Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-11-12
O'NEILL PLAY
PRESENTED TO
BROADWAY
Pauline Lord Wins Honor in
Anna Christie Cast-Billie
Burke Returns to Stage.
N. Y. THEATRICAL NEWS
Special to Indiana Daily Times
and Philadelphia Public Ledger.
BY GILBERT sFLDES.

LEDGER.
BY GILBERT SELDES.
NEW YORK, Nov. FL swOre. but, as
Omar asked, was I sober when I swore?
! promised last week to catalOg and
sort out the chief plays Of the season
so far, to be guide and press agent and
friend. But did I know that with two
holidays in the week the canny pro-
dUcers would fling more than half dozen
openings upon me? forgive the apparent
egotism Of that; some Of them even for
got TO invite mel in the first nights OF
the week, with more for the remainder.
I did not. Not since Armistice night a
year ago have I been Invited to see a
play on q holiday; yet such was the
pressure Of events that even this hap
pened. I withdrew for a EOment the
critical resume. Here, with the help of
a faithful helper, is soma indication Of
what happened last week, with 4 pre-
Iiminary note OF = play only mentioned
the week before.
anna Christie" is the name Of it;
Eugene O'Neill is the author; Arshur
Hopkins has put Pauline Lord into the
name part; Robert Edmond Jones CON
trived-or I should say more accurately,
imagined-a fog scene for it. And. what
win make it more important TO many who
have admired Mr.. O'Neills Talents" and
have not been able TO bear the grim and
undertaking tragedy Of lis other plays,
Il has certain number Of lighter touches
and ends, within limits, happily. That
is to say, it ends with the two young
people in it accepting each other. while
the girls father. looking over his little
barge, only allows himself to wonder.
The play ought really to settle the ques-
ton Of the happy ending for a great
many people. If a happy ending can
make a play popular, while the rest of
the play is serious-and that is what is
generally believed-"Anna Christie" win
have its popularity. Otherwise it will
continue to attract interest for its ex-
cellent qualities. 1t is acted with much
restraint-the Hopkins habit-and Paul
inc Lord, who most subtly suggests the
second generation Of Scandinavian par
ents in America, holds most of the tricks
I do not know whether Miss Billie
Burke has ever played in n piece by
Booth Harrington before. Her two prin-
cipals. Alfred Lunt and Glenn Hunter
must know Mr.. Tarkington's mind pretty
fully BY this time. They are together in
The Intimate Strangers" q play more
IN the manner Of Clarence" and Seven
teen" than in that of, say "POIdekin."
Il is for the most part straight light
comedy with those particular nuisances
about youth. which Mr. Tarkin gtOn has
made altogether his own. Miss Burke
has a grateful part for an actress Of
courage; for she has to play older than
her part much Of thu time and then
dazzle with youth at just the right mo-
ment. Mr.. Lunt is the other stranger
the two meeting az j desOlate railway
station. Frances Howard. playing the
rart Of a niece to Miss Burke. has Glenn
Hunter in attendance. and her ever so
modern happer tactics against the sup
posed maturity of her aunt's fnesee.
forms the structure Of the comedy. In
the end the generations pair of success
fully: there is enough to 20 round, in
any case But as in Clarence" the end
ing doesn't matter: high spirits. gently
malicious observation and good humor
carry the day.
Having said good humor, what is one
to say Of THE Perfect Fool" which Ed
Wynn presents and claims to be and Is:
His new show and he himself are Il fairly
fresh Development Of responsibility, in
comparison with the JolsOn show it is
tightly knit and well constructed. Wynn
provides. He has furnished the words
and the music and the fun; he has a
large and active caste of principals His
humor is quite mad and irresistible.
The Great Way" is a dramatizat ton of
novel which IS not in the best seller
class, but which is interesting. apart
from itself, because il represents the re-
turn to book publishing of Mitchell Ken
nerley. No sooner had Mr.. KennerIey
published this. book by Horace Fish than
1t was dramatized (by Helen Freeman In
collaboration with the authOr) Miss Free
man plays the principal part, that of a
young Spanish woman who has a long
and lsboriOus climb before becoming
great operate singer. The play has
dramatic possibilities not fully exploited
and had the disadvantage Of opening in