The New York herald., 1921-09-08
'Tarzan of the Apes
Is DramatizatiOn
of Hippodrome
Play at Broadhurst Theatre
Lacks Only an Elephant
or Two.

"Tarzan OF the Apes" presented in
four acts and two shots at the Broad
hurst Theatre last night. was the Hip
podrome dramatized. II an elephant
or so had only been there to shimmy
the resemblance would have been COM
plete, and Marceline wouldn't have been
needed. for the actors were funny In
themselves. AS it was, there were
monkeys galore and q lion, and they
proved SO fascinating in their jungle
haunts that whenever a human being
opened his mouth one wished George
Broadhurst had confined himself to ami
mails for actors.
After this Barnum & Baileys will
come as an anti-climax. And this melo-
drama adapted from the novel by Edgar
Rice Burroughs demonstrated how
quickly civilization can be thrust on
savage races when a cute damsel with
winsome eyes is doing the thrusting,
especially IL highly intelligent person
has been chosen to revert to woodland
ways and ind icate that Darwin had the
right dope about the affinity between
the apes and the lounge lizards. For
this highly intelligent Tarsdn, left alone
in the African forest with the American
heiress he has just rescued from
gorilla, learns English from her and
at the same time Is falling in love with
her so swiftly that one almost expects
to hear her gurgle. "Oh, Mr.. Tarzan,
this is so sudden y
But one knew instinctively tha. he
would master speech quickly, for he had
been constantly babbling in his native
apese. He growled and swore in it
cne feared-in the thick OF the fight
with the ape, inevitably calling to mind
Walter Hampden's loquacious combat
with Lnertcs in Hamlet" He conversed
In deep baritone. for evidently being
brought UP by monkeys does not conduce
tc developing tenor.
Models OF Crisp Dialogue.
Those conversations Tnrron had with
'he mother ape who fostercd him were
models of their kind for sharp, crisp dia-
logue with their grunts and woofs.
Other aspiring dramatists should study
them-"Dulcy" itself does not surpass
them for pungency. And the touching
scenes between the maternal simian and
1orrGr at three stages o, his growth
presented a new variation Of the great
mother motif that William Fox might be
envious OF filming. However, 1t was
easy 70 understand why Mr.. Broadhurst
should insert notice in the programme
that curtain calls were to be taken only
at the end of the play. for TGrsan's
monkey vocabulary seemed to consist
principally OF something like "silhou-
ette,' cigarette" and "silium."
1t was when they handed out lines to
hat Ma RI
Woodgate and Arthur Gibbons. who did
the dramatization, seemed to remember
that the traditions Of melodrama i'm
ported from overseas should be stupid,
and lost their monkey sparkle. AS an
instance, one truly classic gem dropped
when TGrSdn alighted on the roof Of the
roof OF the jungle hut containing the
expedition searching for him. and
emitted a roar half way between the
blast OF fish horn and a fog horn,
whereupon one Of the party remarked ::
about all this 1t was only appropriate
that the orchestra should burst into
Mighty LAX Rose"
Again, the American girl says to the
inartculate ape-man, amid the verdant
depths: Let me introduce you to my
father" And pa remarks to the mute
hero: II will not attempt to thank you
for all you have done for my daugh-
ter"
But the adapters know their formula
for successful meiodrama well, and the
action proceeds very straightforwardly.
with plenty OF thrills and occasional
humor--much of 1t unconscious. 1t is
a simple. obvious story OF the scion of
nobility. adopted by apes after his titled
father and mother. marooned by mu-
tineers, have died. and full many a
reader knows how he is rescued and
finally overthrows the plotting villain
who would deprive him OF the chance
to aft the mortgage from the old castle.
tle
Sense of Acting Values.
Ronald Adair. brought over with some
of the original London company, was a
very strapping specimen, who swung
easily through the air and showed a
sense of acting values unusual In a cave
man. making the scene where he grap-
pied with articulatc speech fairly grip
ping despite Miss Ethel Dwyer's re-
scmblancc to Hermione dealing with the
primal urge.
The rest OF the cast. including Greta
Kanbe Cooper. Minna Gayle Haynes,
Boyd Clark. Forrest Robinson and How
ard Kyle, were lost in the scenery and
the banal language. The best actors
were those in the quadrupcd parts-one
could hardly believe monkeys could be
SO intelligent. And the splendid lion that
looked out at the monkeys keeping him
up at such an uncarthly hour. and then
had an exciting death struggle with
supposedly-earned the dish of
carrots that his Equity contract do doubt
calls for.
Scenicaliy the ten episodes. especially
In the jungle settings. are remarkable
except that Mrs. Lillian Trimble Brad
ley in staging Il seems to have caught
the TdrSGn atmosphere and seen red
too often. Despite many crudities one