New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-02-07
By HAYWOOD BROUN

thing by our Jane up to now, but Miss
Cowl has at last attended to the mat
ter b. turning playwright as well as
player IL is a fortunate alliance. Jane
Cowl never acted within hailing dis
lance of the mark which she set for
herself last night in Lilac lime
The moment in the last act when she
stood by the window and cheered the
passing soldiers as she held back her
sobs was worth a thousand nights OF
Common Clay" and Within the Law
In fact, it was worth more than that,
because for all Miss CowIs spirit she
was on the wrong track in those plays,
and her very ability only served 70
emphasize her errors.
Those handouts which we're placed
upon the wrists o. Mary Turner came
Off last night when Jane Cowl def
nitely freed herself from the tradi-
tional hcaving school of boiler and
played with a directness, a force,
simplicity and a blessed restraint which
marked her as among the finest Of mod
ern emotional actresses.
Miss Cowl did not give a perfect per
Torrance, but we never saw such q
thing i'm our life. Her French accent,
for instance, was not always OF the
best, and there were moments when she
failed to convey explicitly enough he
naivcte Of the peasant girl But she
played her comedy scenes with SUCH
spirit and htmor that there is no long
or the shadow # a doubt a. to her abil-
ity 10 turn merry when she viii. and IN
her serious moments she showed her
appreciation Of the fact that one may
Oh and leave the air untattered.
Jane Govt and Jane Murhn have
some extraordinary allies for effective
ness. Papa Jofre IS one, and any num-
Der Of unnamed tommies and poilus.
An audience cannot fail TO react more
acrtely 70 "Nive la Franco" on the
sixth of February, 1917. than it would
have done on any night you choose IN
the year 1913. The playwrights need
not stop 10 press their point when
some one says 1T Is for France;
others have made the phrase connote
.omething so big that the walls Of no
theatre and of no heart can hold 1t.
Yet this alliance OF playwrights with
outside forces seems 10 us entirely
legitimate, and the name France was
not misused when spoken so eloquently
as Miss Cowl spoke il and so wildly as
Miss Louise Coleman spoke 1t IN
siugularly effective bit in the final act.
There used TO be certain things IN
every Jane Cowl play which We always
presumed were there at the InstIga-
ton of the actress. Seemingly, u wa
not her fault that she invariably broke
down in the third act, and wore an
evening gown IN The final scene. We
will say that she was "A singularly vel,
dressed pcasan. last night. but at
least she stuck TO high collars and low
collars.
Lilac Time" II most respects. IS
along conventional lines. but these are
handled for all the theatrical effective
ness that is in them. For instance.
anybody who writes a soldier play Is
pretty sure 70 coutrivc q scene in
which men will gather about table
and sing some song with rolhcklng
chorus. but il will continue to be eff
fective. T. was particularly so last
night i'm the scene whore the English
soldiers teach Jesnn.nc TO sing Pack
up your troubles IN your old KIT bag
Throughout the star had rare support
from Henry Stephenson, who gave a
cap ital performance as Major Halo
way, from FeliN kremc- and from W.
Mayne LINTON. Yes. Mr.. Lynton as
Lieutenant Smylie had quite an I'M
usual touch Good in the comic spirit,
also. was the scene where the sol
diers endeayor to ascertain from the
girl the French word for fountain pen
fler.
Now and then we set M as a so
phs:icated person in the theatre. but
we will confess tlngle for the mo-
ment when Jeanninc stands at the
window and waves TO her lover as he
whirrs away TO the horizon at dawn.
The loud march of the off-stage mo-
tor is no longer the neigh Of the
waiting auto, but the whinny OF the
aeroplane, and that az least is differ
ent from the DAYS of shenandoah"
The play, II may be gathered, Is sim
pie enough in plot. II tells how an
English officer wipes out a stain sn his
honor by bravery. now he w0os and
wins a French peasant girl, and how
he flies away 20 death in an aerial
scouting expedition. Never for mo-
ment did we suspect that Jane Cowl,
would let Orme Caldara
die. We thought that he might come
wounded or MANNED, but il was not 10
be. Not once before have We seer Miss
Coyl associated with anything but a
happy ending, but this is srtisticaly by
far the happiest final curtain she has
ever Known. II must have taken cour-
age for her 10 have kept her play 10 the
closing mood she has chosen. and we
hope that courage will be richly re-
wardad. Certainly, the scene Of the
breaking 20 the girl. and the fol
lowing moment when she pulls herself
together and cheers her dead lovers
regiment as il passes by the window,
gave a .currying audience pause last
night. Most had time 10 stop and .
cheer.
The cast Of Lilac Time is excel .
lent throughout. Perhaps there should 4
be some mention Of Cecil lapp aside
from this blanket Endorsement, for he
WAS exceedingly effective as an old
French peasant. Orme Caldara vas b
pleasing hero. The play is not dis
.inguished in mounting, although that
is adequate, perhaps. Lilac Time
affords stimulating evening IN the .
and If you hated Jane Cowl as
the heroine of Common Clay" 90 now 4
and learn how imperative forgiveness .
may become.