The Washington herald., 1919-04-28
SUNDAY THEATER OPENINGS
Be,..,o-.D.r Hor-e..p

Beiaseo-sDar Horses.-
Editor notes-Mr. 8. Jay Kaufman,
Round the Towaer," for The New
York Glove. attended the premiere
at the Belaseo last night. Mr. knuf-
man. Inventor of the .one word''
sentence. was prevailed upon to
write the review. His generosity
paves the way for the treat below,
BY s. JAY KAUFMAN.
Just now in New York there arr
three successes OF first magnitude
Friendly Enemies" starring Louii
Mann and Sam Bernard. which hac
its premiere in Washington. ran fol
six months in Chicago. and titled
Uncle Sam Is beginning a run ir
London which will duplicate the
American success. East Is West
with Fay Banter is a la Peg o. My
Heart one OF those forever plays
The Woman in Room IT, is the
third The trinity authored by Samue
Shtpman. plus in each case = collao
Last night at the Belasco MI. Ship
mans latest-plus and inevitable
collab-was produced In the audiencs
among a host of the iNew York the
ater folk Mr.. Mann and Miss Banter
Dark Horses" the new play. Perciva
OF the famous family of managers. the
sponsor. Good things. so the story
books would have US believe. come IN
threes. Dark Horses says good
things may be fourth and still be IN
the money. A paradox? A contradic'
ton? A success of proportions.
A comedy of idea and ideals. THIS
of -the Boomerang" type. Danger
Gus to class a play Therefore add
quickly. of the type in general
sense only. Infinitely superior in
theme, in treatment and in interest
ital. A study in popular sociology
But comedy. Comedy throughout
Appeal universal The so-caIled
bighbrow (the man educated be-
yond his intelligent capacity will
FeveI. but will not see that it is a
justification of the so-called man in
the street who has ideals. of which
the world is full The man in the
street. l. C.. the sO-called lowbrow
1.-THE man who hates the highbrow)
who is a practical idealist Gdeals
founded always on the practical
will reyel. but will not see that II
is a justification of the sO-called
highbrow. Because each is set on
as against the other. In fashion
true. SO true it appears not as a
Tiay. Instead a slice of life. Which
it is. Slice after slice. The foibles
.the follies and the futures ot tinan-
Ciers, lawyers. engineers, musician:
and poets. Their ambitions. II
collegiate days. Their loves. Re
VoIving round a plan of real con
sequence and OF tremendous fas'
Cination.
No telling of the story tells it
And the telling Of any story means
il is doubtful as to whether one
should see it, If the story is wortf
while il should not be ruined by al
advance half telling. That in "Darl
Horses" quintet of Columbis
graduates agree to divide theil
earnings three years after gradua'
tion is nothing but the semi-pre'
mise. Its story you will learn fol
yourself. That 1t is easier to MAKE
a million than to live up to ones
ideaIs-or write one great line oI
poetry-is more than the story. I'll:
a theme. \ subject. An idea.
That much-abuSed word. And u
goes deep. Deep nOtwithstanding
that it is all laughter. Laughter
arising rather out Of character anc
situation built for th2 average the
atergoer. So that the failure viii
leave the theater sure that he is
success. and the success not so GER
tain that his is a success in this
comic old world
Last nights performance moved
somewhat slowly i'm spOtc- Jnlin
\ portant. And today's pruning WI
eliminate ten one or two trlNlalltlc'
that mar an otherwise work of Srea'
charm and power Happy combina
tion, when a comedy is the medium
An unusual cast. All leading men
All leading women. one butler. y
new trick in technique to do away witt
conventions. All youth. Ladies hrSt
Phoebe Foster of the exquisite beauty
of the growing understanding OF hel
art. Arriving. In a season she vii
have arrived-a Marjorie Rambeau II
val. Frances Underwood superb. Hi
the moods perfectly. Cathleen Nesolt'
a finished performance.
Edward Robinson proves that {
character man" can make love. RO'
land Young that little man car
marry the girl IN the end. Mckay
Morris that the Portmanteau Players
are a mine OF talent. Arthur Ashley
that pictures have no effect on SooC
acting
W. III. Gilmore staged the play. Mr.
Gilmore's record grows. The two set.
were uncommoHly well thought out By
Livingston PlatI Interiors as of life
as in the play.
Ozark Horses will be the subjec
of all sorts of puns. People are pun
ished for puns. You NAV find on
hereinbefore Let the others tell yo'
what we should like to tell you. but
for the nun OIL the word winner.