The Washington herald., 1916-01-23
ACROSS THE NEW. YORK FOOTLIGHTS
By GEORGE JEAN NATHAN

, could. true. continue and tell you of
bat what the needy
The staging of '.rhs Pride OF Race"
is of infinkeiy more interest. you will
readily believe. than the play itself.
The theme Of the exhibit, an echo of
The Octoroon." of Under Southern
Skies" of "Puddfn-head Wilson," ct al.
concerns the discovery by an amorous
white beau that In reality he is part
Primrose and Dockstader. When he
learns the prismatic tidings from his
father. he is on the eve of wedding
a beauteous South'n girl.
Shall he or shall he not7 He seeks
counsel OF his parent and Is told that
the chance of the girls finding out
the taint In his blood is but one in a
million. This chance he decides to
take. A period elapses and the an
dience is given to understand that the
wife Ia soon to become a mamma. The
father Is In terror lest the youngster
turn out to be an incipient Jack John
son. What to dog Counsel this time
he seeks of the family medico. Again
he Is assured that the chance is but
one in million. .Then--the child is
born. Is IT mahogany or bIrds-eye
maple? The suspense is maddening.
My Observation-Disclosures Follows
yelling and hair-pulling. Wife shouts
Don't touch me"-"Leave me, you
beast"-and similar bon mots. And
husband. head bowed. goes on to Cuba
where, in an epilogue, one finds him
living happily with his Joe Cans TWEEN
ty years after.
Robert HiIliard plays the role or
the tainted hero in this entirely obvi-
Gus meiodrama. and Kathleen McDon-
nell the role OF the wife. Mr.. Hiliiard
presents one of his customary exNsbi-
tions OF historisnism and six or seven
new suits of clothes. Miss Mcdonnell
Is as convincing as the author has
permitted her TO be. Frank Kemble
Cooper is an engaging physician Ga
pleasant actor. this Cooper, Frank
Westerton. a weird college boy: Mrs.
hinna Gale Haynes. the maternal par
ent of the outraged white mink, and
Marie Taylor one of the usual nu-
isances Of the casts of such plays.
Nanny" There is nothing objection
able In the play itself-save the plays
sterling mediocrity.
At the Booth Theater e. r. sothern
Is presenting revival OF T. W. Rob
ertson's David Gsrrick." with Alex
andras Carlisle as Ada Ingot and Or
iando Daily as the alcoholic squire. The
drama of the David Garrick,r school
and period is. as students of the the
ater know. much the same. The hero
reveals himself ever as a Sherlock
Holmes and all the other characters
are revealed as watsons. The current
revival, while interesting to those who
have never seen the play and are eager
for exploration into the acted drama
of the days of another century. still
discloses acting of a not elevated or
der. Mr.. Sothern's performance of the
celebrated role Is accomplished with
small subtlety and little conviction.
The actor Is best in his passages OF
romance. weakest IN the big second act
drunken scene. Miss Carlisle does the
heroine without distinction. Mr.. Day
is, however, able as the disappointed
suitor. The revival has been pro-
vided with an attractive scenic In
vestiture.
A second revival (at the Empire) is
Barrie's The Little Minister" with
Miss Adams, as heretofore, in the fg-
ure of Lady Babbie. Considerable
charm still attaches to the play and
the evening Is not i'll spent