New-York tribune., 1918-06-11

By Haywood Broun

we oon't know whether the Supreme
court has taken hack at it or what
put this law of supply and demand
aoesnt seem to function. Consider. for
instance, The Actors and Authors
Theatre, Inc. At the Fulton Theatre
last night the organization proved for
the second time this season that it is
ever so much easier to find players
thans playwrights. One performance
was distinguished and several were
good, but not one of the four plays
which made up the bill last night had
any distinctive quality. One sketch
indeed was amusing, but the little bur
lesques which it contained were en-
tirely conventional. The conclusion is
perhaps hasty and certainly it is un-
welcome. but we don't believe that the
field of lower right hand drawer drama
amounts to much.
Minnie Dupree did the best work
last night in A. P. Wharton's "Noc-
turne." This little play handles a
snatch OF dream skilfully. 1t is adept
enough throughout but pretty dull.
Nobody but playwright or short
enough throughout but pretty dull. 1t
is lite sloshing in sentimental galoshes
that a woman would carry indefinitely
IN her mind the picture of a gentleman
whom she happened to look at for
period of one minute at a railroad
station. Travel is dangerous enough
as 1t is. Nor have we any particular
interest in sobful sympathy for the
PLAIN woman. 1t is presumptuous. In
fh0 11.,v
much more attractive than the pretty
one.
Who, for instance, would not rather
take Rejane out to supper than Lillian
Lorraine? And certainly he would be
a simple minded idiot who would
choose Mary Queen of Scots for a
bridge partner rather than Elizabeth,
and we cont intend to make any joke
about Mery's losing her head either
Even in the carefully selected types
of the play the character for whom
more of person than the fluff who
was set off against her. We do not
refer to the players who assumed the
part. We hold no brief against mar
rlage or anything like that, but we
believe that much of the literature
about spinsters has been written by
envious married ladies and gentlemen.
"Muggins," the first play on the pro-
gramme, is a faint echo Of Lonesome
Like" We knew it was Lancashire
right way, because the people in it
referred to each other as clad" and
Glass;" spoke of money as "brass."
and omitted the definite article in
phrases, such as "shut door lad" There
doesn't seem to be "the'~ in all
Lancashire. We understand that they
get shipped off in the looms. "Mug-
gins" is wholly lacking in the tender
quality found in Lonesome Like" If
the author of "Muggins" never saw
Lonesome Like" there is such thing
as thought transferrence. However, the
piece permits Whitford Kane to play
aamusingly: q one-act operetta called
CARTS Rejuvenation" does not amount
to much. The music is fair, but there
are no very good voices in the COM
pany drafted for the performance.
Much better is "The Best Sellers" in
which Kenneth and Roy Webb, the au-
thors of the, previous piece, have a
lot of fun with popular novels. Charles
Meredith, Edith Taliaferro, Regan
Hughston and j. Irving Southland all
contributed to the success of this
piece, which was rapturously applauded.
The piece contains a song entitled
won't You Buy Book" and we think
that is an excellent sentiment.