New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-01-19
THE CAST

] foler- Marsh hlsl 'lIIf'f-
iuile, Miller ,lrstviils SUSAN 49,. Ms, Piss,
Harabetts DreaTy ...-.......... Madeline Delmar
Esmsh schHen6fcider, ..---...-.. Vida Mlli.on
WIS. winthrop .-.--.-.-..-... .Ai.lo 'ttr .
Helen Msredlih ..............J u.ii Chippendale
Joseph YOIer ................ samuel Aidenfelfer
Abraham Wackemexe ........... HEINZ b. Fogler
I'm Wacbernsgei ...,..-...... .MsGde IongnecAer
Jennie Get .-..-..-t....t.. .+....'... AhlS Sssfe
The dramatist has discovered Penn.
sylvanis. Hitherto the theatrical worlds
acquaintance with that commonwealth
has been confined 10 Wilkes Barre,
which is place to open and close
shows. But with the advent on Monday
Of Just a Woman" set among the
roaring furnsces Of Pittsburgh, FOL.
lowed last night by play Of Pennsyl-
vania Dutch life, it becomes apparent
J that the Keystone State is at last on
the dramatic map. For time it may
not be so favored by playwrights as
Churchill's or Rector's, but at least q
start has been made.
"Erstvhile Susan however, has
( nothing in common with "Just Wom-
an" except the sovereign State OF Penn
sylvsnia. The greatest difference Oe-
tween the two is that the former has
Mrs. Minnie Fiske. OF all the acquired
tastes the one FOR Mrs. Fiske IS the
easiest 10 acquire and the most difiicult
TO rid ones self of. When once you
have sampled Mrs. Fiske you vii! never
be content with a substitute.
The title role Of "Erstwniie susan
il wonderful part for star, and yet
few stars would attempt IT. It Is the
least real character IN the play. MIS-
Fiske was handicapped last night pc
fore she stepped on the stage, Tor there
was not the least excuse lot her pe!"b
.here One knew that she was arriving
merely because there had to be play.
That she triumphed in the face OF THIS
obstacle is the greatest proof OF her
powers.
Juliet Miller, Erstwhile. Susan. comes
into the home of Barnaby Dreary 70
marry him. Barnaby is the Dutchlest
| Of the Dutch. bounded on four sides by
the ways Of bygone generations, ana a
devout believer In the sovereignty OF
the male. Woman's place is the home
saws Barnaby. and not more than TWO
or three feet from the kitchen, at that
! lie is Hfty-fye when Juliet encounters
hin. and has already worked two wives
70 death. His family consists OF two
sons and daughter, Bsrnaoetta.
Juliet, elocution teacher and former
actress. answers Barnaby's matrimonial
advertisement chiefly because she mas
taken d liking 10 Bsrnabetta and wants
20 make the girl something more tnan
a drudge. This, at least, IS the most
i plausible least unpiaus ole-oT the
various reasons advanced. Once mem
her Of the household, Juliet proceeds
m override the terrible Barnaby on
all questions. Having her own income.
she is able TO fout him. Instead OF
doing housework she quotes Shakes
peare-snd pays a girl to do the house
work. 81,
When Barnaby would force his
daughter TO wed one of the ungalnly
youths OF the village. II IL juliet VINO
steps in, grabs the whip from MS mana,
hurls il through a pane OF glass ana
cries. "You damned Dutchman. Tor
second act curtain. Before the curtain
can rise on the third act, several I'M
portant things happen. In me hrst
Mace. Barnaby has died. Secondly, his
suspicious elder son has been inyestI-
eating Juliet's past in her home town
in Iowa. and charges her with having
I eloped with a drug store CLERK IN
careless moment.
| Juliet. however. clears herself IN the
finest speech of the play, IN which she
announces that she had merely eloped
bv herself because her fance had de-
serted her. And, to cap the climax
she exits on the arm Of the Governor
OF PENNSYLVANIA. whose entrance IS as
timely as that Of the Governor OF New
YORK in the last act of "The House OF
Glass" The Governor, let 1t be ex-
/ nlsined, has heard Of her interest IN
! the Mennonites and wishes 70 discuss
her plans for their betterment.
All of this, however. gives no idea
Of the amount of quaintness, charm ana
humor that Marian de Forest has put
into her play. Aided by Helen r. Mar
tin, whose novel she dramatlzed. she
has succeeded perfectly in the dlfficult
task Of putting these queer folk Oh 70
the stage Their speech. with the con
slant use Of "over.' yet and al
ready" at the ends Of their sentences,
- nothing less than JOY "ErStWhue
Susan" is a splendid and Joyous sue
cessa truly American folk play al
last. T. does for Pennsylvania what
"Hobson's Choice" does for Lancashire
and does Il even better.
At first glance 1t might appear tn"t
tho death Of Barnaoy takes the play
ont of the comedy class. but the re
verse i. the truth. One knew that
Juliet never would be happy with
Barnabv after the curtain went down,
and ono WAS equally certain that Bar
nabetta could not wed the man or her
choice while her father was alive. To
soften the character of Barnsby, after
ffty.ive years of having his own way
would have ruined the play.
Mrs. Fiske had no trouble az al IN
dominating every scene IN when John
Cone was not on the stage. when ooth
Como and Mrs. Fiske were present ~
VA merry battle, with honors even.
A. tho close-tsted. narrow Barnaby,
cane did the best work OF his career.
Tbfs j. said. too. in full remembrance
~ his playing in "The Man Inside,
which was his greatest achievement
until last night. The manner in which
no lost himself in the character was
nothing less than astounding. II was
impossible to believe that he was the
same actor who played the equity
/ father IN III rays 10 AdNeFtlSe-
Edward Robins, who has not been
seen much on Broadway since tho days
OF "The Easiest Way" was acceptable
AZ the young lawyer who marries Bar
nabetta. Madeline Delmar did well in
the role of the spiritless Barnabetts.
and the two sons were capsbly played
by Robert Stowe Gill and Owen Mech.
Wylda Millison did good bit as the
bashful fiancec Of the elder son.
Corey Williams-Riter might have
| r...xl 1919 ~ fnr thn,r nla-- Lllt