New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-10
By HAYWOOD BROUN

10y MI W opD DhON y
The Very Minute" is bone dry
drama about liquor. l. D. more OF a
brandy float than play. for Arnold
DAILY, boz the chief role. losses OIL ten
or twelve ponies in every act. Indeed.
he does even more 10 irrlgatc the new
play at the Bciasco Theatre. The big
moment of the drama comes when
DAILY. A. Francis Cramncr. decides that
drink 10 which he has practically
committed himself does not taste very
we'll after ALL We have seen Charlie
Chaplin do better stunts with beer.
\ little Of John Iechaus play is
honest and interesting, but much OF the
entertainment haunts an irritating pre-
tcncc of profund.ty. Yet there are mo-
ments when Daily almost succeeds in
r convincing YOU that there Is wisdom in
+ his words. Daily has the peculiar knack
/ of imparting distinction 10 the COM
monplacc and in the main he gave a
good performance last night. Objec-
& tIon must be taken 20 certain growing
manucrisms. DAILY cannot convince US
] Of the wit and Importance Of speech
merely by turning up the corner of his
mouth as soon as nc has done speaking.
/ Il ~ the right corner as We remem-
berit
! The play was hailed enthusiastically
last Sht, and the actor made one Of
his clever and indiscreet curtain
/ speeches. DAILY talked quite a bit bet
ter than Cramner Not all the applause
/ was .Or the actor, who has come back
20 the stage after a serious illness.
/ The first night audience liked the play.
/ There are those i'm first night audi
j ,,.L.y 81 -, 10 AL
bic in the field of philosophy. Any
long speech which assaIlS the snug
virtues and ends with a ringing de-
nunciation of the pure in heart goes
well. BY violent applause one clears
himself of the suspicion that he may
be a secret follower of virtue.
The character instructed TO Daily IL
that of a brilliant young scholar, who
has ruined his PROFESSIONAL promise by
hard drinking But this fellow Cram
mcr, for all the degrees and honors
which the playwright has heaped upon
him, talks like a cracker box atheist.
Another character in the play indicts
him for his vapId utteranceS, but The
dramatist is ready with no explanation
OF the intellectually low level Of his
hero's agnosticism. Perhaps we are
meant to believe that his failure TO
talk more brilliantly is due to the
rum which is in him. but this we hold
to be no fair charge against alcohol
The play suffers a good deal from
the fact that the chief figure is
made thoroughly unattractive. Long
before the final curtain many
must lose interest M the mans iCht
against his craving for liquor. As a
matter Of fact. he doesn't night. A
clinch now and then, and very limited
amount of footwork are practically the
extent Of his battle against demon rum.
We are asked TO believe in the end
that the man will make good after all.
He is finally broken by the death
of his father in "a scene of some
little power and prays for help. Yet
IL was difficult 10 accept the repentance
as final. One or two scenes which plct-
ure the struggle of the man to keep
away from his foe are interesting, and
there is a fine little flare of drama IN
another moment i'm which the girl OF
the play sends Cramner to the lowest
DEPTHS of his despair by telling him
that she. too. has lost faith in him.
+ Cathleen Nessbitt did this moment
very well. John Cope was also effec-
/ tive as college trustee.
Marie Wainwright had the best
drawn character in the play as her por-
ton. She was the mother who dis
trusted the educational accomplish
ments of her daughter and rebuked her
with "Try 10 be yourself and quit talk
ing ike Hedda Gablcr." That would
be pretty fair advice for John Meehan:
BE yourself" somebody might tell
him, land quit trying to talk like Her
man Bahr."
There is no good reason why play
should not be built on talk instead Of
action. but IL should be good talk.
4 David Beiasco has been criticised by
some on the ground that he has taken
no chances in the theatre. Now that
he has taken Arnold DAILY under his
wing the reproach loses all sting Mr..
Rclasco has selected an excel lent cast
for The Very Minute" and the single
set is substantial and veraciOus. but at
fY4efiNa