The Washington herald., 1921-04-24

company and the younger HaIlam
was on the boards, with his mother.
At one time he played Romeo TO
her Juliet. said to have been the
only known case where mother and
son filled these parts.
Henry was an Irishman OF large
build, an unusually handsome man.
and the delight Of feminine hearts
in romantic parts. But one of his
most successful roles was that Of
an old soldier suffering from gout.
This disease afflicted the actor In
reality. SO much so that he could
scarcely walk at times The soldiers
role called for a drunken, equity
fellow who had his feet stepped on
by clumsy persons. and at one
place in the play he undertook 20
dance as a means Of proving his
sobriety. Henry's very real agony
used TO send his spectators into
roars. Washington was one OF those
who found pleasure in seeing him
play this part.
The disagreement between New
York and Chicago on matters thezt-
ricsl is notorious. and. according TO
the Chicago Tribune's penetrating
Mr.. Hammond. it is q breach which
is not becoming any less. Mr.. Ham
mond. 20 prove Il. takes Burns
MantIe's The Best Plays OF 1919
1s2o"-best from the New York
viewpoint. that is-and inquiries
what became OF them in Chicago.
Mr.. MantIe's ten representative
plays OF the season were Too
Many Husbands" Wedding Bells"
The Famous Mrs. Fair" "CIar-
ence." Beyond the Horizon" De-
classe," Abraham Lincoln Jane
! Clegg." Adam and Eva" and The
lest"
Some Of these plays" writes Mr
/ Hammond, were regarded as good
in Chicago, too; some were success
full and others failed to ring tho
bell OF either the coGnoscenti or
the habitual theatergoers. Lincoln
did well with both classes: 'Beyona
the Horizon with neither. Too
Many Husbands trumpeted by the
critics, prospered for a fortnight.
but it was not long before IL went
away. a lily in its hand. Clarence
had no troubles here, though il was
n
| 'Declsssee,' aided by Miss Barry
more's prestige. was notably appre-
cisted. Wedding Bells took the
count OF public indifference early in
its engagement and was carried out
Of the Cort feet first TO the store
house. Adam and Eva flushed
with its New York triumph. was
practically unknown at the La
Salle, but Il fingered there des-
perately. long after II should have
been gone.
The Famous Mrs. Pair does
very well at the Blackstone, though
am told that Mr.. Miller believes
IL deserves to do better The Jest
and Jane Clegg' are unknown to
the general Chicago public. since
they did not venture thus far.
so out of Mr.. MRntle's ten best
popular plays in New York onfy
three were particularly successful
in Chicago. -Four were downright
failures and one other is compare
lively a fsyorite. This growing
habit OF the outsider TO disagre.
with or to ignore the capital in the
matter OF shows and players is be-
ginning to make the dramatic trade
an intricate vocation. Here for
instance. is Happy-Go-Lucky.' a
forlorn hivver in New York.
wreathed with victory at the Play
house. while AS You Were a pet
in the metropolis, lanGuishes next
door. inspiring its sectors TO bitter
words about our taste in the the
ater. These are but two in a recen-
dozen. II this policy OF indifference
to the East's DEGREES in show mat
ters continues TO develop. the rro-
| ducers will have, ere long. to send
| US the New York failures and TO
/ keep the New York successes for
| performance east OF the Allie
/ ghanies."
Franz Molnsr's 'I.ilion. performed
| by the Theater Guild al the Gar
/ rick Theater in New York on Fri
day night. marks the highest point
/ Yet reached by an organization
which has grown steadily in power.
/ says Haywood Brown in the Tri-
/ bune. No matter what dire thing
may happen by any chance in the
| future, the members OF the guild
will always be able to stand their
| ground against scoers and say.
We'll. We did Iiliom.' didn't we
and there will be no possivle an
swer- We don't believe any or
ganization now in New York Is
! capable of making better pro-
duCtion- II IL can. why hasn't n
We like the play largely from tho
fact that il deals with the sort ~
theme which James VI. Barrie might
have chosen for his own and then
proceeds TO develop il without do
ing one of the things which the 1T
tie Scotsman would have heen sure
to do. Not once does Molnar hide
| himself in whimsiCality and say.
! ''Of course this doesn't moan any
: thing: hut after all why should it,
I'm writing fantasy" He even
takes his logic 20 heaven with hin.
| when the play requires that ne shau
/ 20 SO far. As to his notion thst
love is something beyond all rules
and laws. that n one loves he es-
! cares even obligation toward m.
loved one. We are not moved 20 COM
plete agreement There Is somo
sentimental tosh in the rlay. but II
/ is almost the hest toSh We ever
heard Even when MnlnaT SAYS
things which are not true we arc
not disposed 20 quarrel with him
i because he says them So well Gem
orally We are moved to believe that
they ought to he true
L.iliom is a rowdy who wins the
love Of a young girl and then abuses
her shamefully and finally dies. Co
ing 10 the court Of heaven. he is as
signed for a period 10 2 cleansing
plane and then sent hack to earth
for a single day that he may do