New-York tribune., 1919-04-11
Drama
wo Barrymores Seen in the
First Performance of
The Jest"
BY Haywood Broun

sem Benefits play, "The Jest which
was produced at the Plymouth Theatre
on Wednesday. is quite the most robust
and full-blooded romance which our
stage has seen in many day. And yet
1t Is not merely slashng chronicle of
flaming vengeance Combined with an
enormous amount of vivid physical ac-
tion is good deal of searching and
subtle Characterization. If the play
must be set into some pigeon hole of
classification at least two words are
needed. 1t is not exactly melodrama
nor yet tragedy, but rather tragi-melo-
drama or melo-trag gedy as you will
Such union of mood and treatment
is unusual. 1t is difficult. Last night
1T was not always successful. Three Of
the tour acts are constantly thrilling,
but the third act, in spite of two or
three incidents which are among the
most striking of the play, is decidedly
dull. Fortunately, the dull patch in
the play comes after two enormously
exciting acts, and the fourth Wct. even
after the let down, is able to pick up
the interest again in telling fashion. 1t
Is not difficult to explain Just why the
greater part of "The Jest affords such
remarkable evening in the theatre.
John and Lionel Barrymore in the chief
roles give glorious performances Gilda
Naresl in a smaller part is equally sue
cessful. The settings of Robert Ed
mona Jones are among the best-oh,
lets not be cautious--the best he has
ever done, and set new mark for
America In scenic art. The stage di-
rectlon of Arthur Hopkins always is
skllful and highly imaginative. The
English adaptation Is written in vigor-
Gus and colorful prose- and the action
includes swagger, hate, struggle, love
and murder in the most engaging guam
titles and the brightest colors.
The difficulty in gauging the worth of
the play lies in explaining the palpable
let down of the third act. 1t was due
IN part to the extreme length of the
act. Even good act can lose an audi
ence In time. In part the trouble was
merely the first night flaw of one of
those sudden fits of nervousness which
seize upon the most experienced of
players. And this may have been due
to an equally sudden fit of coughing
which plagued the audience However,
1t would hardly be fair to set this down
rs merely a first night incident. The
coughers always are with US. But be-
yond all this Benefit has attempted the
impossible in the third act in suddenly
switching the emphasis from what his
people arc doing to what they are
thinking about. Instead Of buffetinr
each other about and shouting great
oaths and making violent love they be-
gan to peer into their souls and pour
them out. Much of this self-analysis is
interesting and eloquent, although some
ol 1t IS hardly clear enough for thcatri-
cal purposes. But with all the clo-
quencc in the world 1t is hard TO pull
an audience up from tho mood in which
1T watches action to the much more
alert condition in which it will listen
lntently to subtle psychologizing
good fight or a first class seduc-
tion invariably breeds the desire in an
audience for more lighting and more
seduclng Certainly there is no lack
of either in the Benelli play both be-
fore and after the third act nterlude.
IN which there is sackening for the
sake Of taking thought. John does the
seducing and Lionel the fighting, and
both are admirable. Lionel has the
easier and more snowy part. and he
certainly loses no opportunity. We
don't remember ever having seen q bet
ter performance of swashbuckling
role. Everything that Lionel did served
to build up the impression of man
Of infinite strength, infinite courage,
and Infinite buster. The role of the
young painter portrayed by John Bar
rymore is more subtle. 1t is a splendid
drawing Of man whose emotions are
basically as strong as those Of his
rival, but apparently dwarfed because
they are so much more highly sensi-
tized and because they are compro-
missed with cowardice We have man
who finds fear such powerful emo
ton that it is ecstatic
All this John Barrymore indicated
with very finely shaded acting He
was at his best, perhaps, in the love
scene, in which he managed to convey
every shade Of compound Of subtle
emotions and yet lose nothing of big
sweep of passion.
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