New-York tribune., 1919-11-26
By Haywood Broun

"The Rise of Silas Lapham," when
transferred from the novel of William
Dean Howells into dramatic form by
Miss Lillian Sabine at the Garrick
Theater last night, seemed first cousin
to a long line of bygosh drama. Little
of the quality of the book has been
carried over into the play, which is
the latest venture of the Theater
Guild. The only thing more conven-
tlonal than the play itself was the
performance of James K Hackett in
the leading role. 1t might be said,
however, for Mr.. Hackett that his per-
formance was a marvellous feat of
memory. He forgot not single trick
which any actor on any stage has ever
employed while playing the part of
a character of more than fifty.
1t may be said for the play that it
is American in flavor, but it seems to
us thankless task for the Theater
Guild to desert Continental drama for
native product if this is the best
which lies to hand Such policy it
seems to us is about 80 per cent
American.
Perhaps it would not be fair to saw
that there were no moments of interest
in "The Rise of Slas Lapham." 1t is
always amusing to see folk of another
generation set before us and to listen
to their talk of the marvellous new
invention called a vocal telegraph and
to have the expression OF opinion of
I t-1
However, Whatever interest the play
possessed lay almost entirely in such
Incidental atmosphere. The story in
its dramatic form was entirely con-
ventlonal, and crudely told as we'll. An
entire act, long and dull one, was
needed to set forth q little preliminary
exposition which should take no more
than few moments. Also, although
there are several moments of sharp
conflict many of them fail to be i'm
pressive because the issue is not clearly
drawn
Thus, when we have seen Silas Lap
ham refuse to give his daughter in
marriage to q rich young man because
he himself is a bankrupt it is a little
difficult to interest the audience later
on in scene in which the girl de-
scribes the sacrifice which she herself
has made in the face of the fact that
we all know she had nothing on earth
to do with it.
Whatever the novel may do with the
same theme, the play is rather poor
tract against snobbery, since it seems
to be ever so severe with the preju-
diccs of the very rich and to point
with pride at exactly the same sort of
become bankrupt. Thus. we are asked
to scorn Mrs. Bromfeld Corey when
she asserts that she will never ap-
prove marriage of her son and the
daughter Of man who is not only
common but impoverished, while, like
wise, we are expected to swell with
sympathy when Silas Lapham says that
he will never alloy his daughter to
marry young man who is not only
rich but of high social standing
Since many of the issues involved in
the play are as trivial as that, the task
of playing for the sympathy of the
plished. Mr.. Hackett was so constantly
busy doing stunts with his voice and
his legs and his shirt sleeves that
about all the interest he could com
mand was rather Indifferent specula-
tion as to whether he was eventually
going to produce pair Of guinea pigs
or the flags of all nations. Marjorie
Nonnegut played with certain bursts
of emotion which might have been eff
fective if her utterance had not been
so indistinct. Noel Leslie was the only
principal who seemed effective to us,
and Erskine Sanford was good in a
small role
All the scenes in which any con-
siderable number of persons were gath
cred together on the stage were inef-
fective because the director has per-
mitted such a clatter that not much
can be heard of any single speech.
The scenery and settings are effective
and faithful. The play seems to US
far below the standard which the Guild