Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-02-09

It may be safely set forth that "Quex"
10 brilliantly wrought and absorbing
drama.
Pinero has, of course. written plays
more profound His House in Order"
The Second Mrs. Tanqueray," 1.-THE
Thunderbolt" and "Mid-Channel' have
their PHILOSOPHERS" in addition TO
inagisterial craftsmanship and exhibi-
tons Of vivid Characterization. The in
veterate message grubbers," SO dis
tressingly numerous nowadays, are en-
titled to what satisfaction they may de-
rive from the titular personage's
observation that "It isn't the scamp, the
roue. a girl SHES at it's the old sc mp,
the old roue. She'll take the young
one. the blackguard with a smooth skin
and a bright eye, directly he raises Il
hand-take him without murmur,
money-hunter though he may be. Take
him |! BY Jove, she leaps into his arms !"
Everything has q moral, my dear"
declared the Duchess of immortal Alice's
Wonderland, ''if you can only find it."
But every moral isn't worth writing a
play about, and it Is poor tribute to
Pinero's sense of proportion to assert
that he evolved 1.-THE Gay Lord QueN"
merely to air his sympathleS with
middle-aged men. 1t Is more sanely con-
ceivable that his purpose was directly in
line with these, his own pregnant words:
TO tell a story by means of dialogue,
but to tell II in such skillfully devised
form and order as shall within the limits
Of an ordinary theatrical representation
give rise to the greatest possible amount
Of emotional effect the production or
which Is the one great function or the
theatre"
That he achieved this object in
comedy. which, in addition to veracious
portraiture, is such a marvel OF con-
struction that the average dramas or
commerce appear merely crude and
amateurish specimens of pitiful inepti-
tude. can be denied by no one whose
standards of stagecraft have defied
! vltiating influences. "Quex" is potent
ly absorbing, interest-compelling enter
tainment and technically triumphant
nineteen years after its London pre-
miere.
THAT the virtues of this masterpiece
l of It's genre are all expressed in the
present Interpretation, 1t would be abb
surd to maintain, even without refer-
ence to the original John Hare produc-
ton, Absolute, not relative, standards
condemn Miss Illington's Sophy. The
iact that Irene Vanbrugh's portrait OK
the vulgar yet chaste. impetuous yet
artful. passionate, sentimental lovable
and loyal manicurist Is unforgettably
vivid to audiences who patronized the
chestnut Street Opera House early In
this century is not fairly germane to the
case. Nobody expected the present IN
terpreter of the part to initiate Miss
.anbrugh or to reproduce the racy In
dividualism of her performance. Miss
Ellington is entitled to a fresh start in
her characterization.
is exigent, however, that this follow
lines laid down by the dramatist His
Instructions are specific. They are re-
vealed In many passages OF racy col
ioquy and authoritative strokes of
portraiture. Miss Illington-very pos
sibly because this actress has had
some fine achievements of another type
70 her CREDITS temperamentally un-
Cited for tho character. Her sense OF
u1cal in Sophy. Her emotionalism has
ventional leading woman" Her intona-
uons are altogether too refined.
Coster speech is not demanded of the
asnt that Sophy Is not in the formal
say Bong swor" and "Shut up!" on
Margaret Illington's lips the phrases
/ .ound surprisingly inconsistent. Yet
they are distinctly sin character" Sophy
. good girl, but common" She Is
aashy palmist, valma. Such COM