The Washington herald., 1919-01-27
BelaSco-'sGood Morning, Judge"
By EARLE DORSEY.

The musicalized version of Sir Ar
thur Wing Pinero's farce. THE
Magistrate" which was given its
American premiere at the Belasco
last night, represents a concrete prob
lem in foreign exchange-the foreign
exchange of stage currency.
For almost three hours last night
we sat and watched a huge musical
comedy cast attempt to purchase
laughs with an unfamiliar or English
medium of exchange. For one long
act and a scene we witnessed the ef-
fort of cast and an audience to
barter and trade in a currency that
was familiar to neither. Toward the
end there was a brisk bit of trading
but it was only accomplished when
the stage began to offer basic humor
the humor of situation-rather than
the humor of dialogue. Here, for a
fleeting space. audience and actors
understood one another, but this un-
derstanding only came about when
the stage began offering a universal
medium-the humor that arises from
situation-the medium that makes a
custard- pie comedy as funny in
China as it is in Chillicothe.
Which forces one to observe that
the producers of Good Morning.
Judge" If they care to score a sue
cess with their adaptation. had bet
ter go to the money-changers and
transmute their English comedy or
speech. idiom and diologue into good
old solid American argot-the kind
of talk an American audience can
understand and appreciate. That
major change. we believe, will pre-
serve Good Morning. Judge" from
the storehouse. but the storehouse
yawns, We predict. If the change is
not made and in haste.
Aside from the inability OF last
nights Belasco audience to see the
slightest humor in dialogue that
would quite convulse Piccadilly,
Good Morning. Judge" is not half
bad stuff. 1t has q sort of Century
Magazine class and atmosphere. its
music is racy and ripping and stops
! Just short OF jazz; 1t lis not badly
handled by the present cast and on
the whole. it is built upon a founda-
ton that is really intrinsically
funny.
The Pinero farce. THE Magistrate, -
which serves as the groundwork for
the piece, Is downright basic and
workmanlike in its comic possibilities.
A woman is left a widow at the deli
cate age" of Is. Through respect
for a new suitor. she reduces her
age to 81 and marries him. Her boy
by the first marriage. though is u
problem. His age is II, to hear his
mother tell it, though he naturally
manifests the tendencies OF II. To
forestall complications, the mother
seeks out the boys godfather at a
cabaret palace to warn htn of her
little deception, ere godfather comes
to dinner at her husbands 5 home. The
supposed youth of Il, in the mean
time. leads his NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
to the same resort. where they stage
quite a little toot without knowing
mothers there. The police raid the
resort, the magistrate and his step
son escape. and in the morning the
magistrate, much the worse for wear.
passes judgment OF seven days in Jail
on his wife and three friends because
they plead guilty and because no
didn't go through the formality of first
looking them over. In the end a fell
low magistrate sets aside the verdict
and the whole matter Is adjusted.
There arc really humorous possibiIi-
Alto III Il A'LDA VI NifAA lithNtil 2 anu II 10
likely the Shuberts will see the wis
dom OF changing their theatrical cur
rency by adapting the book to Amer
lean life and the dialogue to American
ears. At last nights performance,
the piece perilously approached a
breakdown. They stopped the action
in the final stages TO allow Mollie
King to throw In a dash Of hokum
with a few impersOnations.
With reference to Miss King, one
wonders what part she plays. The
program bills her as Joy Chatter
ton. flapper," and SO far as we can
see, she had no other reason for ap-
pearing. None of the action nor OF
the dialogue depends upon her. anu
one feels that she was thrown into
the piece even more bodily than
Adelaide and Hughes were thrown
into Mr.. Cohan's late Royal Naga-
bond" 1t mustn't, however, be In
ferred that Mollie could be easily
spared as the new comedy stands.