The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-10-12

affable manager, both are accomplished
in the art of making people feel lat
home and really enjoy visit at their
delightful hosiery.
OF course. the plays the thing, in New
York, and the New York theatres this
season are just teeming with good plays
(and some Indifferent ones, too, 1 might
add.
There were two plays-old in point of
the time they have been running in New
York-"The Jest" and "Lightnin'" but
new to me, and if there are any two plays
which are better than these it would be
difficult I think, to find them stored
away in your catalogue during the last
decade.
The two Barrymores-John and Lionel
featured in THE Jest" reach the very
acme of art in their marvellous work.
John Barrymore's makeup" alone is
such an achievement of art-such a sex
less, beautiful thing that it is almost
impossible to describe it, while the ire
mendous, vital. clustering Interpretation
that Lionel Barrymore gives to the role
OF Neri Chiaramantesi-is simply over
whelming in its scope. I believe it was
Haywood Broun, the merciless TRIBUNE
critic" who said, in speaking of '.the
three hops" that Lionel Barrymore does
just before he rushes out to give battle
to the men who are pursuing him, that
such moment is worth the whole crop
Of plays in a. single season on Broadway
Frank Bacons "Lightnin' E" is the re-
ward of years of hard work for this
wonderful actor, who never came into
his own until this play was produced
playing to packed houses for tile second
year nova wonderful record on the
Great White Way"
Booth Tarkington's Clarence towers
above everything on the Rialto, for with
its fine air of assurance, its finesse and
delicious naivete it is the best American
comedy ever written by an American,
and this / say unhesita tingly NV ador-
able little friend, Helen Hayes, one of
the stars I interviewed before New
York knew her, and acclaimed her as
such, the others being Clara Joel
and Jeanne Eagles, has the leading role.
and her adorable "gush of childhood. I"
her exquisite pathos and more exquisite
humor, make her easily to my way of
thinking the most perfect portrayer of
sweet sixteen" roles of any actress on
the American stage today
adam and Eva" is another deliciousiy
enjoyable comedy, built around Ameri-
can home life, the tired, over worked
business man, one of the brightest, wit
test things I saw while in New York.
And then my friend, Avery Hopwood,
comes along with his inimitably risque
play. THE Gold Diggers. trimming
over with screamingly funny situations,
accompanied by the most outrageously
clever lines. Long ago T dubbed him
The American Bernard Shaw" and he
lives up to the pseudonym in his latest
play.
Mr.. Belaseo, with his usual artistry,
has staged The Gold Diggersp in the
most sumptuous and gorgeous manner
and must be accredited with giving the
American stage one scene in which the
most superb "stage sunlight ever seen
! is shown.
| After seeing nice. naughty Mr.. Hop
wood S ''The Gold Diggers." one feels a
wee bit as if one had been breakfasting
| lunching. dining and supporting with d
New DIRK chorus girl, and if I were a
man I'm sure I'd feel as if I'd like to
go and look UP some nice little country
rrf, Il *
out to dinner and discuss the prose style
of Walter Pater or whether Mr.. Barrie
wrote The Young Visitors" or merely
the Preface" to It,
THE Gold Diggers" is very naughty,
! but it is very clever, and Ina Claire does
the best work of her career. her "Taren-
tella" in the second act is one of the
most artistic bits Of Terpsichorean art
| that | ever saw, and I'm sure Mr. Bruce
McRae felt just the same way about it,
for he was ravishingly charmed by her
beautiful work, and, of course, being cast
in the role of the lover, Immediately sue
cumbed when the adorable Ina pirouet
ted all over the stage in her graceful
fashion and tied his heart up good and
tight
First Us Last" Samuel Shipman's
new play, is clever, while the Ziegfeld
jFolles, with pretty Marilyn Miller, is
quite up to the standard, the Green
WITCH Village Follies, and the "Gaieties
of 1919" being "copy-cats" of the one
and only "Follies"
Our fellow townsrnan Ooavus Roy
Cohen, is represented on the "Great
White Way in flaming letters, with his
1.-THE Crimson Alibi.''
OF the three mystery plays, 'p:45." and
"A Voice in the Dark I easily doff my
hat to THE Crimson Alibi" and I think
every one else does who has seen the
plays. Harrison Hunter, who made sucf
La big hit in ''The Thirteenth Chair" a.
the detective, again essays a similar roll,
in Mr.. Cohen's play, and William Fl
Thompson, the veteran actor. and pretty
That's Lawton, contribute excellent worl
to notable cast
and Honeysuckle' during my New Yorl
visit, play which Is facile, light com
ledy, exactly suited to this saccharin
stars requirements. One of the critic
put it in the same class with Clarence,
and adam and Eva" but I'd hardly sa,
that 1t is a good light comedy. whicl
form of amusecent has come to be al
infant industry in America, it wouit
| caarp which paeds M protectian q