New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-23
TIE CAST
By Ralph Block

All plays have an ancestry, to be
sure; but eyes of Youth" which
brought Marjorie Rambeau to a waiting
public at Maxine Elliott's Theatre last
night, has a more widely diffused strain
Of blue blood in it than any play that
has come to the first night bar of judg-
ment in many and many a day. In
build, Eyes of Youth" has something
of the appearance of "On Trial" with
here and there a hint of Peter Ibbet-
son." although lacking everywhere any
such inherited proportions. There is
even hint Of Bunker Bean" as cur
tain passes on to curtain, and astonish-
ingly the final episode bears all the
habiliments of such creatures of the
theatre as "Everywoman" and Expert
ence"-even to the night scene in front
of Rector's.
Probably every one would like to
see Marjorie Rambeau begin to sail
the troubled waters of Broadway in a
seaworthy craft. And eyes Of Youth"
IS anything but that. 1t leaks in sew
eral places, creaks badly, and last
night the engine gave signs of break
down. The metaphor is not entirely
a just one, because it isn't merely bad
carpentry that ails the play Max Mar
Gin and Charles Guernon put together.
l he Idea that underlies it, if il can be
called an idea, is rather absurd, plays
with but little ingenuity upon the
modern interest in occultism, and is
used TO carry a story that is thestri-
cal in the highest degree and quite
without the charm that will save even
the widest improbability on the stage.
Gina Ashling has a voice. Paolo Salvo
discovers the wonderful timbre of il
and predicts wonderful future if the
girl Will put herself under his care for
number of years. But there arc OBJ
stacles. Her fathers business is fail
ing. She is needed at home. Her father
would Ike to have her marry a rich
sutton. The man Of her own heart is
leaving for South America. She is sore
~ perplexed. Enter here a yogi
played with rare discretion by Macy
bearing a crystal ball. Gina
looks in the crystal ball three times
and that makes the play This is the
echo of "On Trial" The first time she
sees herself teaching school. The chill
dren are bad, and Gina says she is 60
ing to have to give up her school be-
cause she Is behind the times. Her sis
ter tells her of an engagement to one
of her old suitors, and Gina realizes to
what drab depths she has come.
The second episode is by far the
most diverting of the entire evening.
and shows Gina an opera singer in
( Paris; not merely a queen Of song,
self-willed and headstrong, but q mis-
tress of many men. 1t is at this point
that Marjorie Rambeau picks up the
thread she seems to have been fun
bling for through the earlier course
of the drama, and plays with an aban-
don and power almost fierce enough to
save the play. But not quite. Gina's
brother upbraids her for her immoral
ity, threatens to shoot himself and is
saved by his sister only TO use the
revolver later upon the man who
trained her voice and whom she &C
cuses Of having brought her to her
present state.
The third episode is the hearing of
divorce suit in chambers. Gina has
welded the wealthy sutton, who now
frames" a case, Astounding in filth,
against hef. The final episode is un-
believably puerile. Gina is now a
creature of the streets, still pure in
heart, but the victim of drugs. A
h4uu HcdlbGu OCLCIkANt WIGS W EISA
and later she comes face to face with
the man she always loved. Generously.
he takes her to his heart and the story
returns again to Gina's home-already
interpolated several times between cpl
sodes--to allow Gina, after her elimin-
alton of all other suitors, to accept the
man she loves.
It would be strange II such a play
did not abound in opportunities here
and there for those who play 1t. Mar
, jorie Rambeau captures her audiences
! in those scenes in which she is allowed
to play vigorously and powerfully. At
other moments the burden Of falsity
| that the play must carry is too heavy
for her. Donald Gallaher. as the broth
CT. has impressive moments here and
there, especially where he assumes the
prerogative Of brother and avenges
| the family honor. He is passionate
without being theatrical, and is at all
moments as convincing as the play
will allow. Charles Able lacks the op-
por.u7ities that "Pops" presented in
/ "Brnker Bean" but does the best he
can as Gina's father. The cast is
large and on the whole fairly we'll bal
/ ancrd.
II will scarcely require the services
of a yogi and a crystal sphere to decide
| whether eyes Of Youth" is to remain
or TO pass on to the limbo of dead
plays.