Evening star., 1918-04-23
ADJUSTMENTS
Polls.

The grim old iron saurian that has
been 1umhAring over gullies ana chew
| ing down trees has been the really big
show in Washington this week. 1t held
guard over the portals Of Polls The
| ater last night. where a theatrical dem
onstration was given in keeping with
| the appeals of the members of the lib
erty loan committee, who were using
the war tank as a station from which
to recruit patriotic dollars. The au-
dience that flied past the tank, some-
times little reluctant to forsake Its
destinations, was one whose equal for
enthusiasm and personnel the theater
has not seen in many a day. Indoors
| the Holbrook Blinn-Blanch Bates DEM
onstratfon made its appeal in way
that should send many of us back to
| that old tank in a something more than
idle curiosity.
The announcement of players so emf
nent as Blanche Bates and Holbrook
something extraordinary in a dramatic
way. AS matter of drama. Getting
Together" makes no assumptions. 1t is
a panorama of events illustrating the
this country to his trench service in
France. The series of striking incl
dents have an air of straightforward,
reportorial truthfulness which more
than compensate for any lack of ar
tifice on the matters of climax and
suspense. 1t is not a story Of emotion
alities that concentrate attention on
hero and heroine The actor registers
no arbitrary claims TO the center OF
the stage. and the audience follows
with close interest the experiences and
impressions of the men who go to fight.
Many well known names beside those
of Miss Bates and Mr.. Blinn are asso-
ciated with the enterprise. Ian Hay
" mo- sale lr
lecturer. ]. Hartley Manners has been
brought to attention on many dramatic
programs. and Percival Knight has been
so well liked as comedian that it is
touches Of comedy relief which punctu-
ate the dialogue. Songs ranging from
ballad to topical ditty are Introduced
by Lieut.. Gitz Rice. They have the
mark of the genuine, and are the more
appealing and entertaining because the
der which they were actually composed.
The production Is under the auspices
|of the Brftish-Canadian recruiting
mission and has the cooperation of the
Act shows the drawing room Of Mrs.
Palmer. 1t sets i'm motion the slender
story whose moral is that in order to
be worthy of good woman a man
must be good soldier. The world still
loves lover. but first of all he must
love his country. The actors apply their
best talents to the scenes in which they
figure, and in superficial attention may
easily miss the credit that lis their due
for giving artistic foundation to
series Of fine. massive ensemble effects
The second part of act / shows a re-
cruiting station, with Lieut.. Gitz Rice
at the piano. helping along the enthu-
siasm by his simple, spontaneous songs
The supernumerary crowd of side
walk spectators makes rst-rate
chorus, and there are doubtless mem
bers of the audience who felt the i'm
pulse to go along with the boys who
answered the call The stage settings
through the remainder Of the presen-
tation had wonderful spectacular effect
and at the same time convincing fidel-
1ty to detail. The trench fantasy in
which the shadow of death hoyers over
Christmas in the trenches was a touch
Of poetry. serious enough, but handled
with delicate discretion. The scene
representing the fight-hungry lads go-
ing over the top was a MASTERPIECES of
Illusion, and seemed to afford glimpse
Of actual warfare.
Appropriate curtain addresses were
made and the audience was so closely
in sympathy with the players and
their theme that they became almost
part Of the performance itself. The
heart interest was strong; but it was
the interest Of the heart that beats in
rhythm with the drums.