The sun., 1918-12-03
HAS EMOTIONAL POWER
Her Voice Is Rich and Deep
and Beauty Sets Off
Her Talents.
betty nc Bay"--At the Thirty ninth
atrecf Thc,fre

TO the SlSternO0u OF young HCIesSeS
who are chosen to charm New York
theatregoers there wes added last
night Doris Rankin. whom John d.
Williams and Walter Hast presented
in Betty at Bay" This new English
play by Jessie Porter was acted at the
Thirty-ninth Street Theatre after
what is said to have been a period Of
long popularity in London. Its scenes
are laid in Kensington Gardens and in
an English country house and the time
of the three acts and prologue Is the
present, which Is to say that the re-
cent war is not without its influence
on the story.
Indeed the young heroine's final ad-
justment TO happiness in the affairs OF
this world is brought about by the re-
turn OF her soldier husband, who was
thought to be dead. She made his ac-
quaintance while playing with her
charges about the statue OF Peter Pan
in London park. Her instinct for
mothering all she met led her to SYM
pathize with him just as she did for
| tend mother" They were both In love
when she learned that his father, the
irascible and proud parent so often
lurking about in English plays, would
not be in the least satisfied with her
| for daughter-in-law.
sunshine in the House.
But she courageously goes 20 his
home. stays there until his bad temper
there is the same sort of a temper
| in the same sort of British father D
block or two up town at the Comedy
| Theatre-threatens to drive her out.
! But in the end this father-in-law can
not bear to have Bcttp so since she
| has. az the phrase goes, brought 50
much sunshine into the house. More
sunshine comes along with the BABY
! and more still with the happy father
since the repor-t Of his death had been
1 like so many in contemporaneous Eng
/ fish fiction. an exaggeration.
! Doris Rankin proved n most vel
como addition to the number of New
York's actresses Her dark eyes and
! hair, her delicate oval face and her
| slim, graceful figure make her beauty
unusual in its freshness. She is known
! only for her appearance hitherto witt
her husband, Lionel Barrymore. IT
J The Copperhead."
/ She is by no means finished actress
| as yet and In comedy scenes controls
, but little of the technical resources OF
! her art. But she is keenly intelligent
| and when there is the least demand
| for the expression of deeper feelings
! her uncommon talent IS revealed.
! Her Emotional Power.
The actress has genuine emotional
! power and Is able by the simplest and
most natural means to move her heai
! ors profoundly. as she did ~ the close
3 Of the second act Of Betty Al Bay
: last night. Indeed. a more promising
talent has not been recently revealed
on the local stage and her future seems
. destined TO he brilliant.
/ Apart from her beauty there is un-
! deniahle charm in the naturalness OF
hog manner. Her voice. which is rich
/ and deep. is intended for the proclaim
tion oc the moro serious passions. not
! for the chatter of the earlier scenes
/ in Miss Porter's play.
4 While the drama drew its chief IN
. terest and nearly all it's importance
| from Miss Rankin's appearance there
! was some excellent playing from heI
associates. Charles Stevenson as the
inevitable family lawyer acted with
humnr and suavity and there was Il,
: lack OF dignity in the head Of the fam
: lily as he was portrayed by j. II
Barnes, who has appeared before sew.
eral generations of American theatre
goers. Allison Skipworth and Maut
I Andrew added 10 the authoress's fun
! It may be that the cooperation of al
/ these artists will succeed In impartinL
to tho public an interest in Betty a
/ Bay which is best in It's serious min.
utes.