Gin
derella Man" Thomas Wise. in The
Merry Wives" Lyn Harding IN Henry
VIII" John W. Cope in "Erstwhile
Susan" and France Bendsten. in THE
Fear Market and Mrs. Boltay's Daugh-
ters"
{. Among the unstarred and unfestured