The Washington herald., 1918-06-04
Ceiaa-o-aren for Three

We had thought the traction OF
high comedy almost extinct on the
American stage. We had thought il
foundcred between the twin shoals
of rIsque farce and scntimcntaIity.
Tea For Three" the new piece
by Roi Cooper McErue presented
at the Bn'Gsco last evening. proves
that VIC were mistaken. Here at
last is comedy that aspires to
the standard set by clyde Fitch's
The Truth" or Langdon Mitchelfs
The New York Idea" and we are
not quite cure that the aspiration
has not been buttresscd by the
achievement.
Perhaps, after all. Tea for Three"
Is not high comedy in the strict
sense in the word-perhaps it is
comedy flirting and dancing imp
ishly OH the edge OF farce. Ger
tainly it is conceived in the spirit
of fierce. But farce in this needless
day has come to mean mere grCtes-
oucrie and absurdity. ard Tea For
Three" is not this at all
1t is the most remarkable pay Of
, the sccsou--or of many sea sons. To
/ begin with. there are only three char
actcrs in 1.-THE program Cnumerates
: live. but on, is maid and the other
a valet. Secondly. it is all dialogue
| literally and aEsclut' ly--,l H. as pure
Iy TAX as Mclicrc's "AlCCstc." Third
, ly. it Is written IL. around. about
sing cp SuGc, and that q. i-ude has an
g2suiutriy Consistent texture until the
last act. when the farce spirit jumps
entirely out OF bounds and falls back
: uncertainty into that victorian sonti-
mentality which it 80 clcvcrly p!icEs
and satriz.cs in its three preceding
, acts.
u rc 80 biTgrrr Ni~.ucs. ard yet il
e not beau Q o. tho l tat Tea For
"E.c"." ul,-es We &c cat'y m s-
.@,,cr. ia gGia:; tu GC-Ciop into a me
morab'e COMEDY hi in the American
| thc2tC:. 1t Is quite the most delight
iul piece of satirical dro,lery OF many
scascrs. 1t has the sparkle and cleo
tr.c Cualitv of French comedy: acting
h'ch involves III" most delicate. drIt
touch n: r..picr fash and lishtncss:
" niIh. if not sIbtle. have IL touch
: : c2C-gu ga '',y th2. ECYCr sid .l:Cns ~
rU"c I'm. The whole thiaa. rut to-
.'sthcr in iii ;rCc sty'c rare in ;h,:e
Gays, has 4 e.Gccato briEiancy that
is constant delight.
As for this new "anCle'' on the tri-
angie which the playwright prof, sscs
to have found, we don't know wnI. It
h'. and don't care: sufficient 10 the
n'Sht is the entertainment thereof
and we are glad If indeed hc Las
played huge hoax on ell of us-for
be 1t known that while Tea cor
Three" seemingly wiaks at the threat
!, ened violation of the seventh corr
mandrlent with the usual brittle
sophisticatiOn of the farce type. it L.
really as good as can be-in fact
we are rather disappointed that ,he
playwright has sicklied the whole
thing DER with the pale cast IF .rnti-
mentality at the end and has sought
to be altogether too clever by inserting
an ending Ia Seven Keys to Bald
pate" when it really does not need
this flip to give it the proper denou-
ment tang. This touch is enti"sly c'.t
of KEY, and it sholud be eliminated.
As for the acting. the work of
Arthur Byron as The Friend" Fred
Perry as "The Husband" and Mar
saret Lawrence as 1.-THE Wife" es-
tablishes new standard for this
needless. slap-dash season Mr.. BY
ron plays not with the slightest
touch of the farceur, vet with just
the puzzling, light chameleon-like