The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-21
The First Year"
GipeS Its Audience
Night of Laughter
New Comedy at Little Theatre
Tells Amusing Story of Mar
riage Problems.

.htS' A'iEIilSStCH. ''-.... MISS MauOe NrraHssF
III ~, AIoeIsoh' '-'.'..''.. -. nm Murphy
LICK LoTlhg ............. Lyster Chambers
lnolnas tucker. .............. Frank Craven
iiattie. ...'......-......, Miss Leila Bennett
MT bhrstow. .....-.......... Hale Norcross
Mrs. Barstow- ...... Miss Merceita Esmonde
A composer aiming. to write musical
suite on laughter should have studied
the audience viewing THE First Year"
last night at the Little Theatre. He
would have heard every possible variety
Of exclamation, from the refined giggle
that Is afraid to be heard to the shout
that doesn't give a whoop. Mainly the
resulting composition would have been
a Straussian symphony of roars.
This comedy is only another play that
indicates that John Golden. the pro-
Queer, seems to have developed the gold
en- rule for successes. First catch an
notwithstanding to his method--with a
good American play in his system, have
It extracted under the watchful eye of
Winchell Smith, star the actor and get
him working with enthusiasm for his
favorite author and then, with an actress
ike Roberta Arnold TO play opposite the
star. the manager needn't care who's
elected He commands Broadway like a
traffic cop.
The play evolved on these principles
was n model of its kind. which made
the spectators feel they were neighbors,
watching an enjoyable family tiff and
bursting with the desire to run out and
gossip to others about IL. In the first
act-labelled training quarters on the
programmt-it starts, with a typical
middle class home in Reading, ILL.,, with
the romantic daughter of the humdrum
house eager TO travel, though the man
she nlarries later tells her she's train
crazy"
That's when they've moved to Joplin,
Mo.-"the ringside'-and the matter of
fact but devoted husband after a years
work to make her happy has his plans
almost ruined by a dashing former
sultor who turns up when Thomas
fucker is about to sell a large tract OF
land for railroad spur, and nearly
spoils the transaction after wickedly
lighting a cigarette. Thomas does put
through the deal. but that's after his
wife has left him because she thinks
now she can't see Paris Naturally, af-
ter the quarrel she goes home to mother,
but following the knockout" sapient
uncle. who is doctor. manages to "set"
the marriage so that 1t heals again.
A bare recital can't convey the homely
charm of this unquestionable hit, nor
the pungent, homespun quality in the
restrained acting of Mr.. Craven. who at
times seemed more representative Of an
average, industrious American than all
the oil striking young cyclones one
often sees. In the card game in the
first act--amusing because short--in his
divertingly inept proposal in the scene
of intoxication after his wife has left
him. and in the highly entertaining fight
that ends the third act Craven makes
the young real estate agent so real and
appealing one wouldn't mind paying him
rent.
IN Miss Arnold, hitherto restricted to
"catty" parts, well of acting undefied
has been tapped She ranges naturally
and wildly from the undeveloped coun-
try girl of the first act through the dis
tracted householder making an eab-
crate party dinner out of nothing to the
pcntent wife Of the end, who breaks
vase on her husbands head because she
loves him so.
The rest OF the cast are also above
par, especially Leila Bennett, as a negro
maid, and William Sampson. as a father
whose vocabulary consisted chiefly Of
WHAT"
Eevry one can't souve the problems OF
the first year or married life by making
S125,000, as Tucker does. but all can
laugh through them in THE First Year"
to the doctors final diagnosis that
- 4-fv. ,faI ell