Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-10-23
THE PLAYCOER'S
WEEKLY TALK

TyoR the frst time this ten-weeks-o
IL theatrical season opening plays score
over opening musical shows next week.
b The newly named De Lancey street
4 leave the list Of the dark" houses; It's
to be lighted UP with The Charm
School" comedy centering around O
naive idea namely vat nan ca tN'cl
girls that indeflnable quality known as
Adams favored Philadelphia with her
presence, we always used to say she had
no review was complete without thls)
A unique 'dea also stocks up The
said to be up fSi to tSe FORESTS well-known
standard in this type Of entertainment
at the sublimated matrimonial agency OF
the title II Is possible to pick spouse.
buy orange blossoms. rings and even
rare old family lace veil, Elktonize with.
out going to Maryland and finally take
out a policy against going to Reno. Inc
other legitimate attraction Is a mystery
play at the Adelphi, called The Daunt-
less Three" which is said to have every.
thing except consecutlvity. and that sn't
wanted since the authors play, shuttle
wise, with the past, present ana tuture
OF the characters and the situations;
which are sometimes flashbacks ana
sometimes postdated scenes.
TNHE current weeks openings, In addl'
i tion to being. on the whole. the most
meritorious aggregation Of novelt es OF
the season. finally wiped out the big
margin OF revues and musical comedies
over legitimate attractions. which mas
marked the local season OF 1920 up to
last Monday. There was abundant
variety for all tastes in the offer ngs,
what with a play of satire and emotion,
The Famous Mrs. Fair" (Broad); a
operetta. Lady Billy" (Garrick) a
comedy of heart appeal and sentimental
humor Daddy Dumplins" (Lyricl, and
n first-class mus cal comedy, Irene
(Shuberp. None of them proved a
OF them evidenced individual merit, or
at least attractiveness, in varying de-
grees.
UT,HE FAMOUS MRS. FAIR" by
Il James Forbes, author OF THE
Chorus Lady" IS the most substantial
play that Philadelphia theatregDers hove
had a chance to witness for months.
Opinions vary as to its merits as drama
and the sincerity and whoiesomeness OF 81
simply a supermelodrama of sort
!. e., the play of artificial sentiment and
stacy expedients--a Way Down East
with a broad A. II this view Is cor
Immoral or immoral Opposed Is the
commen datlon OF the playgoing comm t.
tee Of the Drama League. whose bulle-
tin says:
ing a timely lesson without being a
preachment drama. From the horror
and glory Of war, to the simple home
life, comes the famous Mrs. Fair. She
chafes under domestic rnonotony. The
temptation Is presented to win the ap-
plause and fame of a lecture tour-she
yields. Her home In peacetime, with
out the mothers guiding hand. Is al
most ruined. She returns in time to
save { and to realize her folly Mrs
Miller and Miss Bates appear to ex-
cellent advantage in the portrayal OF
their respective roles. Miss Gilmore,
in her presentation OF the daughter"
indicating the influence of coarse COM
pan onship on young and susceptible
girl is worthy OF special commenda-
ton
This gives a pretty fair idea of the
underlying thought and objective of the
bill of moral health. In the opposed view
the play Is immoral, not from the angle
Of salacity, for there Is none OF that
but from the standpoint Of ethics and
situation. but does not face II with the
integrity and inev.tableness not merely
OF life as IL should be ideally lived. but
OF human nature as II Is. The crux Of
the question is whether the wife. the
celebrated war worker would really for
give her erring husband, as Mr.. Forbes
has her do, or whether the playwright
was not evasive and. at the least reck-
oning, disingenuous. in resortIng TO the
weak and hacnneyed theatrical expedient
of solving a very real. organic and per-
eonal problem by a tangential factor
that has no intrinsic bearing on the
matter.
This view may be tenable IL one can
consider the salvat on OF a young daugh-
ter, who Is running wild, not Intrinsic
TO the lives OF a middle-aged couple
whose felicity Is on the rocks owing to
the wife's neglect OF family in quest of
what Is good deal like notoriety. and to
the infidelity OF the ignored husband. l..
the family Is considered az both an
economic and spiritual unit, certa My
Mr. Forbes cannot be justly accused Of
dramatursic dishonesty or of having re.
sorted to nelodrama TO drop his final
curtain. As for the probabilities" the
war turned up several cases, which met
WIN much publicity. not all Of Il piti-
less. OF forgiven husbands, who erred
under wartime conditions. SO the play
~ least is not untrue to facts OF life
Inc play holds attention through the
FOUR acts, despite some structural de-
IectS II wavers in its theme and man
ner. beginning az a satire on post war
cond tlons and winding up as a prob.
lem play OF sort. Probably only the
expert Will notice this, in view OF the
speed OF the situations and the fuency
ana tang OF the dialogue, but even the
scious feeling that while Mrs, Fair ia
the central figure OF the first two acts,
me daughter Sylvia Is centralized In the
Iast two. And this feeling breeds a
sensibil.ty OF dramatic incompieteness
and lack OF the rounded satisfaction with
which one departs from such a play as
John Ferguson" or Dear Brutus"
A COMMERCIAL MINDED playgoer.
"A with no more sentiment in mis-
cosmos than say Mr.. Quip. would Xxx.
So, ~ nave me handkerchief privilege or
concession FOR the Lyric during the run
or Daddy Dumplns." II IL wSre -
mSlcal comedy doubtless tho manapns
ment would give away souvenir mon.
Sholrs, Just as they used 10 z We away
doughnuts at doughboy shows AZ
doubtless the credit lines" wbicb tnii
VINO made the gowns. wigs, etc, YouI5
SSaVe an addendum: Handkerchiefs by
Sealpakt. ~
Since this piece. extracted by Earl
musical comedies. from George Barr Nc
Cutcheon's novel, Mr.. BingIe," docs not
pretend TO any higher art than It's souroe
or sentimenGlit", It Is no usa CTItiCizin1 .
as lnartst!c' or immoral. or immoral
or even as moral for a play thai noints
a moral Is as bad as one that bI,,nts %
moral George Jean Nathan would t.Ii
me world, at least the smart mart op
me world. "naddy Dumplins" sirnnIy
prs 70 Ds itselr or rather, TO be George
nirably, Just as he has succeeded,and
everybody knows his position In tho Sc,
column OF b st sellers '''' ''''
IL mas all the effect Of a Bermuda buIb
on that large class which reads Mr Ne.
Cutchcon, and which is high In nercen,
age OF what william James class feJ as
Isnuer'ninded persons II not only IeaJs
,hem 10 the tears, but makes them 40.