Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-12-14
AMU.SEM IS
-"Deburau."

| Lionel Atwill, the new Belasco star.
made his premier appearance at the
Shubert-Belasco Theater last evening in
Granville Barker's adaptation Of Sacha
Guitry's poetic drama, "Deburau." He
had very large and representative au-
dience that followed both play and star
closely through a long evening that
strangely seemed to pass without notice
of the time The applause throughout
the play and especially after the tniIo
act when the star and his splendid COM
pany and even David Belasco hlmseif
, were recalled again and again, up TO
the inevitable curtain speech OF W.T.. De
lasco told more forceIully tHan mere
words ths-general estimate OF pay, pro
duction ana its chief perform r. ms
app,ause followed MIR. Atwill even after
the fail OF the last curtain ana Win
! sincere and forceful insistence
There are three elements IN recalhns
! last night performance OF Depurau
which cause hesitation IN the Seiec'ioi
Of the order of their priority. MIR. ANVIL
heyond all question fulfilled expectations.
The play is beautifully poetic and force
full in its diction and rejects the highest
credit upon Mr. Barker for MS adapta-
| ton. There is virtually no plot, puI
series of incidents culied from tne me
! of a famous French actor of pantomlme,
! whose art embodied that of a hundred
! actors. starting with the performa. ice
| that won him the highest tame ana the
| commentator Of the greatest oranatic
! critic of the day presenting the reaiiZa-
| ton of his highest hope IN love anu l.s
! crushing fall, and closing with ms last
| n.rr,,ralce Mnln. uuc to Il breaking
! hear and physical illness, his first great
i failure in his profession literally urove
i him from the stage and left him patheti-
caily endeavoring to prepare ms young
| N a
/ rau." . "a.
| ret,ection of Belascos marvellous art
| of stagecraft in beauty and the trick
ery of lighting effects, seems yet not
! quite ready to pass from the nahas o.
| the master producer as a finished prod
net. To the sophisticated who are
| familiar with its period-Paris In
1S39-and whose range OF literature
covers the days of Victor Hugo, he
Musset. George Sand. Chopin, Gautier'
! Alexander Dumas and Marie Duples:.
| sis. the inspiration for Camille,
! there seemed lacking the atmosphere
| that is peculiarly French and that is
not easily mistaken. The opening
scenes, in front of the Theatre Funam-
j that theater both before and after the
performance, notwithstanding the
program suggestions, seemed to ac.
centuate this fact, and might as well
have been laid in Dickens England
The c1 tna loss act Of his Mhf fame IN ar
match the loss of his supreme love,
appears to need much attention be-
| fore it can rank with the other great
| creations Of Mr.. Belasco. 1t presents
the climax Of the tragedy-and yet II
neither brings the thrill nor leaves q
! tear.
| Great moments in Mr.. Atwill's mas
terful portraiture come in the first
act and fourth scene In the story OF
his life. which exploits his family and
leaves himself almost submerged for
the benefit of an inquisitive journal
| list, who has just learned Of the great
| actors arrival at the pinnacle OF
| fame; the exquisite love scene In the
second act, with the crushing denun-
iation of the fortune-telling palmist
and subsequently the finding of the
woman for whom his love was a su-
preme obsession in the arms OF g
rival, and. II it may be so called, 1.-THE
revelation in the third act, when his
son seeks to win fame on the stage
with the name Of Deburau. and he
learns that his wife has tossed the
honor of that name back to him.
Superb opportunity is at hand for the
fourth act, but the star seemed ham.
pered and the climax is not what Il
should be. And yet through them al
Mr.. Atwill's commanding dignity and
theatrical skill, coupled with what
the far-seer may call his spiritual
gift Of talent, were never be-
low the stellar horizon. Perhaps with
better incentive his climax would reach
the zenith of theatric aim.
His company is superb in Its every
detail One Of the brightest features OF
the evening was the cordial greeting ex-
tended to that brilliant actress Of othe,
days, Rose Coghlan. still rich in her art
though more matronly in her appear
ance Elsie Mackay was delightful
charming. as Marie Duplessis. whose
life she painted with delicate art
John Roche adequately filled the trying
role Of the successful lover. who drew
the veil before Deburau's love dream
Bernard Reinold was good as the thea.
ter Director bit too strenuous, per.
haps: Sidney Toler, an ideal barker
for the theater, and Herbert bruce. Jo-
seph Herbert, Rowland Blackstone, Mar
got Kelly. Pauline Merriam, Isabe
Laighton. John L. Shine and others OF
a very lengthy cast contributed to the
limit of their opportunities to a rea
drama that yet may reach the gallery
Of memorable productions.