New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-02
THE CAST
By Ralph Block

Mr.. Ames and Mr.. Hurlbut follow the
fashion, but they do IT little more
shrewdly and with little more HAT
terry 10 their audiences in the doing OF
il than most of their fellows. You can
hardly call writing comedies about love
a fashion. and even plays about mar
rage are not unaccustomed to the
stage. But the bedroom is still fash
ion, on this side of the water at least,
and it will doubtless linger until they
have all had their fling at it. Mr.. Hurl-
but. who wrote Saturday TO Monday
and Mr.. Ames, who produced 1t, take
their fling lightly. Their mirth is in
deed of so light a texture that snould
a light wind blow il might almost fade
from view. But, after all, IN the the
atre much more than anywhere else II
is the way the thing is done that counts
most. and in a market that marks so
much of its wares with heavy hand
the tiny subtleties OF Saturday TO
Monday" the little shadings of deli
cately pointed wit, give finer value to
a landscape that is so offer fiat and IN
adorned.
Mr.. Hurlbut and Mr.. Ames pay their
audiences the rare compliment OF So
phistication. No amount of comedy
has ever been quite able 70 screen the
notion that bedrooms were improper;
indeed. they were funny because they
were improper. How extraordinarily
silly it would be for any one to try
writing comedy or farce about dining
room. or library. or a downstairs gal
lery. or any Of the places where people
live a life that conyentionally can be
omen. undefended, to the public gaze.
But the Hurlbut-Ames fashion goes a
step further.
I'VE realize that bedrooms mean
nothing 10 YOU" say they to their audi
enccs: chat you have not one chuckle
left for them-they leave you cold.
But look you now on this. Laughter
is none so good as when it is at the
vain notions of other folks. SO to you
who are clearseeing and rid OF all
foolish IDEAS of the improperly OF
bedrooms we will give you just one
more laugh. You shall laugh now at
those who still believe in bedrooms.
And you do.
Doubtless the gentlemen Involved In
this delicate manipulation OF point
of view would protest the charge. Inc
chamber itself has no existence on the
stage save az a door. 1t does not APP
pear at all until the play is half way
through. 1t takes its place as mere
climax in story that deals with the
mishaps Of a young woman who would
avoid the pitfalls of marriage by tax
ing the Journey only bit by bit-from
Saturday TO Monday, 20 be exact. And
it is not even the bridal bedroom, at
that. But bedrooms bedroom, for
all that. ;,
Only the lightness of Mr.. Hurlbut's
wit saves it from the charge of being
shrewd; il does at several points bear
the implication OF being at the expense
OF several different kinds of sentl-
mentality. One of these Is what UNI
mistakably Mr.. Hurlbut would want US
to believe is the sentimentality OF
feminism. Mrs. McNey, one of its
apostles, is made to represent a carl
cature on il. Susanna, who makes
soapbox speeches for il. goes through
three acts of mad adventure because
of il. Only FoXcroft Grey, mere
man. whom she finally weds, and her
mother. who spends a whole first act
in Lady Windemere epigrams at the
expense OF il. are allowed any sanity
in the matter. Susanna discovers a
way Of accommodating her desires and
her principles by the process Of part
time marriage, but a chance discovery
of another woman in her husbands
apartment in the unmarried interval
sends all her ideas glimmering and a
quite human jealousy plays havoc with
her femnism. The bedroom enters
here. She sends an unsigned telegram
10 her husband warning him 10 watch
Der. and then goes 10 compromise her
self with poor dramatic author who
! lives in a bungalow and never had any
idea Of living out the situations in his
latest play. So far II might be only
an echo OF the cocktail scene in Fair
and Warmer" But the husband. with
disgusting common sense. refuses TO
accept any OF the bedroom insinua-
tions. and the young woman departs
in tears. yielding OF course 10 the con-
ventional notion OF marriage before
the final curtain.
Miss Ruth MayclifTe is Susanna, a
rather fascinating SUsanne Al moments,