The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-02-16
ADJUSTMENTS
Washington Square Players


 The laudable ambition to break theatre and present plays more for their artistic values than any money making possibilities they might have, gave birth to the Washington Square Players, composed of amateurs who have now reached the semi-profes- siona1 stage.
 This organization appeared at the Jefferson theatre yesterday afternoon and last night in 10 short pieces, un- der the auspices of the Birmingham center of the Drama League. Both in respect of attendance and artistic re- suits, the engagement was a decided success.
 The work being done by the Wash ington Square Players and other sim liar organizations, as well as small but devoted band of professional ac- tors and managers, to encourage and develop the drama regardless of box office results. cannot be too highly commended. The increasing number Of little" theatres in the larger cities is an indication that the higher ideals of the stage have not been extin- guished.
 The five plays presented last night were Literature" a comedy from the German, by Arthur Schnitzler: 'Tn- terior.' by Maurice Maeterlinck; .In April" by Rose Pastor Stokes. one Of the pioneers in slum work: "Eugeni- cally Speaking" a satire on eugenics by Edward Goodman; and Pierre Patelin," a French farce of the fif- teenth century
 Literature" was the least worth while. The comedy of this p1aylet was rather thinly spread and the three members of the cast were not par ticularly happy in their presentations, state of affairs that may have been due in large part to the paucity of matter in the play. Besides, most # the opening lines could not be heard for the tramp of the rear guard" who arrived after the curtain rose
 Tn Acril.' was a knit, we'll written sketch and well acted. In a short space of time and in a compa~- atively few words it presented a phase of life only too common in the tene- ment districts of the larger cities The play was written by a woman who is thoroughly familiar with such condi- tions. Miss Dana Desboro as Annie, Elizabeth Patterson as the mother. Charles Meredith as Tom and Maxwell Parry as the drunken father were well cast and made these characters stand out in strong relief
 "Eugenically Speaking was lighter stuff, but was made amusing by Mr. Meredith as ''eugenicaIly perfect conductor: Rosalie Mathieu as the daughter of traction engine magnate who took George Bernard Shaw rath- CT too seriously, and Samuel Jaffe as the magnate.
 interior a little masterpiece by Maeterlinck. written with the delft hand of this master and portraying in a singularly graphic and moving way a tragedy of French peasant life. was the most impressive of the five plays. A young girl is found drowned Those who have undertaken the painful duty of breaking the news to her family stand outside the windows of their cottage and discuss the girls drown Ing while trying to gather coura ge enough to enter. It Is night They look through the lighted windows at the unsuspecting father, his two other grown daughters and the wife and little child
 At last. when the crowd brinsing the body approaches the house, the old man. who must tell the family of thelr loss, goes around to the front ana the audience sees through the window the effect of his revelation NO word is heard. but the agony of those within is shown by their grief stricken faces and their gestures of despair. Then all rush out to receive the corpse.
 In the afternoon the plays present. ca were The Roadhouse in Arden" a shakespearean phantasy by Phillip Moeller; Moondown." by John Reed . "A Bear farce from the Russian "A Miracle of St. Anthony." satiric legend by Maurice Maeterlinck, and Helena.s Husband" an historical com edy by Moeller.