The Washington times., 1919-03-24
RELAsCO.

Guernon. Staged by Lawrence Mar.
| ston
Gina Ashling ................A Alma Tell
F., henneth Ashling =. Gordon Morris
suitors OF olhs- :; ~
Louis Anth0ny Harry D. Southland
1 Eeter J1ason, ..-s..'...- Harold Heatsn
Robert GeFtng. hudson LtanEll
PASlo sAlTe. :. --s.:. William BOnnslli
Mar'o 4a5ereni
Anyone who witnessed the premiere
in this city last night Of The Eyes
or Youth can. readily understand
Why IL made such phenomenal sue
cess in New York.
Decidedly, IL Is unusual.
Not the basic idsa Of the plot; per.
hspS, but certainly it's treatment 1t
Is q remarkable mixture Of comedy
and drams-the latter element some
times reaching the point of meIo-
1 drama.
The story hes to do with the prob
len OF. aNyoung, up.NeW York State
girl, Gina AshlinG, who is called
upon to decide irevocably her 1ife's
career 1t hardly q moments notice.
She has just finished singing for
j an -ifnpresario, Paola Saiyo, who Of
] iers TO educate her In Paris and put
her in opera, and her three suIto5s
have all proposed, when her father
makes an instant decision necessary
| BY telling her that he has been
ruined, and that she must put a hand
TO the wheel Incidentally, he op-
poses an operatic career, and wishes
her to wed 'GoFing. who is wealthy.
Anthony also wishes her to Danish
thoughts OF the stage, and wait for
MIN Judson, who is an engineer, Is
leaving Tor South America, and must
49, -
OPPORTUNITY, . Hindu yogi, enters
and offers her the use of a mystic
crystal, into which she can gaze and
see into her future in each Of three
contingencies. =
First, she sees what would happen
II. she accented Anthony's plea 70
wait for him, staying at home, and
the scene shifts 70 a schoolroom.
Gina, noticeably aged by 1--WE years
or disappointment, is telling the chill
dren that she has just been dismissed
oy the school trustees because her
methods are too old-fashioned. After
her charges leave her. sister, Rita.
enters, anu tells her'that she has Just
accepted Anthony. Gina. i9>reproaeh-
ing Anthony fer his faithleSsness.
fails to better her own conditIoi--
merely winning his and her sisters
hatred for interfering. Her brother
kenneth, failure, adds to Gina's
misery by approaching her for not
having married Goring, and the emf
soae ends With her hooking at the
idea Of duty.
When the scene returns TO the Ash
ling home and Anthony comes In to
ask her 70 teach while she waits
tor him, she REFUSES him, and turns
20 the crystal again to find what
VII happen IL she accepts the inprs.
carlos offer, S
This episode finds her in the dress
ing room Of an opera house in Paris,
where. Salvo and the house manager
are raving because she, now a priFla
donna, has not yet put in an appear
Gina enters, slightly drunk and
extremely and vulgarly Temperament
tai She. refuses to sing. because, an
understudy has been put in opposite
Der Her brother tries to persuade
her to be reasonable, and in the re-
sultiHg scene learns that his sister
pays only for her gowns with her
salary and uses "other resources" to
support the family. He learns that
Salyo had hrst led her astFay and
When Gina's CONSEQUENCES returns
salvo tries to win her con- |
espt. to go abroad, and she Is |
nearly persuaded to disregard the |
cFystaIs warning, when her brother, |
learning OF the plan. warns SaIvo
that II anything happens to his Sis |
ter he will kill him. Gina remem- |
bers and refuses to go. Then she |
turns to the crystal for the third |
time and asks her future in the event |
she marries GoFinE,
The, INST of the following episodes
is In judges chambers, where the 1
hnal proceedings Of a framed-up d. /
Yoree suit against her are being held /
Her reputation ruined BIZ perjured /
testimony, Gina is divorced, and the
scene changes to the front of Rec
tors, two years later. 49,.
Gina, npF a uIockeFy. of her former
self. her mind and body wrecked by
drugs. has. come to. rail at the wotn-
ga VINO depend on a mans whim
shether their lives Of luxury shall
continue or whether they shall sink
TO her level OF degradation. Hudson
returned from South America. rich
md distinguished. finds her and or
,ers to try to rehabilitate her and
marry her, but she tells him II Is too
ate.
For the last time the scene returns
o Gina's home, where she repuIses
IoTtng's advances.
All Of her glimpses into the future
have proven unhappy.
.Inere Is but one contingency that
She has not investigated. But there
ies the way Of love-which she
knows without gazing into a CRYSTAL.
ina the curtain falls as she rusbes
nto Judson's arms with Peter. don't
7ou ever leave me-"