New-York tribune., 1919-01-07

Delightful Performance Given
by Miss Collingc in
s'TiiIic''
By Haywood Broun

"Tillie' is pleasant play and
Patricia collingc makes it glow. l That hat
IS the function of star, we believe.
but we have seen many a young one in
the last few seasons who felt herself
a moon or sun and fairly put an orbit
out Of joint IN the effort for efful-
gence. Miss Coliingc is easy, simple
and always keen. She never presses a
sentiment to the point where it splays
faf! OF aer success is. due to natural
equipment and the rest to a great and
growing knowledge of the art of acting
She is able. for instance, to suggest
tenderness very definitely. Ever so
few young players can do that. She
knows the difference between a smile
and a smirk. This wisdom entities her
to give a professional matinee for
practically every young female star in
America.
Miss Collinge is quick and true in
the play Of expression and of gesture.
The only possible flaw in her per
formance Is a. slightly precious quality
OF pronunciation which breaks through
now and again, even though she is
playing IN dialect. She is, as always.
lovely to look at, but she acts so de-
Ilghtfully IN her present role that her
iresn fairness seems no more than an
incident
''Tilie' is a slight play and somewhat
sluggish, but Miss Collinge never let's
1t fall. AS matter OF fact, the play
deserves to be kept up, for it has 4
hne quality and an engaging atmos-
phcre. We were moro than willing to
overlook somewhat preposterous plot
Tor the sake OF human characters and
true and humorous dialogue a little
observation of life is a marvellous
thing for q play. There is magic in
that. Helen L. Martin and Frank
Howe, jr., the authors, are able to
march straight toward great CULTS of
molasses only to have the viscid wa
ters roll back like the Red Sea. PLAY
and players march across, and nobody
IS a blt the dampcr for the danger.
VI Hiracies are easy for anybody who
brings bit of truth to the theatre.
"Tillle' is dramatization Of Miss
Helen Martins novel, "Tillic, a Men
monte Maid.' We have never met &
Mennonite. but these must be real folk.
Tor they seem human. and we have yet
10 see playwright who could create
any 1--we thing by an act of pure mag
NATION. H. is rather fortunate that
the theatre IS turning to the Men
nonites. as III "Erstwhle Susan" and
illlle.' 1t affords a way out o. a diff
IcultN. Americans have been able to
Io1eswear German beer and toys and
Sauerkraut and Wagner, but there is
no ender bitter enough not to mourn
the loss OF German dialect comedy
Everything is easy now Advertised as
the famous Mennonite comedians, there
ISN'T any reason why Weber and Fields
should not go back to their traditional
method of attack upon the English Ian
guage.
"rillie' tells the story of a Men
monte maid who loses faith in the
narrow views of her community
through her contact with a fasctinat-
ing young man from the outside world
IT is specified that lie is graduate Of
Harvard. which should suffice to ex-
plain everything But Titles loses not
only her faith, but her young man as
we'll, until late in the last act, when
he returns in time to save her from
marrying a crude young Pennsylvania
butchman. There is, of course, not
1nlch novelty in this. Nor yet in the
explanation that the young man is not a
poverty stricken school teacher. but a
young novelist seeking local color. On
the other hand, all the people Of the
play are definitely and fully drawn
The dialogue is fresh and charming
"Illlle" proves that a play may be
wholesome without being irritating as
well.
John W Ransome givds a capital
performance as q country doctor 1t is
q performance which grows upon the
audience as the play progresses. 1t is
distinct achievement Good work is
done, also, by Alfred Kappeler, Mildred
Booth, Adolf Link and Maude Granger
Robert Hudson as the hero is pleasing
TO the eye and generally effective
but he suffers a bit from sclf-con-