New-York tribune., 1920-12-12


W Theater la>t.meek showed what
surprising results. player may
get with Indifferent materisl. Persons
who declare that the. sts' of acting is on
the decline, and mourn, would do we'll to
consider carefully just what might hap
pen to The theater if genius. and high
talent were bountiful. 1t is our opin-
ion that under such conditions writing
good plays would 'ha rdly be. worth while
An actor who is anc enough can i'll
lumine almost anything.
Naturally. wedo not mean that Madye
Kennedy is quite Independent of any
need Of straw, nor do we intend to sug-
gest that ''CorYiered" is worthless ma
terial- 1t seems to US an interesting
though extravagant mcfodrama.. With
only a little rewriting and different
touch in direction the performance. could
be changed without effort into the most
delightful of sstres on nelodrau Gu
riously enough. Dodson Mitchell. the
author. is at present PLAYING in "The
Tavern" By George N. Cohan, and get
he docs not seem to have seHsed his
opportunity to make game OF his ms
terlal TIE story would lend itself 60
such treatment fer more readily than
the plot which Cohan took for THE
Tavern .'~'.' sts-....
Nevertheless. there ris something 10
he said against. giving "corncrea' its
head and allowing it TO run Wild lT:o
absurdity. The play IS now performed
gives hint that Mis-. Madge Kennedy
possesses e. distinct gift of emotional
power. 1t seems 70 US 2 pity Here
is the most delightful player Of farce
and light comedy who has scared into
vision for years and years, and yet for
sll We know in a season or two she
may have become an emotional actress.
Instead Of seeing her mix cocktails for
comedy purposes there is at least the
chance that We may have to watch and
listen while she pays and pays and pays,
ss all emotional actresses do at some
time or other in their careers.
But for better OF worse the fact re-
mains tina. Miss Kennedy stir other
emotions than those Of .merrlment.
There we're scenes shrcwdlT devised Tor
sheer excitement int "Cornere which
Miss Kennedy did well, bit IL 50 fnr
~ the play attcmptcd"to express more
profound feeling it vas. Of the cheapest
The scene in which the hero m;stook
the thief for the heiress ard made love
10 her wa. not creditablc IN connection
nor -vas j. felictous in l:ne, ihut SUD-
denly from out the weiter Of niedioc1ity
thcfe came q sudden and surprising
stab Even the most careless ana cal
lous theatergoer could not fail to re-
slize that sil unawaye he had stepped
upon an emotional actress
Such support for ..Coraered" wss rn-
expected From another source. more
elosely ehar.ed, came did Which was
oel!ghtful even il everybody knew that
j. was sure 20 be- end stcd. Madgc
Kennedy, the comedienne, did mira
tles in lfghtcti.g the. rnelodrara at
tuch moments as it >seepeG IN danger
81 becoming heavy. For our nwn part
we haze q feeling that a perfect melo-
drama shou'd have vcry little truck
~ita comedy. II a murder has been
cone or a. robbery committed our sense
Of social ]urics in so strong that OK
fYanecus hnrnor seems 70 us wilIful
stteyopt to delay the Ztardians OF the
ls". W. don't want 70 know what the
buslar thinks shout marriage. Our
Whole in.erest j. ctnteiSd in the ques-
ton AZ 70 Who IL war who climbed up
TIE yines 10 fhe xs,fd ssory window on
ths niInt Of October 23sand kliled Lord
HAfsmersltY glta q mashie niblich.
In 4hIs feeling ne mast admit that
rablie opinion has oyerruied us. "Ths
estv turns sside again aad again from