New-York tribune., 1921-08-12

lust before the final curtsin falls on
rMsrch Hares" the heroine slaps the
hero in the face and he buries his
head in his hands and weeps. The new
comedy b. Harry WagstaF Gribble,
which WAS produced at the Bijou
Theatre last night, is unusual. The
,shed as on the memorable first night
81 several seasons ago when Good
Gracious Anuabelle" was first intro
ducsd to q New York public.
Mr.. Gribble's play Is much more mad
than Miss Runners in her most ex-
trsvsganu moods and it is almost as
funny. 1t daunts sophistication like
a Gag. If by any chance the producer
Of "Gettiae Gertie's Garter" under
stands what March Hares" is all
about he will die OF envy.
The uses OF perversity may not be
sweet. but Nr. Gribble at least has
made them witty.
The play has sinking spells, but in
its best moments it offers some of the
most agile dialogue which our theater
has klown. and Mr.. Gribble will be
justified in barring his chest to pos
sibly shocked public and exclaiming,
All this be decadence, make the most
OF IT."
But chests are hardly in order
~Msrch Hares" marks the inevitable re-
scticn against the drama of the he
u.an. Nothing less virile or 100 per
cent anything can possibly be mag
ined What with the various heroes
recruited from the Canadian Mounted,
the Yukon and way stations, our drama
has had so much of q Northern ex-
posure that & shift in the wind wss
inevitable. The dafodil has been
waited back to his kingdom.
March Hares" is study of the ar
tistic temp which follows none
Of the traditions set down for plays Of
this type. The hero and the heroine,
both OF them teachers of elocution, and
all their friends are more eccentric
than the farthest point yet reached
in the theater. The play makes no
pretense of being anything but arti-
fetal. Naturally the story is of the
slightest. though it occasionally bursts
out into feverish farcical activity. The
piece lives by talk, and it is often gor-
geous talk, following rather closely
the Hummer formula of seeking some
more interesting route between two
points than the straight line. Unlike
Hummer dialogue, the nonsense does
not lle IN the cool regions Of the dis
embodied. It is rather like the annual
college show Of the pupils of DR.. Freud
IN year when they mad chosen farce.
Some rather unpleasant and horrify-
ing twists OF mind are seized upon by
the author IS the most jocose things
In the world. He does not quite sue
ceed II making them altogether win
ming. We must confess that there
ware moments when we could not quite
see the point because of the pathology.
re even mad an occasional revuls.on
OF feeling when We should have liked
20 see Dustin Farnum or Montagu Love
march uron the stage with expanded
chest. Alexander Onslow, who plays
the chief role, which is one of exceed
lngly great difficulties, gives an enor-
ously skillful performance, but to this
particular spectator his personality is
a little against the grain.
4 capital cast has been recruited
throughout for March Hares," but the
direction might be a little better and
the team work is not ye. silken
Adrienne Morrison is particularly
happy Interpreter and there is also ex-
eelenr work by Lucille Watson, cast
curiously enough, as an old woman, ant
Norma Mitchell.