The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-23
Miss Ruth .Chatterton Lovely
Apparition in Production
at the Empire.

EMPIRE THEArRE-A play In three acts
by J. NJ. Barrie.
Mrs. Otery. ....................:. ADA King
Harry. .:................... rom Nespltt
Mr.. Morland. ..........-.-....O. b. Clarence
Mrs. Morland. .............. Winifred Fraser
Rev. George Almy. "A. 8. Homewood
Mary Rose. Ruth Chatterton
Simon Blake. ................... Tom Nesbitt
Cameron. ....................... Guy Buckley
The latest flower or the theatre Of
]. NJ. Barrie is MARY Rose which was
acted last night at the Empire Theatre
after year of popularity In London.
Miss Ruth Chatterton supplanted the
absent Miss Adams, who was unofficially
talked Of for the title role, which was
revealed by the performance last night
to be OF less Importance in the story
than at least two other characters
those of the husband and son, played
by Tom Nesbitt a stranger here, but
an admired favorite before the play was
over. Whatever the audience may have
thought of Mr.. Barrie's play. il was not
aroused to outbreaks Of enthusiasm at
any point. Else Mr.. Nesbitts fine
naturalness would have been acknowl-
edged
There is plenty of the Barrie humor,
the whimsicality, the oddities of tears
and laughter characteristic of the author
In the new work, but Ii is evident that
the popular dramatist wrote his three
acts with a serious purpose. 1t seems
from single hearing of the work as If
he had intended to answer the quest
for some message. perhaps some asso-
citation with the dead which has been
since the first years OF the war an abb
hof 1oht IN 10, rt.a
OF the playwright would seem to main
tain that the world goes on well enough
without those who have departed; more
over, II they should return IL might
be to find the hearts of those they had
left behind, cold or indifferent to them.
A Fancied Island.
In order to make his preparation for
this disappearance and return without
the Intervention of death, the author
has borrowed an island, we are rather
inclined to think from Maeterlinck, al
though II is ''in the Outer Hebrides."
But once having annexed this symbol
cal bit of land altogether surrounded
by Belgian symbolism, he claps on IL
such a characteristic Barrie name that
nobody would ever take 1t for anything
but his own. It is called the Island
That Likes To Be Visited. Hitler tarry
one day young married couple in spite
of the protests OF their Scotch boatman,
who believes the stories of voices that
sometimes lure away the visitor by calls
that all other ears are deaf to. The
voices do reach the young wife. She
answers, and the second act ends as the
desparing husband is seeking her out
and calling her name family to the I'M
answering dusk on the remotest point OF
the island.
But Mary Rose does return. Nearly
thirty years have past and she comes
back to a different world in the small
Sussex manor. Its people are the same
but the years have carried them along
on their food. SO the same Mary Rose
of her old days, unchanged In the lowell
ness and freshness of her young woman
hood does not melt into their lives. The
years have been merciful as we'll as Just
and they have ameliorated their grief
for the loss of the young mother. She
is searching for the son who was n boy
of two when she went to the mysterious
isle. He is a shwanking Anzac fresh in
all the coarseness and brutality OF his
victory. He Is not the innocent babe
she left. But here Barrie relents and
the pathos of distance is not emphasized
for she does not even recognize I'm the
The deserted and haunted house. which
the author shows In the opening. tells
the end OF the story.
Delightful Episodes I'm Play.
There are some scenes OF the three
acts in tho most delightful manner OF
Barrie. The charm which attaches to
his work In whatever period X may be-
long. was strong. Nothing could have
been moro graceful and delicate than
the love scene between tho husband and
wife which took place on the fatal isle.
Highly characteristic OF Barrie at his
best was the squabble OF the two col
lectors over the pseudo siainsborough
in the first act. Then there was numor
In the character OF the Aberdeen boat
man with all his education although
there seemed an endless amount OF him
Here was Barrie at his best In the orig
inality and quaintness Of his fun.
But the fantastic episodes OF the play
are difficult to bear. The Barrie fantasy
has been stretched thin before Mary
Rose" Last night the disappearing
Mary Rose, the music that summoned
her away-Barrie Ia beginning TO re-
quire almost an operate apparatus TO
establish his moods now--the talk OF the
mysterious isle these supernatural ele-
menus, HGCOulpiAHnod ur chhaehy ms ehNs
were with every trained resource OF the
theatre. we're not In tho least effective
60 any but the perfect Barrieite. There
was the usual distinction IN the speech.
tho quality characteristic OF the
famous playwright was there. But the
fantasy was feeble.
Miss Ruth Chatterton was lovely APP
partition as the heroine. Some of the
scenes fitted well her inflexible style
and those she naturally acted well. Miss
Chatterton does not change her style
nor are its symbols numerous or varied.
So there were certain scenes In which
she was not In the least effective. Mr..
Nosbitts freedom and naturalness were
perfectly expressive Of the character OF
the two roles he played. Guy Buckley
rave emphasis to the Scotch humor OF
the boatman. The general representa-
ton was admirable, but the execution