New-York tribune., 1920-10-21

mentioned in THE Skin Came which
is laid in "a remote country district in
England There are no guns and no
marching troops. The war theme is
entirely within solution of symbol
ism, and yet it is easily grasped for all
the fact that it is not obtruded.
We don't see how it can be missed
viewers read such meaning into the
play. To be sure we have no right to
take high and mighty attitude in the
matter because we did not have an
opportunity to judge whether or not
we could get it. Mr. Alexander Wool
cott. a dramatic critic, who saw the
play in England, explained this theory
10 us some time ago and with the key
in hand everything was easy.
"The Skin Game" tells the story OF
a bitter 1eud between two families,
the llillcrists and the Hornblowers, in
small country village. The Illcrists
are an old family who have lived on the
same estate since the days Of Eliza
beth. The Hornblowers are new and
pushing. The head Of the house of
Hornhlower buys some property from
the Hillcrists, making an oral agree
mont that none of the tenants shall be
disturbed. The play begins when the
Jackmans, small tenant folk. run to
that Hornblower is evicting them to
build a pottery Then the fight be
gins For a time Hornblowcr, who is
frankly contemptuous Of the obligation
Of his word has the upper hand, but
by discovering 4 scandal about the
wife Of his son the Ilillcrists are able
to force him to accept their terms.
The lighting has become so desperate
that both sides have been impellcd TO
taRc and the consequences are so ter
ribe that even the victors find little
clation in their triumph The final
.ronical touch is added in the last
eceue when the Jackmans como in to
hank the uilcrists for saving them
from eviction and find that everybody
aas forgotten all about them. The
cause has become entirely secondary
to the fight.
Germany. England and Belgium in
mind, and if we had the printed pia,
at hand itrwould be easy 10 point out
= score Of speeches which bear out the
theory. OF course it may be pressed
100 fan and there were those who
erected the explanation by insisting
hat If it were SO the author probably
intended the butler who spoke one line
i'm the second act to be Montenegro
and the off stage noises to be Japan.
As d matter Of fact, it is possible to
overlook the symbolism because the
story taken imply for its face value,
Us intensely intore sting. With the
added factor it seems to us a still bet
ter play exceedingly biting and elfec-
tive in its irony. Nevertheless "Thc
Skin Game falls a little short of the
valy hest Of Galsworthy, although it
is one of his fine play. Here and
there it is marred by cxcossNo melo-
DIANA. There is, for instance, an I'M
possible scene in which a maid steals
into a room unobserved by the occu-
pant and hides behind q screen and
later tiptocs out again without being
seen by two people. Also an auction
scene in which the lIillcrsts and the
Uornblowcrs are bidding against each
other for a certain piece of property,
although effective, is 900 tricky. Mr.
GalsWorthy has arranged that the
scene shall be played directly toward
the audience with bids coming from
iolN in the orchestra. All these are
imaginary except the final one which
IS bawlcd out by an actor who sneaks
down the aisle just in the nick Of time.
The characters on the stage identify
The various people who are supposed
80 be taking part in the auction by
W
were somewhat abashed when the
heroine ievelled a finger directly at
us and said "There's the big bounder
now
In some respects the play marks an
advance even over Galsworthy's best
dramatic work. Previously he has been
generally more successful with men
Tran with women. but he has drawn
one gorgeous free spoken, free think
ms young English girl and two other
strongly ndVldualized women. The
J opportunities GalsWorthy has thus af-
torded are not neglected certainly
not by Miss Josephine Victor. who
plays the weak member of the Horn
blower household, whose past leads to
the defeat of her side. 1t is q splen-
didiy vivid aud live performance, VITA
very dctt shading, when the girl slips
rom her apparent responsibility into
her old manner and then back again.
Another fine performance is that OF
Herbert IomaS as the cider Horn
blower. AT first we found some diff
Guilty in understanding him on account
OF the faithtulness with which he re-
produces the north of England dia-
ect, but at length we got key t.
ihat. too. These two players are quite
the pest OF the cast, as we'll they might
bc, since their performances are of Un-
usual distinction. Something should
also be said, however, for the good
work Of Arthur Bowyer, Lillian Bren-
nard, Marsh Allen and an EXCEEDING
ly personable young English actress
named Joan Macean.
The Skin Game is stirring and in
'eresting and altogether worth your at
t0NtloN. with or vyjfho,+