Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-11-10

"a oroperties nave oco,a,
sn' The company is disbanded' Doou
nsu, '.,ou, II Annabelle u" now visible az , ,ne
oi. ,.s, Theatre, has been enjoying popular
Aa''p" -. ,arts Of three seasons Both
Z nS0' nv the same author. Clare hum-
~" n.,, exhibit Incredible plot struc-
ns' :. On, sort Of dialogue that cur
% .,,v masses as smart IN MISS nuiNe >
- ''".,,asd vehicle. however eAua'asa"'
: d's0'.u rere made unpalatable by In
"'N -,,,o sincerity of Interpretation
S,,ca, app episodes emotionally hanoieo are
...a,v out Of place In farce.
sss0'. current Hummer piece there IS
In "e .,nt of such tactics. The heroines
hardy ,ng - adventures tax .credulity' but
astohisn. s,ted to believe them. The par
ono is ~ 'mo.an,her I'm the authors head Ito
tcua, Rarrie--from which the play
paraph., .,,s stocked neither with, dramatlc
emen,oue eme,S, philosophy of life' sense OIL
v0a vson.rs characterization nor tas,e "o.
s.al,sm. Mental card cl,alosues pa
resno., rer"'a,ons colloduial satirical retorts' ana
oose' ssa.andard" humorous quips, redressed
sven "a however. in the fantastic ming
apoun ,nn. Miss Hummer drew lavishly upon
cAon. c.o-s Agreeable actors were engaged
.0 ro,ce her artificial brand Oh repartee
,he Incredible "Annabelle' quickly pe-
sarns a popular favoritc.
DIALOGUE Of this description has a dis
,,rct,vely urban flavor. In all large
..,,.. there are groups Of posers who pride
,,.,,..ves on their grasp Of what they
-. ,o he up-to-the minute satire. This
/ ,,rmodity Is not actually Wit shallowness
,ns,anay peeps through its veneer. but IN
!. an, se,f.satisfied circles, "h0bohemian' or
,s,, vea,thy. the appeal of this egoistic
"h1mor" is exceedingly potent
l,Ichard Brinsley Sheridan, who knew
whit true comedy was. cuttingly satlrlzeu
Tho sham article in the immortal sir BEN
iardn Backbite, whose alleged clever say
ns,' were priyately circulated. Miss Kun
mer publishes hers. BY so doing 1t Is pos
.bl, that she is consciously satiriZinB the
sslf.admiring faneurs who form most or her
dramatic personae. on the other hand, II
\ her viewpoint is less subtle there arc many
metropolitan audiences unable TO dis
tnguish between smart" Stiffness and wit.
In "Annabelle" they may hear their own
precious lngua franca articulated by COM
netent players That fish," observes the
sally-seeking heroine has a good face-for
Ash" Prattling members of putative
artistic" circles enjoy indulgence of this
sort Of thing. Among sham 'high-brows
and smart people, So-called sense OF
humor is ghly fashionable just now. Glare
Hummer writes a la mode Like the spouse
Of Gilbert's hapless Baines Carew, she
never can resist a joke"
very welcome in farce. But in this instance
the indefnable feeling that the author Il
vastly pleased with her efforts and tina,
every artifice Of dialogue was called fortf
TO execute them imparts to the little pla,
q suggestion Of strain.
Naturally folks who talk the Hummer Ian
guase will seldom notice this. Spontaneit,
ID 10 far beyond their ken. that they never
feel Its absence Annabelle and her friends
are their friends. It's "all in the family.
comic magazine at boarding school Il
excruciatingly funny to the scholars. In
timacy is its keynote. On a wider seal,
Is prevalent in Good Gracious
Annabelle :" and success in the house
hold Is thus assured. There Is no mixtur
Of styles. as in the defunct "Rescuinl
Angel"
DEFENDERS Of Miss Runners method
~ point with pride to the absence o
horseplay in her products. That word Il
these modish times is anathema. Naiv
flnmaking is questionable. So once wa
romantic drama upon the French stage
But even modes are not infallible, as Victo
Hugo proved when he punctured the pre-
/, vailing Partisan one with his "Ernani"
1t is perfectly possible to write n capita
horseplay farce as Are You Mason?
was Deserved success with such an essa
In polished dialogue as was "The Impor
lance OF Being Earnest" is also attainablt
But the genius of Oscar Wilde rose abov
he particular circle in which he found him
sei. Miss Hummer. at least to the preser
Wrlter' seems not to have done this.
:, IN summing up 1t may be added that Ma
NoSess contribution to the piece is who'll
eut OF Key with its predominant tone He
irresistible comic methods belong to Il,
o'u uhashamed farce of hearty laughte
snd despite the taste of the period ever
Sne OF her amusing scenes is greeted wit
explosive ordinations
MISS Vokes is a unique figure In stag
ahd. Her manner is invariable. 1t is ju,
in ' .syn name today as it was twenty years ag
~ MY FRIEND From India" a play fro
whieh kummerians" should recoil in no
.or indeed it's rather hard for all Of
, st a. hrst 10 credit the fact that she is sti
.aehciously funny. Her ludicrous dome
rque must have a dash of immortalit
~ any event, the appeal to hilarious discoi
wMch she strikes in Good! Gracious
come excellent other actors grace II
psE Lola Fisher is charming In the tit
I'VE, which might easily become intolerab
~ olher hands, and Edwin Nicander as Il
Vu.oc!atic "souse" contributes q real
ssiid satirical portrait--a characteristic
Snich also reveals Miss Hummer at h
ses'' since she cannot, of course, be he
,,ssponslble for Miss Vckes's in!mitab
vucnes Mr. Nicander, b. the way, is
u friend here His stock company pc
.olmances In the days when resident dr.
auc organizations were more prevale
.' ian they are now. are remembered wi
'sasure oy Philadelphia theatre patrons.
fSPATCHES announcing the death.
London. of William Fl. Kendall cha
sc'erized him as the dean" of the Br
isn stage. From several standpoints I
uue was misnomer. Mr.. Kendall, W
was seventy-one, is survived In the Engli
s"geland by the brilliant Sir John Ha,
8 VINO is seventy, and Sir Charles wyndha
VINO Is eighty. The inspiration and artis
equipment of both of these actors ira
scended those Of Kendall.
me latter. however. possessed admiral
sa ss; lie was delightful light comedis
Ssheo' facile and fluent, and even to sc
ous'roes he brought a sincerity and an a
coed taste that happily obscured the co
parative Limitation of his resources,
popularity In America was extremely s,
Ssntial and was dependent largely on
ss.sonai sana equation. With his wife Mad
sui living dauRhter of the onca s.rayo