The sun., 1919-10-21
HUMOR OF PLAY IS
NOT ALL IN TITLE
.on the Hiring Line" in the
Criterion. Claims Many
Virtues.
MAKES 4 STRONG FINISH
raura hope jrews Delight
fully Natural and Others
of Cast Please.
MAKES A STRONG FINISH
IN, the Hiring Line"--At the Criterion
Theatre.

Does It irritate you ever so signify
., And a pun in the title of play?
Mas II seem as If the dramatist was so
.,gar TO be funny that he couldn't wait
,.,l ,be time came? He wants to give
%, dig in the ribs while you are
talking into the theatre out of the full
,.ss of his supply Of humor. Yet often
here is nothing about the play halt 20
s,rrv az he thinks. Sometimes the only
.r,ggestion of fun that remains is the
,nslancholy little pun in tht title. How
shopt THE Marriage Not" and THE
bridal PATH? II took all the humor in
the authors of those pieces to think out
,bat little wheeze in the title. After
that they were as fat as punctured tires.
.On the Hiring ine' by Harvey OHig-
Gins and Harris L. Ford. had its little
ioke in its name because ii dealt with
feryants. Maybe that problem Is little
100 poignant to seem in these days
subject for comic treatment. In order
10 rob the story of none of its horrors
,he scene of ION the Hiring Line" is
aid in the country. There were other
COMPLICATIONS last night. Actors, for
Instance, were one of the causes OF
trouble. They brought the detectives
from whom ultimately came the SER
wants with healing in their wings.
The story of the Play.
IN point of fact the woman in the
play happened to be averse to living in
New Jersey or anywhere else in the
country with her prosperous husband
50 she really gloried in the ancillary
deficiencies of their tablishment. She
liked town, and not only because she had
been an actress accustomed to the lights
and gayety but from a detestation OF the
country. The arrival of an old admirer
from her former profession made Jealous
her husband There were detectives
brought in Disguised as servants they
rouid cook and serve, tHSse two. They
not only safeguarded the honor of the
household but kept the family in com
fort As they are by nature suspicious
their revelations of imaginary irregu-
larities so upset the master of the house
as to interfere with his happiness. Yet
st the end Of the play. when 1t is proved
that there was really no ground for sus'
picion anywhere, these two remain as
servants willing to keep in their places
There was no further necessity of sucf
frequent visits to the hiring line.
Humor of the Speeches.
The fun of ION the Hiring Line" dix
rot reside altogether in the title. al
though one got the impression of q
athei logged intention on the part OF
he authors tr be witty or die in th'
attempt This expressed itself some
times in spontaneous, crisp phrases,
others in rather laboriously composed
sentences Just in the degree that thel
related to the situation of the character
were they entertaining. Uneven II
quality as the play was. ranging iron
the tedium Of tie first act to the really
excellent fun at the close OF the second
1t had some genuinely humorous touches
although its improbability must Away
have proved drawback to the enjoy
r1ent Of any audience.
II is singular that an experienced man
ager such as George Tyler, VINO pre-
ssnted the farce, has not learned tina
nothing has as little interest for an au
dence as the presence OF actors In
play, that no talk Is so destitute
amusement for an audience as joke
about the actor and his occupation an
that there is no element that so quick
inparts artifciality to a drama-unles
il be altogether OF stage life. Most c
all are they out OF place In play this
treats Of domestic life. Then nothin
must be as easy to the authors as stag
Jokes
The Acting of the Company.
Laura Hope Crews, who is always
delightful comedlenne when she does nj
abandon herself to her affectations. wa
natural last night, and therefore
source OF constant pleasure to the aud
ence. Nina Gimbell has not only a.
CURED an additional "l' in her name b'
greater authority and charm. Viva
Tobin OF that gifted ilk played 81
prettily, while Josephine Hall, who yea
ago on the same stage used TO celebra
her triumphs in La Dame de Chez Ma,
in" was the comic wife of the detecti'
who could also cook so well. Sidney Tol
was irresistibly funny in a solemn Wa
"a the detective. Cyril Scott play
with his usual polite vivacity as d
husband and others in the exce'le
coIle1tHyn Of comedians were John B'ai
Robert Hudson and Donald Gallaher.