The Washington herald., 1921-12-27
THE CAST
BY EARLE DORSEY.

In the hands of a capable dramstlst
and favored with staSecraft OF even
a second-rate order. 1t is possible to
conceive that the thematic idea Of
Green Jade" might be developed into
stage portrait Of arresting value
portrait contering about a 6lav
musical genius, man completely in
different to the ordinary moralities
and the conventions.
1t is not to be assumed. Of course,
that Green Jade" is anything of that
sort Green Jade in its current
FORM vaguely and feeting suggests
a play. OF itself. it ocers some of the
worst acting and some of the most
shocking direction that one can
imagine extant. 1t is only in its Dos,
sibiities that 1t suggests a modicun
Of thester value, Tor in its present
| form, Green Jade" is a tiresoNa
forced and altogether stilted attempt
that completely defeats its own stage
purpose
Green Jade is an attempt to
visualize and make repugnant the low
deviltries of a Russian musician who
takes life as he finds 1t and regards
matrimony as the most transient of
relations. An American girl of the
Paris Latin Quarter is the FIRST to
serve his purpose when she forgets
the lover who went off to win fortune.
and marries the Russian on the eve
| or the former lovers return.
Though warned that neglect of
mis- wife will cause his murder. the
russian Ignores the baked lover
and proceeds to sell her to an erotic
concert impresario for a chance to
appear on the concert stage.
Discovering the fellows peridy.
the tmpresario turns her out of his
! boudoir, with the contract in her
hand. Eventually they reach Rio
on a concert tour, where the pianist
is caught in the act of giving his
wife the slip and running OF with an
| other mans wife. The impresario
however. is present, to indicate
J the first wife's honor-her old lover
being on the scene to kill the mu
| sician-but the formality of MUIR
der is attended to by the other
husband, who resents with true
southern dispatch the attempt to
steal his consort
There you have Green Jade" in
essence. but it's handling is vastly
another matter. II you can imagine
William Jennings Bryan, with his
pompous. meticulous ms silence on
the Notwithstanding to pose as
Leo Ditrichstein, you have a fairly
accurate idea of the dignined. al
most ecclesiast cal Orrin johnson,
playing the part of the impresario.
II you can imagine Louise Closse,
Hale or Mrs. Fiske playing Marilynn
| Miller's part in "Sallie," you can
imagine Mabel Brownell attempting
to become the musicians wife-for
whom three men have struggled. II
| one can imagine-but let us draw
the veil.
The outstanding bright spot In
the opus Is its settings, These set
tings in several scenes attain a
pleasing and presumably an artistic
status. but even the settings are
spoiled by the gesticulation that
passes for acting and the whooping.
bowling and yelling that goes off
for gayety This is directly Charge
able to the direction.
The net result of this clownins
and caricaturing is the complete
miscarriage of the spirit of the play.
One could only feel the greatest
sympathy for the villa in his at
tempt to elope with charming
Brazilian. One wondered why he
waited so long. His murder, az a
| natter of fact, came with a sense
Of regret. By the end Of four acts,
1t Is utterly impossible to feel sorry
for his wife and one questions the
taste of the lover who had sought
so long so stolid an animal The
election Of the same lady from the
impresario's midnight supper and
boudoir was creditable but not on
grounds Of pity.
IL, however. it is the purpose of
Mr.. Hurtik to continue Green
Jade" in its present form. Arthur
Hohi, the interpreter of the musi-
cal villain. should be fired on the
instant. 1t is this fellows COM
petent acting that constantly