Evening journal., 1920-04-03

Joanna Trout .:....... France Anderson
Lady Caroline Lancy,
Margaret ................ Madge Bellamy
In a midsummer nights dream"
Dear Brutus." transported audience,
as well as actors. last evening at the
Playhouse, into an enchanted wood,
where they lived the lives that might
have been had they acted differently at
some critical point in their careers. The
moral OF the play is that most folks
would be practically the same sort OF
person, and achieve about the same
amount OF success no matter what their
environment and circumstances, their
Individual character being The deter
mining factor. In other words, Dear
Brulus' teaches the fo0lishness OF
thinking, III only had chosen differ
emily, II only / could have another
chance to do II over, how happy /
should be nOw."
With delicate whimslcagty. Barrie
envelopes the modern characters In
the play with the faery atmosphere OF
Shakespeare's midsummer frolic. There
IS mystery and wiichery afoot. but In
a spirit Of el1ln mischief. nothing heavy
or gloomy. The Shakespearian frolic
Is further suggested by a queer little
old man In 0ld-fashioned dress, OF great
age and Of a. tendency to cut gr0lesque
capers, a verilable puck" come 10
play tricks on modern mortals.
Dearih, the artist whose wifes con-
tempt has driven him into a despOnd-
ent, wasted life, the one person whose
career Is improved In the enchanted
wood OF "might-have-been" William
Gillette, with the assured touch OF
genius, brought powerfully before the
audience the pathos Of a man who In
the prime OF life realizes he is a fall
ure and gives up the fight TO be a man.
In the enchanted wood OF the second
act the audience feels most strongly
the fascination OF William Gillette and
the quaint magic OF Barrie. In this
wood OF might-have-been, the artist Is
lovable, leisurely man moderately
successful. His source OF inspiration
Is a beautiful, bewlichlng young tom
boy OF a daughter, In her early teens.
Madge Bellamy was a thorough de-
light In the role Of this dream daugh-
ter. Her art was so spontaneous and
unaffected as 10 make her a worthy
support Of the star. In the very lovely
and playful scene between father and
daughter, the audience completely for
got they were in a theater, and lived
In an Ideal but real world. That scene
will be golden memory for the audi
ence.
The other characters also suffered a
w0od-change into something new and
strange. The naughty nOblewoman
Travelled the wood in a Rolls-ROyce as
the bride OF an erstwhile butler, now a
wealthy lnancier. The philanderer was
still an afilnity-seeker. although the
two women who were wife and affinity
In real life exchanged roles with each
other In the wood The wealthy do
nothing who. has this magic second
chance to win success can do nothing
but dance and play the flute The
scornful wife OF the artist finds she
would have been a ragged beggar had
she married differently.
Next to William Gillette and that de-
lightful child Madge Ballamy. the in
terest OF the audience centered In queer
old Lob" most engagingly played by
William PodmOre. He gave the eerie,
supernatural touch with just The right
amount OF restraint
The entire cast was admirable and
worthy OF high praise. The scenic ef-
fecis were artisiically handled. The
audience called the star and cast. before
them repeatedly.
Somehow lt does not seem appropri-
ale to fling handfuls OF extravagant.
superlatives over a star and a play OF
first magnitude. Like a glorious sun
set, or a perfect flower, plays OF the
calibre OF Dear Brutus" are things
apart from the common, and are made
quately praised by words
Dear Brutus" viii remain at The
Plarlouse for a matinee this afternoon
and a final performance tonight.