The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-09-13
"SCANDAL"
A Lively Play That lust Avoids
Breaking Through Thin Ice.


Sutherland York go. Ralph Norman
Major Barnet Thatcher ........
.... ........ Charles Guthrie
Pewsey ................ Dolph Ryan
! Mrs. Henry Vanderdyke .......
......... Adele McClellen
Miss Honoria Vanderdyke $50.
! .......... Carrie Reynolds Smith
| Mrs. Brown ......... Virginia Stuart
| Regina Warehouse ...........
| ............. Virginia Marseillus
| Helene ............. Irene Landee
] Beatrix Vanderdyke ............
| .................. Dorothy Phillips
Synopsis of Scenes.
| Act I-York's studio in New York.
9:45 p. m.
Act II-Beatrix's bedroom in the
Vanderdyke country house-the same
/ night.
| Act III-Franklyns house in Con.
necticut-a month later.
| The audience which witnessed the
presentation Of Scandal at the
Grand last evening furnished almost
AS interesting a problem as Cosmo
Hamilton's play that was being gone
through by actors behind the foot
lights. Evidently the audience ex-
pected something to happen on the
| stage that would shock sensibilities
beyond anything heretofore shown
| at dramatic performance in Keo-
kuk. That other play by Mr.. Hamil-
] ton, 1.-THE Virtue of Innocence" was
recalled, as was Fair and Warmer
but each time the expectant ones
| sat forward on the edges or thelr
! chairs the actors metaphorlcally
| turned a corner, or Mr.. Hamilton did
or the play did-and all the proprie-
| ties were observed. Scandal" de-
spite the attempt somewhere else to
i put it in the class of bawdy plays
that should not be witnessed by
| those who wish to be considered
straightkneed and straightlaced, is
lively and entertaining comedy that,
strange to say, conveys lesson
addressed to parents" : and their
eighteen or twenty-year-old daugb-
ters. 1t unfolds the story of wilful,
! tempestuous girl, who seeks diver
sion in midnight visits to rascally
artists studio and is caught at it by
! her patrician family. On the spur OF
| the moment she calls in an acquaint-
ance from his apartment across the
hall and introduces him as her hus-
band, acquired by way % secret
marriage.
BE a sport" she whispers fierce
! ly as he gasps in establishment.
| He grimly accepts the commission.
Also he develops unexpected cave
man tendencies. When she would
abandon the masquerade, at least
between themselves, he insists on
going through with it. The next, act
/ shows her bedchamber. where, after
receiving the usual blessings from
! fond parents, he locks the door, re-
naming, however, inside, thus de-
yeloping a situation to which the
author gives an unexpected twist at
I the end, however, to keep the play
going and get off the thin Ice. Then
comes the obvious thing-mutual de-
fiance changing into mutual love. He
| has Haunted her and she has vowed
to bring him to his knees. And she
does that, for Beatrix Vanderdyke,
as the young woman is known IN the
, play, is a person Of quickly alter
mating moods of determination and
dismay. bravado and panic, pervaded
all the time by a sly enjoyment OF
the awful mess she has gotten her.
self into, even at the most catastrophe
moments. She doesn't care. She
doesn't care, as she says, for any
damned thing but herself"
The battle of wits and wills be-
tween the unwilling groom who is
fast falling in love and the self-made
groom who is doing vice versa con-
tinues until the expected break comes
in the last act. Beatrix. is going to
lead Pelham on until he makes love
to her and then she is going to laugh
in his face. She does lead him on
and he does as she expects, but when
the time comes for her to laugh in
his face she sinks down and sobs.
And there's the end of the story.
There were, of course. scenes which
caused some persons in the audience
to fidget nervously, but there was
always something which interviewed
before the nervous ones began to
faint or leave the theater.
Scandal" is not a shocking play
not nearly so shocking as some 9TH
ers that might be mentioned-for in.
stance, Twin Beds" and Fair and
Warmer" or that reprehensfble at
tempt at dramatic presentation TO
day." seen here a couple of seasons
ago It is natural. 1t is the record
of very human girl whose emotions
had been curbed young by too fond
parents and relatives.
An actress of undoubted ability and
unusual charm, Miss Dorothy Phillips
assumes the burden, and the heavy
burden at that, of the leading role.
In recent years there has been no
part calling for more work, physic-
ally speaking, than this role. She
was on the stage nearly all of the
time. and she illuminated the charac
ter of Beatrix with freshness OF
youth and charming personality. She
is accomplished in the technic OF her
art and last night had the audience
with her completely. Scott Moore
was the male lead, playing Franklin
He is an actor of earnest and effec-
tive style and brought to the role
an intelligent and facile expression