Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-12
AMUSEMENT
E"Sonny."

In these days when the aim of the
playwright appears to be directed to
the number rather than to the quail
ity of his plays advertised for Broad
way, it is not surprising that SO pro-
life a contributor to popular enter
tainment as George " Hobart should
feel the lure. Nor, still indulging the
thought further for a moment, is it
to be wondered at that genius should
lapse occasionally and avail itself of
vast quantity of leftover material
to rest from 1.-The killing pace" and
in the language of its amusing char
acters-"pull a fiivver."
Sonny" Mr.. Hobart's latest com
edy of youth" which had it's first
presentation to the public at the Shu
bert-Belasco Theater last night, de-
fies the laws Of dramatic classified
ton, notwithstanding the program an
nouncement 1t provides entertainment
that ranges from the tears that go with
tragedy to the lifting swing of the jazz
and the jargon and absurdity of bur-
lesque.. One moment the heart fairly
aches and the next, through a mist of
tears, one feels strong temptation to
"guffaw," which is pardonable slang for
roar with laughter"
The program calls it "a comedy of
youth in three acts and five scenes" 1t
is really a pathetic story, rampant with
establishment, told in two acts. after
three prologues have fixed the identity
Charles Crosby, dies in a base hospital
in France, after having made his bud
dy'' exchange Identification tags and
promise to take up the dead mans
identity to save a blind mothers heart
from aching The mother discovers the
deception, but says nothing and ulti-
mately discovers that the counterfeit is
her own twin son, who was supposed
to have been lost in yacht wreck years
before. But the compelling pathos of
the story is punctuated with type of
comedy" that seems utterly out of
place, although it is at times very
amusing.
Emma Dunn presents a picture Of the
blind mother that is exquisite in it's
sweetness and spiritual beauty. Robert
Ames admirably portrays the dead son
and the counterfeit, his twin brother:
Lotus Robb is a sweet and natural
Red Cross nurse. And Lillian Lorraine
is an idealization of "a chicken of the
cabaret school," including jargon and
slang indescribable, in a part that would
merit stellar rank in musical bur-
lesque.
There is also a cheap william. true to
type, played by Hallem Thompson, who,
however, again employing the vernacu-
lar of the cabaret girl, is made to
look like thirty CENTS" by the blind
mother and forthwith experiences a sal
utary reform, and there are. in addition.
a sensible Irish nurse, Nora, real life
picture, by George Lawrence; trio of
pretty and delightful young girls, played
for all the parts are worth by Pauline
Garon. Renee Adoree and Isabel Adams
and two companions in trousers, one an
intellectual monstrosity, which Russell
Medcraft reflects as the playwright's
ideal to the limit. The other is just a
rattle-brained jazz boy fairly well
played by Chester Morris
This is Sonny" A very large audi
ence shed tears over it, also wondered
and very heartily laughed at it 1t may
be a new type Of entertainment, but it
defies dramatic vivisection. 1t is a mon
ument Of success for the players all,
but for the dramatist-oh, we'll