New-York tribune., 1918-08-02
THE CAST
By Haywood Broun

quality burdens it. After all shouted
things are not very important or in
teresting The play produced at the
Maxine Elliott Theatre last night seeks
to interpret the war in terms of pas
sion. Such an Interpretation belittles
serious play. Most the great mo-
ments OF the theatre are reticent ones.
r ate IS like that--devilish calm. We
haven't doubt that even the food
came down with no more than pitter
Patter Anybody who wants to catch
ohe big moments Il the life of man
must lind him when ne IS little awed
and hushed
Every war play is propaganda in a
sense, but such values are surely
somewhat beyond the scope of a dra-
matte critic. There are so many
tastes IN propaganda But this time
we want to meddle beyond our own
province. 1t IS our opinion that every
play about the war should seek to in
fuse IN the people of America a deep
will with as few projecting edges as
possible: Batting Germans won't beat
them. The war job is singularly like
that of surgeon Like the surgeon,
America should keep her feelings in
hand just as far as possible. She can
see better that way and realize lust
what she has to cut
But, propaganda aside, there should
De a certain underlying calm in seri-
Gus drama. "Allegiance" lacks that.
The play tells the story of the divided
household Of a German-American fam
~ Altnough the play has been linked
frequently with "Friendly Enemies, j"
there is little resemblance. Most of
the differences are distinctly in favor
of the Shipman-H Hoffman piece. Prince
and Princess Troubetzkoy may have
brought slightly more sincerity to the
task, but their play has nothing like
the technical facility of the earlier
play. It Is wholly unrelieved by humor
and the pitch Is keyed so high from
the beginning that slump is inevita-
Bile.
Nor is the play humanity sound
either. The most interesting problem
aroused is left unsolved. The chief
characters in the play are an old man
OF German birth VINO chngs TO America
his adopted land, when the clash comes
his American-born son who remains
pro-German until Just before the dnal
curtain; his grandson. who is loyal
who Is also for America. No reason
able explanation is made why LOYALTY
should have skipped a generation
ne htst act of the play deals with
the chickering's of the family. 1t is not
very interesting. Certainly most of us
mad our hll of war arguments more
than a year ago. The American-born
German sympathizer falls under the in
huence of German spy and promises
HIM financial aid. In the second act
the Lusltanla is sunk and there is a
powerful but somewhat overwritten
scene IN which the passions of all the
contenders fare up until there is open
break between the pro-German father
and the pro-ally SON
Between the second and third acts
there is bad interval, for almost two
years have elapsed and America has
declared war. It takes several minutes
to resume the story. The son is al
ready IN the struggle as a member of
the English army. He has been can't
ured. but exchanged. We learn that
he was wounded in the eye but has
recovered. Meantime the pro- German
father has been getting deeper into
plots: In fact he is saved from arrest
and disgrace only by his wife when the
spy with whom he has been dealing is
captured. At this moment the boy re-
turns from France. He has been
blinded by the brutality of a German
surgeon. This revelation comes with
suddenness which has a good deal of
dramatic power The final catastrophe
serves to bring the pro-German father
back to the cause of America And
the house is reunited in its allegiance.
Blanche Yurka gives a very able per
formance as the wife and mother
None of the others is distinguished
Harrison Hunter, an actor of many
fine achievements, overplays a conven-
tional German spy part rather badly
Carl Sauerman is moderately effective
as the old German. Charles Meredith
is adequate as the boy. A large audi
ence greeted the play with the utmost
enthusiasm.