The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-01-26

hot IL tistSe. Inc women VINO 1alf VIC
Tins to his allurements arc a sad re-
Election on their race. They show
conception OF womanhood as old as the
character OF the Marquis. If he did
not establish the anachronism OF the
character they would. Mr.. Dtr!ch-
stems sltilful acting Of the role aids
the authors devotion to the revelation
OF type. All its bitter worldliness,
its sincere cynicism and above all its
real contempt for the honest things OF
life as well as for the names by which
they are called-these characteristics
are faithfully drawn in the actors por-
trayal Of what is after all more than
anything else tour dc force OF the
playwright's imagination. since this
medieval rake is a mastery concep-
ton, however remote he may seem
from life to-day. There IL, moreover.
one advantage in hearing the play In
English. The language Is. by the ne
cessities of translation. cast somewhat
more in the idiom Of the theatre than
Lavedan's verbose periods ever ara.
One also wonders where in q prod
uct so simple as 1.-The Better ole" re-
sides the power that makes It under
all conditions and with the most rari
Gus actors in Its leading role a success
SO irresistible that the public must
flock to hear It. Whether its attacks
be directed toward New York or Mon
treal. the event is the same. Big Bill
wins and the public throws up Its
| hands.
| The combination of music and SIM
pie fun, melodrama Of incomprehensi-
| bic naivete, dancing and Cockney life
\ has one engaging quality. There Is
pretty amateurishness about 1t all that
, has more than once won this public.
English producers have always cher
| ished this quality much more than our
own. who have been by way of rather
concentrating on broadway as the goal
OF every stage manager Of the musical
J plays Probably English appreciation
! Of the precious quality Of amateurish-
ness dates from the time that the Gil
! bert and Sullivan operas were In the
height of their popularity at the Savoy
/ Theatre. Then the choruses were said
( TO consist altogether OF clergymen's
!
uated into prima donnas. There per-
haps was the germ Of the apparent
amateurishness that George Edwardes
and his colleagues in musical comedies
always struggled so hard to retain
among their singers. Here Elisabeth
Marbury with her thin. STOPPING girls
and her thin. gentlemanly dancers was
more able than any Of her rivals to i'm
part this quality to q representation.
It Is present in the singers and
dancers OF 1.-THE Better ole" but one
falls TO detect q trace OF this quality
in Charles Coburn's acting as Big Bill
That is the creation OF true artist
There are many things that Mr.
Coburn as the "star'' might have al
lowed himself to do. Doubtless no END
OF fussy business which would have
exaggerated the Importance OF his role
must have suggested itself to him. HI
could readily have made himself more
important I'm the action than his two
associates.
But with the insight Of the artist Mr.
Coburn did nothing Of the kind. He
saw that Old BW painted with the
broad, firm strokes OF the artist was
certain to be vastly more entertaining
than any substitutes that the actor
mi.ht suggest. so the honesty snt
futllity, the stupidity and loyalty. the
seriousness and good humor-thest
traits of the Tommy are delineated by
Mr. Coburn with such truthfulness ant
realism AS to make him irresistibly
comic. 1t is not only delightful fur
that he provides. but the best kind
since II seems like nature unexagaer
ated. And then the actors art Is seei
at its highest. Were II not for the
others BIua Mr. Coburn.s performanc,