New-York tribune., 1920-11-10
The Mandarin
Is Another PLAY
About Mad Folks
Curious and Dull Drama
Tells of Young Man Who
Has Magic Spell by Which
Women May Be Won
THE CAST
By Haywood Broun

Ihe Mandarin" which was pro-
duced at the Princess Theater last
night, is g curious but nevertheless
Gull play. Herman Bernstein has
adapted it from piece by Paul Frank,
OF vienna. Its intent includes much
of the research of Freud and Kraft-
to'ng, but for all the fact that it de-
rlves from Modern study of morbid
psychology the form of the play closely
resembles our old friend of the Sun
day school entertainment called "The
hachelor's Dream" in which various
young women of the Epworth League
step from the fireplace as the young
man maps before the embers.
The hero of the play, a neurasthenic
young sensualist, meets in the park
stranger who promises to make con-
quest easy for him. After some per-
snaslon the stranger prevails upon the
young man to accept Chinese doll, the
little figure of mandarin, and tells
him that he has only to mention to
me doll the name Of any woman and
tnat by the supernatural quality Of
the mandarin the woman will immcdi-
atciy be brought to him, and that she
Will be complaisant to his desires. The
young man tests the strangers fan
tastic promise and finds that it is true
Alter one or two rather Incompetent
slble choices on the part Of the hero
some lobby veg suggested that he
would better have summoned Delysia
and broken up the show at the Central
Theater.
However, the young man held to his
own Judgment First it was the orig
inal of most fearful looking portrait t
which hung over his fireplace, and then
somewhat hammered miss OF assured
social position. The audience was also
gwen to understand that the doll had
been kept more than busy in the inter
val between the first and second acts.
AT any rate, il the third act the vouro
man decides that there is no happiness q
IN such easy conquests. 1t is, as he
explains, TOO convenient. The very per-
fcctlon OF the formula has robbed ro-
nance OF all its adventurous quality.
Accordingly, he tries to rid himself Of
the mandarin, now grown to mans size
and full of mockery. Falling in love
with Russian opera singer, he en-
deavors to WOO without resort to black
art and he fails badly, while the man
DARN, Invisible to the rest of the
world, stands at his elbow and tcmDts
MN to the use Of his magic power and
certain success.
In a mad fury the hero tries to en-
brace the scornful singer against her
VAL and finds that it is the mandarin
ne, holds in his arms. Then after
!!ongish intcrmission there comes an
epllogue in which it is disclosed that
the young man is mad and that all the
o(ther, persons who have appeared in
the play are also patients of a sanitar-
ium. The happenings, seemingly, have
been nothing more than the swlft mag
hlngs of the hero's disordered fancy.
The play is staged pretentiouslv, but
win little skill. Brandon lyman PLAYS
we'll in part so devoid Of humor that
1t - constantly on the edge of uncon-
Sclous burlesque. There is also an ef
1ectivc performance by ualina Rlu-
zovna, new player, as the Russian
opera singer. Most Of the ncurologists
III town were present and seemed to
have a jolly time.