Evening star., 1920-03-02
AMUSEME TENTS
GARRICK-"Man and Woman"

! Man and Woman" which had its
premier at the Shubert-Garrick The
ter last night. is grim and gripping.
1t is a reminder of the saying that
everything runs in cycles. for it again
presents the eternal triangle in its
simplest and most elemental terms. as
1t was probably first presented with
out the celebrating incidents and null
| titudlnous complications OF the set
! tlngs into which story writer's and
play writer's have more recently placed
this basic theme. Despite the fact
that the theme is old. Benjamin +.
| GlaZer has told a virile story, and in
a charming and delightful way, with
an unoffending directness that holds
tho nerves tense, as it compels mental
concentration
Undoubtedly the plays appeal to the
capacity audience last night was en-
''anced materially by the capabilities
IF the four talented players, notably
the two stars, Mary Nash and Holbrook
blinn. Mr.. Blinn's power of fine char
acter delineation was never better dis
played than as the Fox" of the Pyren-
nees. His personal magnetism gained
sympathy for character which ordi-
nar1iy would make but little appeal to
the heart. Miss Nash was on the stage
during practically all the four acts,
and the gripping quality of the play is
due largely to her charming PERSONAL
lty and her thorough capability.
MISS Nash portrays the role of Cue
rita, wife OF Pedro, whose body is weak,
but whose mind is strong Pedro (Hol-
brook Blinn) is nominally q tanner, liv-
ing amid the Spanish Pyrennees, but
In reality IS the leader of a gang Of
smugglers. Guerita has been happy dur
ing the six years of their married life in
the hope some day in the near future of
living in handsome house in n nearby
city and driving each afternoon on it's
main thoroughfare. To their house at
the opening Of the play comes Baptiste,
frontier soldier who preferred seeing
the gold bribes dropping into his own
hands to seeing the smuggling on his
post. He warns Pedro that he is under
tells Of the plan to send a young soldier
to make love to Pedro's wife and. after
winning her. to persuade her to betray
her husband.
Soon after The warning is sounded
arrives Juan on his mission. Pedro
sees in the visit Of the guard an op-
portunity to move another consign-
ment Of contraband goods across the
unguarded boundary and 1t is under
his persuasion that Guerita starts her
Irritation with Juan. The young SOL
der is in physique the antithesis of
Guerita's. husband. His muscles are
well developed and he has the
strength of a giant. Pedro matches
his cunning against the undeveloped
wits OF Juan and easily outwits him.
His cunning. however. does not pre-
vent Guerita from really falling in
love with the young soldier.
The action comes to a climax in the
fourth act-named episode by the au-
thor-which holds the audience SPELL
bound. Pedro has trapped the young
lovers and. while childing them with
their lack of courage sufficient to
snap the slender thread upon which
his life depends. imposes his hard and
unrelenting terms, by which he hopes
to keep the wife that is mine" Just
as his cunning has won Pedro is
brought to defeat by DEATH
Miss Nash's Guerita is the imper-
sonation Of charm. Probably the re-
sponsibility is somewhat divided be-
tween author and actress, but there is
test OF credulity in the quickness in
the change Of feeling of Guerita to-
ward Juan from repulsion to love.
curtis Cooksey is by stature well
suited to the role of Juan. but his
| natural talents are dimmed in con-
| trast with the finished work of the
others In the cast Of four Wilson
Reynolds gives distinction to the un-
| important part of Baptiste.