The Washington herald., 1919-11-11
Last Night at Theaters

a. the Oriental. She 10 q creature OF
smiles and, shy giances and strang-
ing fingers; not the creature of fre
4 nd ice she was In Tiger Rose"
Edmund Lowe. her leading man.
grows better with each succeeding e.
fort. We first saw him In that Hat
ton outrage. The Walk-O Offs." He
could hardly escape the influence Of
the vehicle and he, too. was terrible.
He vas vastly better in Claiming Pol
locks Roads OF Destiny" but he still
lacked schooling In restraint. This
schooling he has gained at the Belasco
school and he stands forth In THE
Son-Daughter' as a figure OF force
that 10 modulated but unmistakable.
Harry Mestayer. In a character role
that combines comedy and viIlainy,
probably has the finest role OF his
young life. And he backs II with q
performances that IL also probably his
best. Mestayer's Chinese gambler IL
q guIleful cresture. Saping American
habits, wearing semi-American
costume; In fact. q sort of Q Chipa-
town social climber. Later I'm the
action, he drops back in the schem-
ing. conscienceiess. immoral atrno-
sphere Of the East. the man to whom
blood means nothing and whose pri-
vate man-trap to an underground
sewer-Oh, Al Woods Of other days!-
causes him never q sleepless moment.
His viiiainy Is almost ingenious. It
Is 50 dispasstonate.
The rest Of the cast IL very large
too large to enumerats - but its
members are trained with q vast at
tention to individual detail that ex-
empts them from blame. II their
numbers exempt them from praise.
shasert-GarYick-awhen q Mars q
Man,
How q city-bred weakiing accii-
mates himself to sixty-three north.
beyond which the laws of Deity and
man get all gummed up. according
to Rudyard Kipling. is told e. in
when q Mans a Man." playing the
Shubert- -Garrick this week.
And for two whole acts we must
give the authors credit for writing
stun that thrills and lives and
moves. Their layout is great -
swift as a flame in impulse and act.
a good lover and an even better
hater; Louis. her husband. the
blonde haired Vermont boy. loyal
and fne, but feeling only aversion
for the primal crueltses and savage
justice OF the wilds. and John St.
John. the habitant. 1.-the as a tim
her wolf and as keen on his prey
woman. Here is the material for a
Northland drama, where moral cour-
age should meet the bridleless pas
sions Af the land where trails cease.
But the authors didn't see II like
that. at all. Louis is driven trresis-
tibiy into the soiled tangie OF human
emotions that fills the log shacks
buried m the driving whirls of the
blizzard and when we see him
standing above the body of that
votary OF amours. st. John, he.
somehow, seems more of a weak
ling that ever and the murder but
an anti-climax. His ideals have
failed him and the dark powers
of the frost sealed land leer as he
clasps his wife to him. The writers
of the play seem to overlook the
fact that although they make
Marie say her man must be
stronger than her. that the final
act of homicide marks her COM
plete domination of him. his COM
plete yielding to her idea of re-
venge. her conception of q coward.
Besides. this brazen. love-stealing.
hot-eyed voyageur OF a John St.
John has edged his way into our
astonished liking and it seems a
little abrupt to dispose OF him with
a few inches of frosty steel in the
space of six tecond Of furniture
breaking
Pauline Lord. in the role OF Marie. Is
perfect. That Is a large statement but
We stand by II. She is right in her
part every inch Of the way and makes
the little snow-leopard of the Domin-
ion something to remember. Her swift.
low. vivid accents coiored with Gallo
vocalization and quick tricks of move
ment leave nothing worth mentioning
to be wished in characterization. Prac-
tically as much may be said for
Macy Harlan as the incorrigible
lady-annexer. st. John. playing the
great game of love recklessly and