The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-10-03
WEATHER HAS STAR
ROLE IN THE STORM
Sends Snow, Fans D Fire and
Brings Spring in Develop
ment Of Love Story.
NEW PLAY is SUCCESS
Helen MacKellar Maks an Al
Turing Heroine in 48th st.
Theatre Production.
NEW PLAY Is SUCCESS
"The storm"--At the Forty-eighth
street Theatre.

The weather Is important in THE
Storm" which was seen at the Forty
eighth Street Theatre last night. In
deed without It's occasional changes
very violent and trying changes they
were too-it is not easy to see how the
play could ever have occurred to Lang
don Mccormick. The first act, which
passed outside the hut OF a dweller In
the forest, was marked by a snowstorm
so violent as to shut up three persons
together in the cabin. They were there
during the second act while the cold
weather was slowly passing into spring.
It was the arrival of this season which
brought about the great forest fire that
led to the final separation of the trio.
There was another act which, being on
the day following the fire. remained in
the springtime IL is scarcely possible
therefore to conceive of The Storm
without the exciting variations In tenn
perature which accompanied the progress
of the love story.
1t happened that the snowstorm i'm
prisoned two men with girl that only
one of them loved at first. Later the
men grew to hate each other in proper
ton to the increasing passion they felt
for the woman. Thus were the dwell
ers inside the cabin not unaffected by the
atmospheric phenomena that dominated
the fou- acts.
Hard Position. for the Girl.
1T might be added that the position of
the beloved between these two was not
equally enviable. since one was lover
OF the kind who wanted what he wanted
when he wanted it: the other was
man of honor although rugged in its ex-
preston 1t was the lot of the woman
in such manner wooed and in such man
ner won, to keep the peace as well as
she could between suitors at such close
range and so near the quarry with no
chance of escape on any side. They
were In the 'primeval forest" OF north
western Canada. Here blew Mr.. NC
Cormick's snowstorm. which was some
what less exciting than might have been
expected, and here cracked his forest
fire, which is accounted among the most
effective of tire similar stage spectacles
that he has devised.
But the struggle between the two men
for the woman was more engrossing
than any such incidental thrills. Her
own heart was not able to decide def
nitely which of the two she loved or
rather loved more. since she was inclined
toward both. The sophisticated English
man knew how to make the Westerner
ridiculous when he gave him hard words
to SPELL He would play the guitar. too,
while the girl, French Canadian whose
wounded father had sought shelter there
from the border police and died or MS
wound, sang in her patois and danced
l,fo nd of brow.
But this lover sought her-in her room
while she slept and only her petitions
kept the other, who had come to her
rescue, from killing him before her eyes
The two men dealt the cards to see
which should undertake the trip to Call
gary, at that season certain death; but
the girl would not let them go nor could
she even write down the name Of the one
she desired to stay. Then the forest fire
came This awakened the Englishman
to the thought that the girl was for the
other rather than for him. So these two
were finally left together.
An AIIuring Heroine.
The interest in the struggles of these
three was remarkably we'll sustained in
view of the static character of the play,
which was altogether confined to the
three snowbound characters. When the
scenes have been somewhat abridged,
the audience will be even more in sus-
pense, for abe author has in reality
m aintained a considerable degree of un-
certainty as to the final outcome OF
this singular wooing,
Helen MacKellar, who played the
heroine alluringly and with the variety
that showed resourceful artist, talked
r. her patois la Nagimova, but
succeeded in acting only like herself,
which was another merit in her per-
Torrance. Edward Arnold acted the
Western lover with simple force and
genuine humor. Robert Rendle was ad-
mirable as the less scrupulous of the
two, for in spite of his manner of go
ing after the prize. he still contriVed to
retain some degree of dignity. So the
acting of the three was helpful to the
authors purpose.
Then there was the weather. which
was remarkably well looked after When
there was no spectacular 'outburst like
the -snowstorm or the burning woods,
there were trees shaking in the wind
and whistling gales.
SO there was constant interest for