New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-13
"And SO They Were Mar
ried" Given at Special
Matinee
EMPIRE SCHOLARS
SEEN TO ADVANTAGE
Radical Sting of Drama
All but Gone After
Three Years
By HAYWOOD BROUN

"The Judge, their Uncle Everett, who
understands all of them and believes
in divorced" wrote Jesse Lynch Will
Jams when he published and So They
Were Married" three years ago. The
play was given yesterday at the Belasco
Theatre, and the spirit of that eIcla-
nation point was the only disquieting
feature of a pleasant performance.
Mr.. Williams regarded "And SO They
Were Married" as a radical play when
he wrote IT, Perhaps it was, but the
revolt against marriage is now thcat-
rical commonplace. Modern audiences
regard Nora as a feeblc-minded young
woman. not because she left the dolls
house. but because she entered IT ri
all. We haven't doubt that Jesse
Lynch Williams punched the keys with
that peculiar vigor which Is born or
courage when he empowered his hero
to refer TO loveless marriage as legal
lied prostitution" To-day we can PRINT
il In The Tribune without even fright
ching the copy reader.
But if Mr.. Williams came TO the
theatre to startle and amuse ne re-,
NAMED to amuse. And although good
many others have had their say ABOUT
the marriage question 1t has Dy no
means been settled for the world. Inc
special matinee yesterday was gwen by
the members Of the Empire Theatre
Dramatic School, under the auspices
Of the American Academy of Dramatic
Arts. II was a pleasure 20 watch
Young actors who are still STUDYING now
TO talk and walk and conduct themselves
upon a stage. OF that group which we
saw yesterday presently some, or per.
haps all. will be stars, and then OF
course. they won't study anything.
Most promising of the players, 70
our mind, is Miss Anne Morrison. she
was possibly just a shade shy OF the
emotional power required IN one out
burst. put she handled the light COM
ody scenes delightfully."-. the best part
fell 10 her lot. The author has drawn
the new woman with humor and sym
patty. One cannot wonder that the
other type is old.
Helen is the assistant Of DR.. Ernest
Hamilton, a brilliant young physician
engaged in important research WORK
as the head OF the Baker institute. The
play concerns the efforts OF her family
first TO prevent her marrying the doc
tor. who, after all. is shocE'ngly under
maid. and later TO persuade her TO
marry him when she threatens TO cast
in her lot with Ernest without a cere-
mony. The solution Of the problem is
tricky, but clever and theatrically ef-
fective.
Possibly the most amusing moment
in the play is the first love scene be-
tween the doctor and his fair assistant
They have been rather pointedly left In
each others company, and, in fact, the
uncle is lingering, hoping TO eaten
tyord of courtship, when Helen draws
close TO the doctor and says: Now tell
me all about anterior poliomyelitls.
Later we hear from Ernest: Those
agar plates YOU were incubating dried
ND and spoiled. You played the very
devil with my data" Then, OF course,
we know that they are in love.
The scene is skilfully developed to
the stage where the peskiest germ Of
all the lot thrives and multiplies in
the moonlight until the polio expert
ment, are forgotten. II, or better,
when the play is put on for regular
nroduction we hope that Jesse Lynch
williams will restore this scene IN It's
entirety.
Here and there are places where the
play might be cut, although we are
not certain that the briskness OF a
professional performance would not
glide safely over the few spotS, when
seem TO drag. Whenever an author mas
snvthing TO say he can hardly avoid
writing a play which is talky: but most
of the talk of "And So They We're
Married" IS interesting. Much OF II
is clever. end all OF 1t has the snap
and life which style can infuse even
into the spoken word.
,1d 40 nro6teS bv the good work Of Mar
gsret Phillippi as the old-fashioned
wife. of BRYANT Thomas "a the Judge
Of Daniel G.. Anderson as the minister,
and of J. V. Preston as John.
Besides the longer play, there was .,
one-act triAe, called "The Bracelet,