The Washington herald., 1918-11-26
NationaI-sBac to Earth.-

Beyond a doubt. this man William
lie Baron will bear watching.
First, he stepped out OF character
as a New York magazine editor long
enorgh to contribute an cugenic
scream called "The Very Idea. ~
Standing off and observing the ef-
fects of his playwriting efforts. he
evidently decided that putting words
into the mouths of mummers was
really-a vastly interesting pastiIle.
indeed. and that the game was in,er-
esting enough to try again.
A packed military-soCiety audience
at the National theater last night
witnessed the first performance of This
seCor Diary attempt of Mr. lie Baron
and were it not for an unfortunate
anticlimaCtic episode at the very end
OF the play. We should be very much
at loss to explain the distinctly
well-hred cooInesS that greeted the
final curtain OF Back TO EARTH the
somewhat pOintless title the author
has selected for his latest offering.
To our mind. there are the makings
of a hit in Back to Earth" 1t is a
comedy of breezy tempo. scalpel-like
in its incisive. Satire penetration OF
human fOible. and of Il most amaz-
ing storytelling power Quiet Incl
dentally. it advances an idea.
Let us look to Mr.. lie Baron's idea:
A gentleman who dabblos in Spirit
ualism is confronted in his apartments
by a man who claims to have come
from heaven on two weeks leave. un-
der strict orders not to tell of heaven
or suffer hanishmcnt therefrom The
dabbIer in Spritualism. somewhat
ag"inst his will introduces the Celes-
tial visitor to his circle of aCquaint-
anCes and to the girl he loves. Re
suit: The angel falls in love with his
hosts sweetheart. violates the injunC-
tion not to sreak of heaven, in order
to remain with her. and is promptly
shrivellcd into a very aged man.
That Is the very novel. elastic and
fascinating theme Mr.. lie Baron has
chosen and with admirable craft. he
plays a symphony Of humor upon the
resulting psychological reactions of his
audience. He has capitalized to the
full the curious. primitive vet ludicrous
horror of the human mind when con-
frOntcd with any suggestion of the
supernatural. Yet so gracefully, sc
satiriCally is this element of fear in
troduCed that its chief effect is an in
| tense interest that originates in the
first ten minutes of action and moves
along. in rising Crescenda, to the CHI
max.
II is really difficult to praise toe
highly the work of the cast Mr.. Dill
ingham has brought to the support
of Mr.. lie Baron's new vehicle. II
was really well-nigh impossible to re-
call flaw in the technique of Wallace
! Eddinger in the role of the angel-on-
eave-Of-absenCe. and the same state
ment has equal force when applied tC
the Interpretation of the angels host
offered by Charles Cherry Unuues
! tionably. these two gentlemen have
garnered fresh laurels from the gar
! den of fame with which to deck their
brOws.
! In passing. one must breathe a
! paragraph OF praise for Miss Ruth
! Shepley, whose role was not at al
| breath taking but who enacted hel
( part with admirable and delightful
| repression. The feminine honors like
wise must include Miss Minna Gombel
! who as a feminine priCStess of tho
| perfectly obvious-a veritable Dulcinea
! of p. A. creatiOn-Iaid down fol
/ our delectation last night a perform
! ance that really called for cheers
! We have only praise also for the work
! of James DyrenfoTth. Harold Hendee
! Jay Wilson, Paula Sterling-oh. in fac
! everybody. particularly James Kear
ney whose butler grows better every
| time we see him
To our mind. something must b,
! done TO the prologue epilogue feature
\ of Back to Earth's' production. The
play is introduced by gentleman
| reading his own play to his guests and
! placing the guests in the character
| of the play. There is a moment o.
| darkness-and then the play begins
That is good enough in the beginning
but when, in the third act, we see oul
! heavenly visitor defy the wrath o
Heaven, receive its punishment anI
! shrivel into an old man who doesn't
even know his own Identity. we have
a pungent. fascinating finale that calls
! for house-lights, orchestra and oul
hats from under the seat.
Instead. however, Mr.. lie Baron ha,
attempted to heed the cali of tn,
| box office; he has attempted to Civ.
his audience the old happy endinl
| and here he brings in a prologue
| where the girl of the play, taught
lesson by the supposed reading o.
the play and the fate of the heaven.
! ly visitor who loves her. heeds tn,
| call of common sense and Marie,
/ the playwright who has read her tn,
/ story.
Here one encounters stark. starins
| anti-climax and one is inclined L
blame it for the seeming apathy o.
the audience that fled out of tn,
National Last Aghk oeAsrvsas. ~,