New-York tribune., 1918-07-14

>'Si"SNO was pi oDaUiv SO1ISNC III SQ II
with his electricity than Willard Ma
1t would be unfair, however, to pass
slightingly over Mack's share of the
credit. In addition to writing the play
he acted the chief male role during the
original production, and played it we'll.
His successor, Bernard McOwen, gives
an effective performance. 1t is little
better vocally than pictorially, but it
suffices we'll enough.
The values of Mack's play do not lie
on the surface. 1t is practically devoid
Of style, and yet it has outlasted many
better written plays because it has a
definitely sympathetic quality After
all, the majority of theatregoers do not
actually hear lines. Or, at any rate,
robody takes a play phrase by phrase
Each spectator, to large extent, trans
lates the spoken line Immediately in
his own mind. If he is properly at
tuned to the performance he gets a
reaction which is largely emotional. A
cheap line may be refined in this proc
ess of transmission. Consider, for in
stance, the emotion aroused by a popu-
lar war song. Certainly there was
nothing fine about the words of "Tip-
perary," and yet it sufficed to dignity
the deaths of many men. The dross
was often transmitted as the words
were carried from the conscious to the
subconscious mind
In lesser degree Mack has done
this miracle in "Tiger Rose" Though
the words which he puts into the
mouths Of his characters are largely
without distinction, he has managed to
attain at many places rare emotions.
The play has genuine feeling at its
best points. The plot, of course, is
thoroughly conventional. Lenore Ul-
rich is the playwright's chief aid in the
cast She gives genuine and pas
sonate performance. She is able to put
herself into the part without recourse
to any conscious mental effort, which is
almost always inimical to good acting.
We are gradually coming to the be-
lief that playing on the screen requires
a greater amount of cerebration than
acting on the stage. This does not inn
ply that it is higher art. We don't
think 1t is but it is to our mind much
more technical. There is more to feel
for the stage and more to learn for the
screen. The fact that in the moving
picture theatre we see only the image
of the actor lessons the effect of per-
sonality little bit. The current be-
tween actor and audience is missing.
The player cannot feel his way to GER
He must consider the limitations Of the
camera. 1t is impossible for him to
lose himself in performance as an
actor on the stage may do. His work,
as we say, requires more thought, but
it also consumes less emotion 1t is
more largely a matter of rules and less
a matter of art. Perhaps that is why
persons can be trained to act for the
screen, while they must grow to act on
the stage.
We visited the Century Roof for a
second time few nights ago and
found it one Of the most delightful
midnight entertainments yet devised
1t has all the pace and spirit so neces
sary in a postscript performance We
took away this impression in spite of
the decidedly difficult condition under
which the performance was given. The
house seemed to be filled with mum
Der of strangely subdued gentlemen
from out of town. We were told that
they were members of the United States
Senate and House and that they had
come on to New York for the LOYALTY
Parade. All seemed unduly conscious
of the fact that they were public men
in public place. When a chorus girl
in the performance of her duty tried
to powder the nose of a Senator, he
lodged. Even the House members were
afraid to let other chorus girls read
their palms in a gypsy number In
deed, one member of the visiting dele
cation left the theatre because the
chief comedian began song entitled
ooh, What I Know About You!"
All our old favorites of burlesuue
and vaudeville and musical comedy
have been displaced by the Dooleys In
the realm Of purely physical funmak-
ing these young gentlemen of the roof
seem to be without rivu1s
Nelv Frolic Features
In carrying out his time-honored