New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-13
By Ralph Block

George Broadhurst may have aimed
cover the Phone" at comedy, but the
range must have been wrong; at least
Mr.. Broadhurst's new adaptation OF the
Continental fashion goes somewhere
wide of the mark. Not that il isn't tu-
riously humorous in spots. But the
humor is doubtless not the humor mat
Mr.. Broadhurst intended. Il resides
chiefly in the fact that Mr.. Broadhurst
could have taken so familiar lady as
the innocent who invades a gallant
apartments after the midnight hour mas
struck and have made so pointless a
farce OF the whole matter. Mr.. Broad
hurst himself added the final touen 10
the evenings comedy when he asked ior-
bearauce for his new work from an
audience that had failed to give grace
to his old one Of two decades ago. ne
said IL with a lingering regret, as IL 20
add his own tastes were nuch fOr He
older wares. hope he meant tnat' at
least. Il would show better JNGS-
mept, quite.
lover the Phone" il divided into
three kinds of comedy. The hrst h.nd'
which takes up the most OF the hrst
act. is based on the idea that hearty
laughter is sure to follow the Juggling
of any two words that sound alike and
differ in meaning. IL is an entirely
correct theory, and was demonstrated
to be correct last night. Every time
Mr. Henry Kolker, as a painter OF
European vintage sojourning In the
United States, said sniff" when he
meant snuff; "sluph," when he meant
"sylph." and "oucalyptus,' when ne
meant TO say 'erysipelas," the audience
laughed.
The second comic idea involved the
possibilities for laughter involved IN
intoXicat.on. This idea was presented
with entire success by VIII Demlng'
who was an intoxicated friend of Mr..
Kolker's for the first two acts. Almost
every one laughed at Mr.. DeminS, even
70 the headache that he appeared with
in the third and last act. But the most
important item of humor was con-
tanned in the idea that man suddenly
finds himself with two unknown women
in his rooms at the dead OF night, one
Of whom he discovers he loves and the
other Of whom he thinks he ought 70
love. That was probably the idea Mr.
Broadhurst started with. 1t has gu te
the flavor that might accompany rs
Hungarian origin. and the other comic
idea was probably inserted by Mr.
Broadhurst to suit the native tongue
which Il does. But, strange as Y
sounds in telling afterward, this was
the one idea that failed TO be comic.
Mr.. Kolker worked at it vigorously;
Mr.. ". J. Ferguson, as Mr.. kolker''
man servant. blew at il with all his
might and with all the wit and lnge
nuity that his years Of the stage have
given him, and failed TO set one small
ember glowing. Miss Alma Belwin wa:
as scheming for the sake CT love as Z
somewhat school-girlish personallt!
would allow her 20 be, and she failed
TOO. After that everybody gave up, IN
GLIDING Mr.. Broadhurst, and over th'
Phone" became sensible little low
story. with an angry stepfather, a sen
timental and helpful friend, 81 knew
from your eyes you were not that klnc
Of woman" and happy ending. And
after all. it was a relief, al that. A love
story will always go much better thai
poor comedy.
The scene is a New York apartment
some time before midnight. Thu
painter returns with his stageerins
friend. Comedy here of drunken
man singing "Poor Butterfly
you have ruined my life This
from the painter. every night WON
an has talked to me over the telephone
Tonight she would let me know wheth
er she could come to me. But yol
made me wait. have missed her.
The bell rings. Conversation on the
telephone, with the squeaking voice
plainly heard by the audience. An
she is coming, tonight" Exit the
friend. Suddenly a young woman il
an ermine coat-the programme saiC
il was ermine-enter "Oh, on, oh,
then a pitiful tale, cruel HUSBAND