New-York tribune., 1920-02-17
''The Cat : Bird
Brings John Drew
Back to the Stage
Charming Light Comedy by
Rupert Hughes Serves to
Show Kinship of Insect
World With Humans
THE CAST
By Haywood Broun

Fanita Augevine. .-..... Pauline Armitage
BY Haywood Broun
John Drew, who has been absent
from the theater for a season or SO,
returned last night at the Maxine Eli
OFT lheater in pleasant light comedy.
by rupert Hughes, called "The Cat
Bird. MIR. Drew earned his exceed
inG.y cordial welcome, for he played
with his accustomed dcftness and also
with genial and winning warmth. 1t
mas been the custom to speak of Mr..
DrcW as an actor who could do every
lhing but make love. Our memory is
not long enough to bear testimony as
TO the justice of this charge concern
ing the player in his earlier romantic
roies, but, at any rate, he makes ex-
cellent middle-aged love
Mr. Hughes has provided him with
a charming pay. In spite OF the fact
tnat 1t Is sometimes Of featherweirtt
lightness it is thoughtful and great
deal sounder and more important in
IT'S observation Of life than many d
pay cast in much more serious form.
Mr.. Drew plays the part Of an eide rly
sclentlst, bug man, who applies the
theories which hold good in the in&ect
that they do excellentlv we'll The play
10 sanchiy constructed and the die
ogue bright, although it suffers some
VIVA: from repetitlousncss. Fortunately
It allows the star to shntter the off,
repeated assertion that Mr. Drew is
always himself True, he does wear q
dinner coat in two acts out of the
three, but in the first act he appears
u. an Ola garden straw lat and il
3assrf hs fas s'Sh sha 'rNf M psw ns &4sss ss created
Else in his repertory may be Illustrated
by the statemen: that il he did not 10
SO uncommonly we'll in it the natural
remark to make would be that the play
needed the services of +. S. willard
We are forgetful at the moment whther
NJ. Willard is still in the land Of the
living, but the matter is academic.
since the role has now become John
Drew part.
But the play is by no means one Of
those creaking affairs called vehicle
IL calls or expert assistance and gats
It, Euth Findlay gives p delightful per
lorinance as a tlappez and there is also
eItac.Ive work by Janet Becche-, Will
ian Raymond and Arthur Barr. The
settings by Lee Simonson are attract
we, particularly the second act, which
is played for q time in an exceedingly
interesting silhouette effect.
The Cat-Bird" serves as one more
article of evidence to prove the con-
tention that at last America has issued
declaration Of independence in the
!natter CT light comedies If things
Keep Gp as they have this season we
Will no longer need to depend on France
and England for this style of play. Of
hot L,~l ~
change, but good for the American
theater. Arthur Hopkins has staged the
piece skillIully.
1t is a long way from Western
stock company to a Broadway success.
out Harry Bcresford successfully he
gotlated the distance last night. de-
training on the Great White Way at
the knickerbocker Theater.
Without detractinE at least from The
credit due the other members Of the
cast of "Shavings.' it is not too much
ITO say that the premier Of the dramati-
cation Of Joseph c. Lincoln'e novel was
a great personal triumph for Mr..
Beresford. 1t was triumph that it's
recipient accepted with extreme mod
esty. Very seldom does a Broadway
audience demand in vain for curtain
speech from the object Of its approval;
but Mr.. Beresford, either through ex-
ceptional timidity or unwillingness to
break the part" persistently refused
to come forward and make the Gus
tomary speech.
1t Is only once in long time that
one sees so striking q bit of character
acting as that presented by Mr.. Bsres
ford In homely guise he succeeded
in remarkable manner in bringing
home the poignant tragedy that often
surrounds the commonplace. Treading
always on the dangerous path that
leads to acting in such part he
never once approached too near the
edge.
"Shavings" is the dramatization by
Pauline Phelps and Marion Short Of
one of Mr.. Lincoln's Cape Cod stories.
It is not so much a play as series
Of character sketches woven together.
J. Edward Winslow is the town joke
and is in derision called "ShavingS"
Giving up his dream of Boston "Tech
and scientific career to care for his
invalid mother, one who might have
been a genius is only the village laugh
ing stock ard n maker Of windmilis for
children.
After that stage is reached the story
little G;rl rerts the cottage next
20 that Of the windmill maker, and
"shavings" falls in love with hes' IS Z
matter OF course. Her convict brother
returns TO seek seclusior and chance
to reform and, Of course, the town
villain discovers mis- secret. The widow,
never suspecting the devotion she has
inspired in the heart OF her neighbor,
meets al old sweetheart in the person
Of an aviator at neighboring camp.
There is the town banker and his par
ticular enemy. who comes as near
being the villain as any one in the
play, and there is the town gossip,
vino is not "a woman Also. there Is
a very delectnble little girl by IN,
name of Lillian Roth who plays the
part Of the widows little daughter.
Second honors certair.. must ba
given to this village gossip, "Gsbe'
I3earse, played by George Neville. /;
is difficult to gee how the part could
nave been improved. James Brad bury
as Captain Sam Hunriwell and Charles
Dow Clark as Phineas Babbitt, the
captains particular aversion, 90 excel!
lently. Mitchell Harris as Major
Grover, the aviator; Saxon King as
Charles Phillips; Dudley Clements as
Roscoe Holway; Clara Mc.-es, as the
widow, and Vivian Tobin, as Maude
Hunaiwell, have the other parts.
Going g On To-day