Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-02-20
ADJUSTMENTS
Belasco.

| There is a wealth of superb acting in
THE Masquerader," in which Guy
Bates Post appears at the Belasco
Theater this week. The opportunities
for masterful strokes by genius of the
stage are present in every moment, and
at no time does the play allow the
stage company to rest their efforts.
Particularly is this true of the leading
part. the dual role Of John Chilcote,
NJ p, and John Loder. journalist. a
more exacting part of its sort perhaps
has not been written since the days of
DR.. Jeykyn and Mr.. Hyde; not more
romantic dual role since the days when
| the Prisoner of Zenda' thrilled the
| theater.
Looking back through the vista of a
decade. 1t would seem that Katherine
Cecil Thurston's novel has been fairly
ed out by John Hunter Booth. In the
present instance, however, the peril
which meets John Chilcote's parliament
| is the European war. The original
Boer war. The playwright has further
rnodernized the stage version by ex-
alting the Chilcote-Loder person into
a sort of Devid Lloyd George by means
of giving him great problems in mobiliz-
ing munitions plants and doing other
herculean tasks which are read about
daily in the papers.
| A most thrilling and satisfactory per
i Torrance is the result. To summarize
| briefly, John Chilcote, NJ. p, scion of
a great race. enters the story in a Lon
| don fog. He is on tn edown grade from
| the use of morphia. The striking man
ner of his meeting John Loder in the
| fog and recognizing him an apso-
lutte double is we'll portrayed in the
prologue to the play. After that emil
| cote lives with his morphia III Loder $
rooms and Loder, the strong and virile
| journalist, plays the part OF the leader
| of parliament. AS the morphia eats
away the life and character of its vic
tim the demands of the nation give
the masQuerader more and more chances
| to assume greater burdens-whlch he
| does with great credit and ability
| The play carries out the story OF the
| intriguing. beautiful and far from
good Lady Astrupp; also portrays the
great struggle in the breast OF Johh
Loder to act the part of honor in re-
spect to Mrs. Chilcote-who. by the
way, does not recognize the masquerade
| ing Loder as any one but her own nus
band, from whom she has been
estranged since their honeymoon. There
| is scene in a garden. where Guy
Bates Post makes an instantaneous
| change from one character to the
other: from the fine. outstanding Ioder
| to the nerve-wrecked Chilcote. BY a
| trick of stage legerdemain, this is
made to appear nothing short of mi
raculous although the mere mechanics
are used only to carry out Mr.. Post $
| consummate skill as a delineator OF
| characters.
In a little curtain speech Mr.. Post
| made a graceful reference to his able
| associates" These are Il capable COM
pany of men and women who seem to
have given great time and study to the
perfecting of the picture. Not the
| least of these is Louis Calvert. play
ing the restrained role of Brock. a
family servant Possibly had Mr.. Cal
vert worked dLt the role in any other
manner the play would be less effec-
| tive. That's Lawton. as Eve Chilcote.
| is an experienced actress; and there is
| a bit of slavey part. played by RUBY
| Gordon, deserving commentator