The Washington herald., 1919-11-11
Be'a.eo--'rA. s..-n..sAter..
ny EARLE DoRsrr

The Chinese version OF ..the
woman pays" that David Belasco
revealed at the Beiasco Theater last
night ana which the program cred-
It's TO Belasco and George Scar
borough, inspires a doubt as to
whsther the adaptation of q Chinese
stage convention--a convention that
brings an orator before the curtain
TO lead your fancy onward"-may
rot De unfeeling interpreted by an
American audience as a<most un-
necessary and antlciimactic appen-
Gage. II unquestionably saves Mr..
Beiasco the labor of presenting the
happy ending of his story In dra-
matte form. and 1t makes unneces-
sary the audience remaining until
midnight. but one graveIy ques-
mons the necessity OF ending in so
expeditions a manner a story that
Is otherwise a fine bit of stagecraft.
an admirable example Of play act
ing and q piece OF writing that
while not terrific In its novelty, IL
nevertheless q play. ~.
The Son-Daughter'' Is based, the
program tells US, on the report Of q
government agent who obtained In
formation from an alleged. Chinese
smuggier to the effect that certain
members Of revolutionary China
party In New York were actually
selling their daughters to raise indi-
vidual patriotic assessments. From
this report has been developed the
story of Chinese girl living with
her father In New York. wh0 loves
Chinese university student and who
Is about to be betrothed to him. only
to be sold to the highest bidder as
bride after her student-lover Is
revealed as the royal leader of the
Chinese revolution
Both the girl and her lover face the
dread and lonely future as the price
OF patriotism. her marriage present
from her gamber-husband being q
present TO the revolution The gam
however. proves to be
the chief OF band Of imperial
Chinese spies who not only killed her
father as he bears away her pur-
chase price. but dangerously wounds
her lover. In revenge, she presents a
smiling face to her gambler-husband
him with his own queue
and brings to- an end the career OF
the "Sea-Crab." as the spy-chief
husband Is termed. As the curtain
falls. the news is borne to her that
her lover will not die and II might
safey be assumed that she too will
escape, with the Sea Crab" dead.
But Mr.. Belasco has felt that the de-
mand for the felicitous termination
requires more. He sends an orator
before, the curtain to relate that the
girl did escape. that her lover lived
and that they. presumably, lived hap
niIv tharAaffar htrf N
Belasco courts anticlimax and he fails
to send home his audience with a
satisfaction that is more than alb
stract.
The play is. however. a veritabie
triumph of the Belascan genius for
stagecraft. 1t extricates its char
acters at the very moment of de-
spatr and II manages to effeetually
conceal the fact that IL will end
as anything other than a starA.
colorful tragedy as relentless as
that Griffith Chinese epic. Broken
Blossoms" Mr.. Belasco. however.
sought to point his story of the
Chinese woman's sacrifice in no
such grimiy radical way. He seemed
content to give a happy ending to
his tale. but it is a happy ending
that does not spring spontaneously
and naturally from its development.
1t is happy ending that one gulps
on. though the human heart de-
mands solace. and 1t doesn't mind
gulping, sometimes.
From the, acting standpoint, Il af-
ferdt brilliant roles to Lenore Uiric,
Edmund Lowe and Harry iMestayer
Miss Uric Is. of course. the Chinese
girl. Her characterization is almost
fauitless; II is handled with the art
ful delicacy and subtle force one has
come to expect from this newer Be-
iasco protege. though her characteri-
zation Is one that will not excite the
personal reaction so strongly as did
her Tiger Rose" part. Here she
deals with the psychology and the
heart OF that oppressed creature. tie
Chinese girl. She blends her force
with 4 meekness that is deceiving.
Her inevitable impulsion against fate