New-York tribune., 1918-08-27
ng cast:
By Haywood Broun

"Where Poppies Bloom" did not quite
live up 10 its early promise at the Re-
public Theatre last night. AS soon as
it was discovered that Lewis Stone
was a German spy other members of
the cast began arguing with him about
the war and punishing him in other
ways. Nobody liked him. Twice 1t was
only the curtain which saved his wife
from apoDlexy when she couldn't think
up any more things to say to him.
We have fallen into the unfortunate
habit of predicting the denouement OF
plays early in the evening, and shortly
after 10 we felt sure that "Where Pop
pies Bloom would wind up with
Marjorie Rambeau jumping up and
down on the stomach Of the spy and
shouting ITO hell with the Kaiser "
until her voces broke. Anything else
seemed inadequate. 1t might have been
humiliatng enough for the German 70
be shot by left handler. but it seemed
to lack something in frightfulness:
In spite of some excellent writing
and equally good acting it is difficult
to take "Where Poppies Bloom" entire
ly seriously. 1t has practically all the
easy bids for applause. Again and
again it substitutes gags for dialogue
and, indeed, the whole problem of the
play rests on a fallaciops assumption.
Marjorie Rambeau, the heroine, IS
married to German who has become
French citizen and fights against the
Boche. He is listed as missing, and
she puts on mourning, only to find that
her husband is still alive and acting
as a spy in the French army. He IS
captured and condemned by the man
she loves, and then all sorts of diff
ficulties arise. 1t seemed that If the
French officer should have the Boche
shot the heroine would have to remain
widow She loved the Frenchman,
but, after ALL the man who was going
Out of Difference to Miss Rambeau his
age was set at five. The child was
the only shield the German had. At
such times as the heroine was threat
: ening to do various things to him he
would interrupt to say, Il am the
father of your child And then she
would get weak and inefficient and say
"goodby' to her lover.
Frankly, we were surprised. This
theory of the sacredness of father
hood was brand new to us. We don't
believe they have it over here. If
there is any such peculiar lenlency for
male parents going about any place IN
the world we must say we don't think
it is earned.
Of course the hero doesn't have to
shoot the spy. A left handed Ameri-
can, who is not even distantly related
to anybody else in the cast, finishes him
off as he is trying to escape.
The work of Marjorie Rambeau was
erratic Some of her comedy scenes
were delightful. She had one bit, for
instance, with young lieutenant who
was trying to firt with her which she
carried off in her best manner. In
fact, all the scenes where she could
play down were exceedingly effective,
but the big scenes she fairly tore to
tatters She was able by her exceed
ingly strenuous methods to get over a
certain quality of excitement, but she
was never in the least moving in her
TRADES. 1t is not entirely fair to
blame Miss Rambeau for the fact that
at times she merely lifted up her voice
and ragged. Nobody will ever accuse
"Where Poppies Bloom" of having any
German propaganda unless it expects
to get somebody on the rebound. 1t
keeps the hate nice and warm through
out. "There are only two races on the
earth. The human race and the Ger
man race" is one of the milder lines.
1t is difficult to keep play of this
calibre down into reasonable vocal
limits, but we do hope that Miss Ram
beau will not try to make all her hate
speeches carry to Potsdam. If all our
war plays are to be propaganda pieces
we hope that the next consignment
will be little more insidious.
L I.
go to Percival Knight. He gave re
markably complete and humorous per-
formance as an English Tommy. He
never let the humorous nature of the
character get so far along that he could
not pull him back now and again into
something else. Laurence Eddinger,
also, made great deal of an old poilu.
Jean Gautier and Marcel Rousseau