New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-09-03
By Haywood Broun

By Haywood Broun
successful dramatization of Booth
Tarkingtons "Penrod" stories was pre-
sented at the Globe Theatre last night
Edward (. Rose, who made the adapta-
ton, has done a good job. We don't
mean to imply that nothing has been
lost IN transferring the material to the
stage. Rose was under the necessity OF
inning a pot TO carry him through the
evening. The early "Penrod" sores
were almost entirely disconnected, and
SO recourse was had to the series IN
"htc.i re.rod e.ays detective.
These stories were not as homely and
true as me INST OF the set. 4uey were
much more highly tctionalized, and in
dramaJlzlng tnem product still more
hlgnIy colored is oblalned. However,
contact with life is by no means lost,
and a coherent and straightaway story
of dramatic interest is OBTAINED. the
adaptor has wisely resisted the tempta-
ton OF working IN various Penrod IN
cluen.S tor Their own SAKE. IN thlS
respect the dramatlzaton is a better
job than Seventeen" There is pract.-
cally no irrelevant matter.
But "Penrod' is not quite as good an
entertainment as the pay about puppy
love. The difference lies largely IN the
performance. There Is no getting
around the fact that actors get better
as they grow older. With rare excep-
lions child is not able to sustain p
performance throughout an evening no
matter how good he may be in single
scene. The burden OF "Penrod" fails
largely on children and there are times
when one misses the greater variety
which one would get from the acting
of adults. FlexlblIity is lacking. On
the other hand it should be admitted
that the last act is the best Of the
Rose has done spIcuously his bes,
work.
Andrew Lawlor is Penrod. He is
good in spite of his rather too evident
self-possession. and yet he is not quite
the type which we had pictured as
Penrod. We would have had him a
little sturdier. In spite of his violent
objections to the phrase, "little gentle
man. was not altogether amiss wAen
addressed to. him. Sam Williams was
closer to our ideal of the character.
Richard Ross gave an engaging per-
Torrance in this role. particularly in
the last act Although he was only a
"sistant" in the detective agency it
Penrod. However, that is supposition.
Best of all the boys was Verman. A
very small negro named Charles Whit
field played this part and he was most
convincingly tonguetied. Thomas Nc
cam was also a good Herman. The
colored boys made a slightly better I'M
preston than their white companions
but they did not face anything like SO
hard a test, as they were used much
more sparingly.
The play is not exclusively devoted to
children. Edmund Elton is Periods
father and gets good deal out Of the
part, even if he does overact at times.
Catherine Emmett was excellent as Pen
rods mother. We understand that Miss
Emmett is the great -granddangh-
ter of Betsy Ross. We trust she is
drawing her rightful royalties from
the two dozen war plays in town.
There is something of suggestion of
Seventeen" in the scenes between
Robert Williams and Margaret scho
field. In the first place, Harrington
has had another delightful spree with
puppy love in the creation of these
characters. and Paul Kelly, who played
William Sylvanus Baxter at the Booth
for time, has brought over a good
many gestures, intonat!ons and man.
nersms from that part. It's a good
performance at that, and Helen Hayes
is pretty and attractive Margaret.
"Penrod' is refreshing and novel ma
terial for the stage. 1t would be a
better play if it came stra ght to tn )
theatre rather than through a transla-
ton from short stories. But even I'M
der the handicap of this process it has
more observation Of life than at least
10 per cent of the plays which come
this Way IN q season
"Sinbad" has returned To town for
an engagement at the Century Theatre.
Al Joson is rather more planet than
star of the organization, as practically
all the entertainment revolves around
him No comedian of the musical
shows so closely approximates what the
posite of the various elements which go
to make up a score of entertainers. He
is too popular to be altogether an
artist, and likewise too popular to be
dull even when his work is not top
notch.
He is striking chiefly for the enor-
nous vitality of his work. He can ride
4 song or joke or a bit of business
and fairly whip it into favor AS if he
were jockey in a stake race. IN spite
of the fact that he works at top pres
sure his energy is so terrific that the
effort is not particularly noticeable
His natural equipment includes voice
which makes up for whatever it may
lack in quality by the fact that it is
Perfectly placed. At times Jolson is
undeniably vulgar. But at such times
he is also amusing. After all, if the
popular theatrical taste all over the
world is vulgar. and it probably is (see
Clayton Hamilton and the theory of
mob psychology, it is just as we'll
that the vulgar things which it likes
should be done we'll. Al Jolson amply
satisfies this requirement.
Mrs. Hartman to Speak
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