New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-28
Drama
Lew Fields Can Cry Better
in Fun Than in
Deadly Earnest
By HAYWOOD BROUN

Lew Fields never plays a comic scene
without a background Of pathos Even
when he stuck his finger into Weber's
eye he held the sympathy of the audi
ence. You feared he might sprain 10.
We recall a scene in one Of the old
shows "Hggledy Piggledy," perhaps, in
which Fields wept for the death Of
little FRITZ. his pet chicken. who was
even then lying dead and roasted on the
table. There was telling emotion in his
voice when he remarked that only the
day before he had seen FRITZ walking
about the garden eating the nice, juicy
worms.
Weber, as we remember, also cried
for FRITZ, but when the other guests
were shamed out of their appetites the
smaller member of the team, for some
reason or other. received no part Of the
bird. The reason does not matter. II
was something in keeping with the ira
ditional injustice which all the plots
at the music hall laid upon Weber
Still. there was no gainsaying the fact
that Fields earned the repast. He cried
better
Yet, strangely enough. this man who
could cry so eloquently over a roast
chicken, or one of Weber's vests. can
not weep with any persuasiyeness what
ever about daughters broken heart
OF any of the set pieces of stage senti-
ment. Il is perfectly true that the Sc
rious moments Of Bosom Friends" are
shallow and poorly written. but an
actor who possessed the true heart
searching quality could make even
tawdry stuff live a little while. War
fields material in The Music Master
is somewhat better. to be sure, but II
has little enough vitality outside his
performance.
IL may be that a better play would
bring out undiscovered emotional pos
sibilities in the acting of Lew Fields
but we doubt IT, We don't know just
why he grows so mechanical and
wooden when he drops the mask OF
comedy. OF course. it is evident that
Re does not believe the things he i:
called upon to say in Bosom Friends
and also it is true that each of the
emotional scenes is too premeditated
and palpable a bid for tears. The thing
lies deeper still. IL is partly in the
larynx, partly in the back of the head
and partly in the heart. Fields car
suggest pathos, but ne cannot develop
and sustain il. II lies behind and be-
yond his comic scenes just about as a
rainbow lies behind hill. There is nc
catching up with 1t.
Bosom Friends" is an agreeable and
amusing show of a conventional pattern
s,1 Efaldo - llouai n NJ
funny. Many Of his lines are good. and
his comedy in all respects is thorough
and enhancing His scene with Helen
Ware, who plays a stage vampire, Is q
delight. He holds up the scenes with
John Mason all by himself, for Mason
is called upon 10 play character which
is thrown in without any detail what
soever.
Bosom Friends" has an all star cast
but il is good in spite Of that We
have always thought Irene Fenwick one
of the best young players on our stage
although there are things which she
does better than ingenues. It is a pity
all women are not born contraltos
There is nothing so fine in the female
voice as full. rich. low tones.
After two visits 10 the negro players
the ART OF " ms I. oWedtnhhl retiu'
a little bit removed from nature. II
spite Of his many years in such roles
we don't think his negro bears much
relation TO life. He has vitalized q
stage tradition. Although he suggest:
the negro only remotely, he does sue
coed admirably in proving the humor.
Gus possibilities of burnt cork. He J.:
one Of the genuinely amusing figures OF
the stage. Perhaps II is just as vel
that he is not a real negro, for we
have never seen him called upon e
rlay such part. He is always tho
conventional stage darby. with a rec
bandana. a touch Of lumbago and ter.
rible hunger.
The wastefulness Of our theatrical