New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-02

Allisons. who return some little time
after their marriage 20 the home cf
the husbands tamiiy. The fGther-. r-
law is . rector. and q has alwaye
been his boast that things wh.ra
should not De alluded 20 have slwn'
been properly ausned up H. the con
versRtior Of the rectory household. II
may be Imagined that some little con
sternRtion Is caused when young Mrs.
Lucilla Allison blithely and frankly an
nounces that she is going 20 have a
baby. Moreover, this CONSERVATION IS
increased when she fakes o. her SHOES
and stockings preparatory for a roTu
on The lawn. !, might be pointed out
% Julie LaXton, playwright by proxy
Tor Miss Pesrn. that there IS 10 good
reason why Mrs. Allison should not
frankly announce her pregnancy, but
that there are debatable grounds for
restraining young ladies from remoy-
INK their stockings IN public.
However. the act a exceedingly
funny. he rector's wife decides 20
take her daughtsr-in-l law in hand. and
she tells her that hereafter she must
be discreet in talking about her ex-
pected motherhood and that II there
are men near she should lower her
voice and hide away the baby gar
ments upon which she is working.
Act n Of the inner play - the dull
patch. A year has elapsed ard though
the baby is past the red stage his
mother il ashamed Of him. The les
son OF mock modesty has been nam
mered home so hard b. the members
OF the rec.ory that abe can't bear TO
,l.,n 4 M N
less show him in public. This develop
ment does not seem outrageous!y TAR
f,.ched for farce yet somehow or
other the act is not funny. Worse
than lacking humor. il has curious
unhumorous quality.
The fault may lie in the fact thai
the act is not 90 well written as the
rest of the play. but more likely the
defect is due 10 a breach OF farce
consistency. There should be no time
in q farce for character development
Any number Of things may happen 20
person. but his outlook OF life should
remain the same. Now. Iucilla be
tween acts has changed completely. and
she has changed into n much less en-
gaging person.
Act II of the inner play rallies
nicely. When the ncighbors begin 70
gossip and say that perhaps M A.
son is not the father or the child Luz
ella takes drastic action. The mem
bers Of the Mothers Union are invited
20 view the mole on the osby's chest
or possibly abdomen, and then Mr.
Allison is ordered to advance and re
move his shirt. He does, and jules
play ends happily. Scandal IS dashet
20 pieces on another mole.
Il Z n
come to the final act Of the external
drama. The mid-Victorisns return
from the play. and to jules horror
they have not been shocked in the
slightest degree. Even the bishop who
sat beside them grew red-faced only
from laughter. Possibly Mr. and Mrs.
Greville exaggerate a little. We think
we could find a couple Of bishops or
more who would De shocked a. jules
dramatic venture.
Her career as a shocker blasted,
there is nothing for Julie 20 do but
NARY young Greville, with whom she
has had something Of misunderstood
ing. owing 20 her announced perplexity
about the baby" which, naturally
enough, was only the infant Of her
drama. The comic values OF the mis-
understanding are somewhat over
strained.
"Mush," succeeds in proving It's
theory that there is well defined
hypocrisy in imprudishness. 1t con-
tends that one may shock his fellows
only by divine inspiration, and il re.
duces 20 an absurcity the practice OF
pompous improperly.
The acting honors Of the play fall in
large measure TO Miss Esteile Win
wood as LDcilla. She romps through
her shocking scene with splendid vital
ity and humor. Another excellent per-
formanee is by Miss Ninifred Fraser as
the wise and kindly Victorian mother.
Miss Cnthleen Nesoit does nicely So
Julie. and Cecil Yapp - amusing az the
rector. Among the smaller character
bits Miss Louise Emery stands out as
Miss Cording.
Hush" would be q good play for
the Hattons 70 attend. II they had
seen IL they could hardly have written
Upstairs and Down" in such spirit OF
self-conscious deviltry.
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