The Washington herald., 1919-05-27
Last Night at Theaters
By EARLE DORSEY.

shubert-Garrick-"wedaing Bells. :,
By EARLE DORSEY.
II Wallace Eddinger's last vehicle
had not proved such an unfortunate
and thoroughly mysterious failure,
one would be inclined to cast discre-
ton 70 the winds and offer a full
faced chant Of praise for Mr.. Ed
dingers latest vehicle, wedding
Bells" which gave us a well-deyei.
oped case OF enthusiasm at the Gar
rick last night.
Salisbury Field Is the author of
wedding Bells" and he's done a
brilliant piece Of writing. His stun
sounds like William lie Baron at his
best. and the stage has few writer's of
dialogue who can compare with LIE
Baron. Likewise. wedding Bells"
vividfy recalls-and the comparison IA
vors wedding Bells''-Megrue's most
brilliant bit OF sophisticated satire,
Tea For Three" and Tea For
Three" has been generally hailed as
the authorial standard Of the wear
when cleverness is mentioned. wed
ding Bells" Is just what the pro-
gram claims. a comedy In three acts: 4:
and when the Garrick program saws
comedy" this week. 1t means COM
edy.
However. the praise goes not, in its
entirety, to Mr.. Field. Wallace E,dd-
niger comes forth with a character
ization that for deftness of touch.
delicacy of conception and downright
brilliance of execution leaves one grim
ming with delight. Nor does he Ger
shadow for a moment that versatile
bit Of femininity. Margaret Lawrence.
who. fresh from the cast of the afore-
said Tea For Three" limns with a
sure and steadfast skill one of the
most piquant, penetrating and per-
| sonal delineations the local stage has
seen since Miss Lawrence last saw
| Washington. Likewise, there Ia Ro-
land Young. he of the mock-trae eic
mein, the vainly-sighing lover. the.
soulful poet who thinks in blank
verse. with a wee bit of a part which
he gracefully and gently insinuates
across the footlights to add to our
grin. As in Dark Horses" Young
again appears in a charac cter named
Douglas" and again he is a poet
What poetic destiny pursues this man?
Nor shall our typewriter ribbon re-
main undented before a line is said
for Reginald Mason. the silly ass of
the play. who is far too delightful
to be silly ass. The supply of ad-
jectives runneth low. else Mason
would bloom forth at greater length
hereat, with John Harwood, Leila
Frost. Maud Andrew and Mrs. Martin.
Field has selected as a theme the
tendency of a divorced gentleman to
return to the scene OF the original
crime. as it were. Reggie Carter, di-
vorced. Is about to marry again when
his first wife. Rosalie, hears about It
and hurries back from Paris to save
the dear boy. Apparently she is un-
successful. for. though she involves
him in a quiet dinner at his apart
ment. his new fiance decides to for
give him when she learns that an old
sweetheart named Doug is mysteri-
ously unavailable for matrimonial
purposes. Reggie's marriage. how
ever, Is balked on the steps OF the
altar because he's been divorced, and
just at the moment when a new and a
Presbyterian pastor is about to finish
the job elsewhere his bride-to-be dis
covers that Doug. the supposed mys-
teriously-wed. had been Illegally mar
ried to a maid whose reconciliation
with her butler had taken place in
the first act and who had decided to
go straight" The bride-to-be. rather
than disappoint mother, decides to
marry Doug. now that he's free, and
Reggie. who really does love his di-
vorced wife in spite of his after
divorce engagement, is left free for
the happy ending with Rosalie that
occurs with a well-bred minimum of
that saccharine element which so de-
lights matinee girls and cigar drum
mers.
Mr.. Edgar seNyn. who was dis
cerned behind a cigarette between
acts. staged and produced wedding
Bells and it is our personal opinion
that he has staged and produced a
play which will add distinction to his
name and reputation.