New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-07
nv HEYWOOD BROUN

Il YOU believe the playwrights. East
| is East. and even worse. Nothing
,,- be done about 70. Williams took the
first set srom Johnston; Cornell beat
Michigan. Benny Leonard made mess
~ Stanley Soascm Yoakum and Bryan
rv,s in Nebraska. These are facts, but
rts, do they matter TO q playwright?
Hs viii continue TO maintain the theory
.fs. the East is cfTcte and must crum-
}'s a. the touch Of a brawny son Of
hshr and glorious West which elected
Woodrow Wilson The cowboy candi-
ls.c.
Of course. the converse is main
famed. Manners. grammar and artistic
tr--scation are the first things which
nee. the eye of the traveller as he
come back across the Appalachians
j .ron .he place where Greeley sent him.
Or5rsd did have 70 GO to Los An
reles 70 start his little theatre, but
never mind that just now; we want to
talk about Shirley Kaye
jHcre again We have the strong man
iron the Yves. Back in Gods
country he gazed at mountains
rode horseback and rompcd in the
open with bis dogs. so in no time at
al he became the best railroad
nan ia America. We have theory
tlat the California climate doesn't do
Csliionians a Dol. of good, because they
are too self-conscious about it. Gil
nate likes 90 sneak up on person UNI
sVares and fx ND his tissues and every
thing when he's just sitting around I'M
noticing and silent. You can't ever
catch a Californian that way.
B4. TO &c. back 20 Shirley Kaye"
This Is al old plot but it was once a
good one, and there's some fun left In it
still Old material viii 90 further on
i5s stage than anywhere else. Paint
ne dnving room pink instead OF green
nd make the leading lady q blonde in
,Hssd Of brunette 1--WE don't mean the
Fame leading LADY,, and even a crafty
iasstregoer will imagine FOR a little
While that he is seeing something new.
After time he will find out. BY that
tine, perhaps he win have fallen under
u e spell Of Elsie Ferguson.
4 She is ar interesting actress. Up TO
date she has been praised much more
highly tor what she is going TO do than
-or anything She has accomplished,
0si she may catch up with the kind
words II she works hard and keeps
sway from Portia. Marjorie Rambeau
. IN somewhat the same position. She
rs appeared here IN two plays, neither
q which gave her any particular OPP
lN'ghjues, and yet any number OF
persons have hailed her as one Of our
great actresses to be.
Curious, isn't e, this praise for work
SUI TO be done? Indeed, now and
'gsn the player is praised not for the
,a'i Or the future, but for performance
speculative fourth dimension.
lhu', when Maude Adams played
Chan'ecler,' everybody spoke well of
Otis Skinner.
Elsie Ferguson has 8 voice which
haTns the ear, because here at last is
/ organ with a span Of notes. She is
Hmef fond Of letting it slide from top
" bottom just for the sake Of the
.'lnt. The exact relation Of tone TO
%hper is sometimes hay. Here is
can OF salmon" is uttered in a COM
.ha''on OF notes not very different
non those ia 81 love YOU" Perhaps
A' IS captious. Not every actress can
a'ke Che spectator thrill merely at the
digestion OF salmon in a tin. Here
voice 90 drive away all thought Of
H'na.ncs.
When she remembers u, Miss Fer
''.oa SO 40 some pains TO talk in the
a1ner which che thinks is current
'song tho most exclusive circles Of
81" York society. IT doesn't sound
'ie right but We dare not be dog
D ale on this point. At any rate, we
& Miss Ferguson best when she opens
2" mouth and just talks away without
ising the words slip between her
eth.
At is worst shirley Kaye" ticks