The New York herald., 1921-04-19
BARRYMORES "CLAIR DE LUNE"
ECCENTRIC, BUT PLEASES THE EYE
Mrs. John BarrymOre's Play
Acted by Her Husband
and Sister.

Clair de Lune," which was divulsed
70 its first night audence-a highly dis
t.nguished, very friendly and evidently
rather well acquainted gathering-at the
Empire Theatre last night, proved 70 be
mere or less OF family affair. Two OF
the Barrymores acted its leading roles.
Then Michael Strange" who Is in life
Mrs. John Barrymore. wrote the piece.
But the end is not yet. The famed and
musical Morgans Of yesteryear were not
more versatile than the John Barry
mores when 1t comes to the theatre
The scenery In the first and second acts
was from the pen of Mr.. Barrymore
who also designed the mems costumes
The music In the third scene OF the first
act, as Well as a serenade In the second
were composed by Mrs. Barrymore. The
motives for the characters were selected
by the same authority, although she
did not compose the music, but relied
on Moussorgsky. Faure and Ravel. In
another instance the cooperation of De-
busy was invoked.
Clair de Lune" which means moon
light and not moonshine. except in
derived sense, is in three acts. 1t IS,
moreover, in highly poetic language.
This language, while It beat on the
ear drums with increasing incoherence
as the evening went on did not grow
more poetic. Ii was extravagant
strained 70 the point OF eccentricity,
now colloquial. now bombastic, but al
ways more or less Elusive as TO what
the author meant the hearer TO under
stand. The drama Is frankly fantastic
In scene and story, but there is no rea-
son why it should not be told In a Ian
guage that is understanded of the peo-
pie. Perhaps after all this vagueness
Of outline is an advantage
Queen and Her Courtfer.
There seemed to be in the general
moonlight of the whole proceedings
Queen who was inclined to look with
favor on the courtier about to marry
her natural sister, a Duchess. They
were all in a park talking about it
during the first scene. Then to this
same park there entered a troupe Of
players SO much of the dramatic per-
some was evidently out of Victor HuGo's
"L'Homme qu Rit,' to which credit
was given on the programme. But 1t
had been related BY one Of the courtiers
earlier that lackey, told to murder the
illegitimate son Of a Duke. had instead
attacked the real heir and sent him dis
figured into the world. All these things
seemed in the moonlight to be in the
play 1t was all very vague II was
very murky Maeterlinck.
The acrobat or clown, who had his
face cut like Gwymplane Of the Hugo
novel, danced-a wonderful dance, quite
as undraped as any by which Nijinsky
aroused the prudery OF Paris-whe the
beautiful blind girl and the philosopher
in his train watched from the cart of
the mummers. After the beautiful park
of the first act there came the bedroom
OF the Duchess.
Here found his way the clown. who
was by way OF acquiring an affection
for the supersilious aristocrat or the
bar sinister. He seemed to love her.
Then the beautiful blind girl who had
seemed-everythng. II will be observed.
only seemed last night-to be irresist-
ible TO the courtier. But her presence
in the castle was to deliver letter Is
the queen. It was to prove to her that
the clown was in reality the prince she
had betrothed TO her cousin. while the
illegitimate son was the courtier. So
much Of more or less recognizable fic-
tion was contained in two acts.
But il never lasted into The final act
IN it, first scene the blind girl. crushed
by the excitement OF the visit to the
place, was dead on the boat that was
carrying the troupe OF actors away.
Then the clown slipped overheard. VITA
these two went most Of the interest Of
the play. although there was still the
beautiful Miss Barrymore in her role az
queen to banter with the bogus PRINCE
and seem to decline TO become his wife,
much as they both desired x. Maybe il
was not really this. after al. that was
taking plaCe But IL seemed 10 be