New-York tribune., 1921-11-29
The New PLAY
BY Percy Hammond
The Theaser Guild, in Two
Plays From Paris, Pro-
vides a Pleasant Eve
ming at the Carrick

Last evenings exercises at thc Gar
rick, being of French derivation, did
not promise complete enjoyment TO
those who are sceptical of the ability
of American players to represent per-
sons entitled jacques or Gabrielle.
The superior performance by the
Theater Guild Of THE Wife With a
Smile" and "Boubouroche," therefore,
was doubly gratifying. at least to us
OF little faith. The actors bettered en-
pcctation, which is worthy thing to
do. Even Mr.. Arnold DAILY. whose Gus
tom it is in his representations to per-
piex and mystify this observer, was
not so battling as is his wont: and
there were many moments in the two
comedies when he was quite inteihgi-
BILE. The bill, neither item of which
was pregnant with the profundisy said
TO be habitual to the Guild. revealed
that institution in one of its larkish
gestures. It was dignifed and smart
enough. however, to be more of.sa re-
taxation for the Guild than frolic.
In THE Wife with Smile" Mr..
DAILY counterfeited the commercial
NJ Beaudet. tiresome business man
of provincial France, married irrita-
bly, to charming woman who, loath-
ing his heastly manners, yearned for
other things. His way OF arranging
the cushions on the divan infuriatcd
her, and her manner of mussing them
up, again sent him into raptures of iras-
cibility. She liked the modern com
posers; he, the ancient obscenities Of
tho music halls. lie was an ordinary
sort of man, selfish, egoistic boun-
der, cruel and -blooded, boring
her with smutty stories One of his
meaner devices was to brandish an
unloaded pistol as emblematic of
what he would do to her in case she
achieved an infidelity.
): = (:
Tho Ealnhoyant practices of the auc-
tioneer school OF acting were employed
by Mr. DAILY with considerable success
as he barked and tapped his sema-
phoric hands about. Observing him in
his struggles with the character, you
suspected that his aesthetic soul was in
the right place but that his voice and
personwer elsewhere With Mr.. Wilton
Lackayes idea of a dramatic critic, you
may have thought he knew how, but
couldn't. Miss Blanche Yurka, how
ever, was finished, almost, at times, to
the point of veneer in her denotement
of the wife who yoked desperation to
the smile of a deaths head. An excel
lent performance.
She pat bullets in the empty gun, in
the hope that he would shoot her in
che of his playful moments. Where
upon we had a scene IN which we were
tossed excitinely from tension to ten
sion as Mr.. Daily pointed the weapon,
row at his own head, then at hers.
Though a shining mark, Miss yurka, he
m'sscd her, and as the curtain fell
they seemed to be getting along very
we'll together. In case good acting Of
what are known as .bits" interests
you, pleasure is in store for you in a
lovely impersonation by Miss Martha
Bryan Allen as Nine. Beaudet's sym
athletic maid.
= = =.
Boubouroche" is farce wherein
M. DAILY, with serene and fiinty
nncton. performs as an elderly Par-
sian in the comic process of being de-
ceived by his mistress. 1t is an adroit
fragment, deftly directed by Philip
Moeller, with few jarring conflicts be-
tween the American verenacular and
the French atmosphere. This play is
by Georges Courteline and the other is
by Denys Amicl and Andre Obey Both
were put into English by Ruth Liv.
ingston, whose cunning translations
were not the least of the evenings
successful features.