Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-10-09


Something like the difficulty of pigeon
holing a moonbeam and cataloguing It by
the card.index system attends the process of
classifying J. NJ. Barrie's flights of foot.
HIGHT fancy. Mere dispassionate description
~ the scenes and dramatic framework of
"a Kiss for Cinderella" may be as accurate
as the census and still no hint of the witch.
ery of his product is conveyed. A London
slavey whose body Is underfed as her
imagination is nourished on poverty and
hardship, steps into dreamland and enacts
the classic fairy tale of Cinderella, accord.
ing to the scope and limitations. whimsical,
comical, pathetic and tender, of her starved
little cockney soul Actors in her real life
drama are glorifed into superb personageS
of her vision after a fashion which in
superficial mechanics somewhat suggests.
"The Poor Little Rich Girl" Her awaken
tng brings with II inevitable love passages
between the naive young policeman who
had been the prince at the enchanted ball.
The delicacy of such a play fabric de-
pends entirely upon who sits at the dram
attic loom. without the indescribable Barrie
touch "a Kiss for Cinderella" might be
mere clumsy extravaganza. Quickened by
the spurs of his ineXhaustible fancy 1t be-
comes a gem of superlative art as indie
Unable as IL Is exquisite in its character.
istic fusion of smiles and tears 1t has
become a commonplace to call Barre's
whimscality unreined, but this verdict Is
not wholly true, for most potent check on
his sangulne imagery is Omnipresent This
bride is taste. Its gracious presence ever
compels complete acceptance of his most
untamed brain children They exhale the
alurement of spontaneity. And when thus
armed no peak of whimsy is too perilous to
ba scaled.
In Peter Pan" the simplicity aud ap-
parent artessness of the fable set forth
renders it easily adaptable to childish
brains and to those adults who have not
forgotten youth. THE Legend of Leonora,"
which has still valid claims for recogni-
ton as the authors finest achievement at
tempted the difficult task of blending satire
and a certain amount of delicate philosophy
amid realistic surroundings. "A Kiss Tor
Cinderella" recalls moods of both these
plays, dovetaled in a way subtler than
any vein in which the Barrie inspiration
has yet worked.
The new piece is far less sunny, less
lghtheartedly gay than the earlier legend
Of Kensngton Gardens Fun is dazzlngly
irradiated at times and even satire, as
witness the delectable conceit of Lord
Times" whose comInandingly pompous in
reference with Cnderela's ball is one of
the sheer delights of the play. But Barrie
with all his fondness for romance. with all
his polished dalliance with the unreal is
seemingly ever aware that "A Kiss for
cal entertainment submitted in the period
of the most terrible upheaval of world
annals. His little heroine's touching ma
ternal inclinations lead her to the adoption
Of quartet of little waits. Lovingly she
slows them in the cunningest of improvised
box-like cradles, romantically bracketed to
the walls of the tiny penny shop" which
she conducts during her "off" hours as char
maid Of kindly artist. one child is a
London orphan, one is from France, the
third from Belgium and the fourth is a
naXen-haired Gretchen of Germany. It is
her mothering of the enemy alien that in
spires the mysterious actions which even
tuaIiy result in setting delightful Policeman
David on her trail.
Wnat other literary craftsman but Barrie
would have been so eXquisitely and appeaI-
ingly daring? When we hear of a Teutonic
playwright returning the compliment in
any FORM, hope OF world civilization NAV
pe renewed, AS 1t is, we rejoice in our
undaunted exponent of humanity, the mira
Gle worker of Kirriemuir.
IL may be added that this unique penny
: enop' scene and the wholly captivating
ana amusingly rapturous episode of the
Daii represent the high water mark of in
spTation in the new play. The final act
although prettily written, is rather static
ana lmparts sense of anti-climax 1t
ensehders the feeling that the Logical end of
Slhderella's romance was tragedy which
tne authors (bounteous, tenderness, had
scarcely the courage to face. Only once
was The mature Barrie great enough for
.nis-in the bravely bitter finale to Tommy
and Grizel"
IN the name part Maude Adams con-
uiouted a portrait considerably more def
hite and technically polished than several
OF her latest characterizations. The OPEN
ing scene revealed few lapses into her
tahiilar and conventional elfn mannerisms
Out In the main her art was painstaxing
ana winningly sincere. Morton Seton as
ule>warm-hearted artist and William Boyd
as the Bobby" hero submitted almost
nawless delineations of admirably drawn
Vpes' A signal bit Of flavorful humor was
enphaszed by the ever expert Peyton Car
yer In his symbolical representation of the
sDul OF The Thunderer" programmed as
Lord Times" The four waits were as
poeucally presented as they were con-
eeNed' The playbill gave no credit for the
..tHoeIeht staging, save in note attributing
sne suggestion of the ballroom scene to an
rsh. II ~