New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-22
In the Play World
Varied Bill of Washington
Square Players Is
Interesting
By HAYWOOD BROUN


Square Players at the Comedy is varied
and interesting. There is somethin for
every brow. "Plots and Playwrights,"
comedy in two parts, takes up the great
or part of the evening, and the Players
depart from their usual formula by
presenting only three plays. Yet no
one is stinted, for at 1880 last night
the acting was still raging iercely.
The chief number Of the programme
is a stunt play, but it is interesting in
spite of that fact II contrasts the
methods of a man who observes life
and a popular playwright. The OBJ
server wagers that he can find play
on every floor Of three-story lodging
house, and does so in a little series
of episodes of unequal merit. The pop
ular playwright then takes this mate
rial and binds the episodes together by
throwing all the characters into an
outrageous melodrama. The play then
may be divided into halves, one OF
which is sincere, and the other bur
lesQue The author, a young Harvard
man named Edward Massey, seems to
have observed life more closely than
the theatre, which is an excellent fault,
even though IL makes the latter half OF
his play far less interesting than the
first.
The story Of the second floor is
easily the best episode Of the enter
tainment and is worth all the rest OF
the play put together. Here Massey
has given just a fragment out of the
lives of three girls who room to-
gether One is a girl who is starving
her life Of everything else 10 put the
last ounce Of effort into her art work,
which is not very good work for all
that The second is a girl who pur-
poses 10 have a good time, and has II
without any great danger to herself
because she does not take her male
friends seriously. Then there is the
third and Youngest girl, who has lost
her heart for the first time, and IS m
serious danger because he is the
wrong man and because she can't pos
siblv maintain the tranquil attitude
/ of the care-free girl. nor yet the sac,
rifcial attitude Of the first. Each siri
pleads with the youngest and eacn
makes her plea from totally diner,
ent point of view And in the END
the girl takes the advice Of neither;
Well built. well written and capillary
acted. the episode Is delight MAIN
crime Cornell as the art student IS eN-
tremely effective in a quiet, telling man
ner. and Ruby Craven plays mucn
easier and more snowy part effectively.
Alice Raider as the llttlest girl rs
new ingenue with the Players, and does
well. particularly in her scene WIN
Miss Cornell. which is about the best
thing on the BILL
The first episode is less true 70 life,
hut effective Electrically, while the
third does not amount TO much, since
il has little observation and practlcaiiy
no dramatic development. 1t ahoros
Robert Strange a chance to do some
GOOD acting. and Florence Enwrlght is
good in the first episode.
After the observer has had his say
the playwright steps in and heightehs
and twists everything which has gone
before The ourlcsQue went very well
last night. but the satire did not seem
particularly timely to US, as the style
Of play which il satirized is no longer
in vogue. Moreover. the burlesque
would be much funnier if IL followed
the scheme of the observer lttle
more closely. This would afford the
comedy Of the contrasting points OF
view. As a matter Of fact. there IS
only the slightest resemblance between
the plot Of the observer and the plot
of the playwright
In some respects the author must
thank the actors for bringing out the
humor of the burlesque IN generous
measure. Arthur Hohl, Robert Strange
Rubv Craven and I. W. Gibson all
added a great deal 10 the merrlment.
Helen Wesley, on the other hand, was
a handicap. We don't think hurlesque
should ever be played more than frac-
ton Of tone away from literal and
serious Interpretation. II seems 70 us
that 10 burlesque burlesque Is fatal 20
the shirt of this form of entertain
ment. and Miss Wesley Enthusiastically
PLAYED in a winking mood. She allowed
the audience 10 realize that she thought
her part was ridiculous. The vocal
tricks she introduced have no relation
whatsoever to the methods Of any
known living emotional actress.
Herman Bahr's Poor Fool begins
in such an indirect and obscure manner
that good acting is required 70 cap
ture the attention OF the audience when
the eloquent moments Of the play are
finally reached. Last night 1t had that
acting. The play is built on con-
trast between the philosophy or man
who has held duty as his watchword
throughout life and his brother, who
has Lived himself dead as he ex-
presses it, Although broken in mind
and body. the man who sought JOY
has found the secret Of life which his
brother overlooked The light comes
glinting through his madness. He has
found God by living intensely. Though
he has gone down and down into the
dregs and depths Of life, he has found
God at the bottom.
He points out that, though man may
20 on and on in endless existence, there
will never be anything more than life.
The first duty Of man, he thinks, IS to
live fully, and even the horror Of his
mad mind cannot shut out the JOY
which he feels when he recognizes that
his niece, the daughter of the man OF
duty. has In her the seed which VIII
impel her 10 the life of joyousness.
Jose Ruben. as the mad man, used
his mobile mouth and voice 70 good
purpose. There was strength, too, IN
his hands. II was good performance,
although there were moments now and
again when the articles OF the actor
we're Just a shade too plainly visible.
Arthur Hohl. as the man OF duty, did
a difficult job in mastery manner. and
Marjorie Vonnegut was very much in
the picture as the daughter. Philip
Moeller's rhymed translation OF
Noliere's "Sganarelle" will be reviewed
later.