The Washington herald., 1916-03-26

The Blue Envelope" farce by
Msssrs. Hatch and Romans, observable
In the cort Theater CT you take a taxi
and get there very quickly, is Of a sus-
pictously pro-ally air, with particular
leanings toward the French. Although
no credit Is youchsafed upon the play
BILL that the inspiration OF the exhibit
ton was foreign Is scarcely to be doubt
cd.
The farce possesses all the ingredients
Of the Partisan door-slammer OF two
decades past. a type of entertainment Of
which the Partisan himself tired some
time ago and to which condition OF ennui
the American beat him by several years.
The farce, in a word, belongs to the
school whose leading pupils are naughty
actress, phtlandertng husband, shopping
wife and mistaken identity, surrounded
on all sides by ear-splitting exits and en-
trances-a condition as obsolete in this
year Of Krupp 1916 as real Pilsner or Pen
thecilean dramatic criticism.
There are, OF Gallo creation, thou
sand-and-one farcss Of modern visage
which would AFFORD the native show
maker, who sought his inspiration in
Paris, vastly more green and tonic ma
tertal For example, such things as RO-
main Coolus' "Mirette Has Her Reasons"
Rip and Bosquet's Habit OF Lackey'' or
Hennequin and Veber's Have You Any
thing to Declare?" But, alas, why It Is
that the local gentlemen who rewrite
French farce whether deliberately or
unconsciously) believe that French farce
Is ever and only Of the species repre-
scented by such clothes-closet hiding and
Recommending exhibits as La Puce
. FOreille?' There are three good French
fsrces TO every poor French farce. Yet
our play fashionsrs invariably suecumb
TO the cryptic lure Of the poor ones.
Noisy Scene.
When the curtain travels upward at
$50 in the Cort Theater, the eye Is en-
gagged by the spectacle OF six doors, one
screen and one telephone. At S:sl, the
first door is opened and slammed. At
S:S3 the second door is opened and
slammed-somewhat more noisely. At
$50, the third door is opened and slammed
somewhat more noissly still. A few min
utes later. the telephone begins ringing
and the real business OF opening, and
banging all the doris one after the other
gets under full steam The sound. in
in the Claridge at the luncheon hour,
When the clamoF dies down sufficiently
10 permit the ear to engage with. the
causes for the alarm, the auditor de-
ciphers that a hirtatious old roue has
sneaked OF to enjoy a supper with a gay
blonde. has been caught in a motor
smash-up and has been brought, tat
tered and blondefuI, to a physicians Of
nee, which office is the scene OF the first
portion OF the boiler factory. Recover
ing from his jouncing, the old fellow
makes to embrace the gay blOnde-whO
Is known as the angel"-and is in the
happy act of impressinE a smack upon
her ruby lips characterization No. 39S7624-
in stalks the old boys squaw. What to
do? Situation No. S7213s6 to the rescue!
Throw a it, Curtain.
After giving the audience ten minutes
Of grsce wherein 10 90 out get some
fresh air and brace up, the boiler fac
tory begins again. The gay blonde, now
revealed as a mereenary hussy, seeks TO
blackmail the ancient roue out Of large
moneys, forasmuch as the latter has had
the tnpertinence to palm her on on his
st,Iaw as his nurse. And also has been
careless enough to pen her divers tncrim-
mating billets doux- What to do now?
Situation No. 47s2 into the breach. The
fellow will feign complete collapse and
win HE him to a rest cure, there to
eeeusstsr himself FAR from both madding
sduaw and blonde. At the rest cure We
presently discover him, And here, after
the usual dosage of humors, We pres
entity find him cleared Of his difficulties,
As will be detected, a not virginia.
thesis Save for some comic slapstick
work in the last act, a rather doloTifc
audience with trite and ultra-familiar
materials. Walter Jones does what he
can to infuse electrical juices into the
leading role Carrie Perkins wears love-
y sheer silk stockings as the waggish
blonde but otherwise gives q poor per
Torrance George Probert, erstwhile
rascal Of the vhite-slaye dramaturgy, is
out Of his element. A pretty young Eom-
an. Ethel Valentine, makes fifty moues
a minute in the role OF the iRgenue. I
forget the names Of the others In the