The sun., 1918-09-13
Play Built on Magazine Story
Keeps Audience in Suspense
Until the End.


A<iOuCi SttWiH "db All lHlcI Cstltib
during only the last dramatic season
here, although he had been long and
Importantly employed on the English
stage. Last night he was the leading
figure in Another Mans Shoes" which
Frederic Mckay presented at the Thirty
ninth Street Theatre. The new play
must be greeted as the FIRST that has APP
peared during the young theatre year
with the repute OF having been taken
from a story in the Saturday Evening
Post. Last year some thirty Of these
highly recommended dramas passed In
review. thence into the discard. But
none had shown Its head this year until
Another Mans Shoes" was disclosed.
Laura Hinkley wrote the magazine nc
ton. and Mabel Ferris was her collabo-
rator In making the play. The action.
which is divided into three acts. passes
IN the country home OF the hero At
Greenwich,
The audience knew that the home was
in Greenwich. but whether the hero was
IN his own home remained for at least
two acts a complete mystery. For much
in Another Mans Shoes" was mysteri-
GUS: 30 for those spectators who would
always rather surmise than know what
they are observing. there was ample
material for enjoyment in the new piece.
But on the other hand, there are ex-
cellent reasons for believing that every
element OF interest in the play would
have been increased had some part Of
the mystery been made known to the
audience earlier in the evening.
The Story OF Double Aphasia.
II was not an easy secret to reveal
not any easier indeed to make clear
on the stage than It 10 here. Double
aphasia was involved In the fable. Prob
ably that sort OF a theme IL a little
pathological for the stage but some
part Of the mysterious causes back OF
the .heros conduct might have been
revealed. The audience made his ac-
quaintance in a sick room. He was
recovering from the effects OF a railroad
accident. He believed himself to be a
certain Richard Trent. He was occupy
ing the bed and Incidentally the place
OF Richard Craven, a ws/lthy merchant.
In vain he protested tat he was one
man. Just as firmly his nurse and his
doctors, his wife and her relatives in
sisted he was the merchant. II was
with his efforts TO convince the world
about him that he was the person he
took himself for and their refusal 10
accept these explanations as anything
else than the result OF his accident. that
the second act O. the play was occupied.
so far as the audience vas able to dis
cover. he remembered none OF the men
and women about him who had a.<o
surrounded the man he was supposed TO
be.
The Mystery Deepens.
So the mystery deepened and in
evitably interest decrease in exact
ratio TO the intensity Of the confusion
Of the audience In the end Il appeared
that he was both men. or at least had
been at various stages OF his career. An
earlier blow had knocked out the recol-
lection that he was Richard Craven and
made him believe for while he was
Richdrd Trent Then the railroad &C
cident had brought into the foreground
again the belief that he was Richard
Trent, the period in which he had lived
as his real self having been temporarily
lost TO his memory.
OF course the spectators never got
out OF this maze until the end OF the
play. Much OF the content OF the sec
ond act had been interesting. although
the audience was not absorbed in the
story to the degree II was In trying to
ind out who In the dickens was who.
1t Is not certain that such an involved
pathological instance as the authors Sc
lectsd Is in reality suited to serve as
the foundation OF a play. II is quite
sure. however. that II must be handled
with more skill than was revealed last
night. 1t Is not to wonder who in the
world men or women are that audi
ences go TO the theatre. To be alb
sorbed in what they are going to do
10 the right sort Of interest And II is
essential TO that sort Of interest that
the identity Of characters should be
made moro or less clear.
Mr.. Mckay has selected an uncom-
monty skilful company for the new play.
Lionel Atwill. always an admirable
actor. was excellent in the distinctnsss
and certainty Of his playing. There was
not n syllable in his role to which he
did not give expressive emphasis. 1t was
a pleasure TO watch such easy and pol
ished acting. Paul Potter gave an anus
ing study OF character as a clerk Elsie
Mackay and Ethel Wilson added beauty
to the evening, and In every particular
the representation reached a high artis-
tic level. There was no mystery about
that