The New York herald., 1921-02-20
PLA YWRIGHTS, ACTRESSES AND
THE COST OF THEATRE TICKETS
ny LAWRENCE REAMER.

suit. Just as false will be the event
Of any series of circumstances which
Is altered from Its logical course. The
heroine need not be run over by the
railr ad train, but may become the
happy bride of the villain. Yet that
VIII be trying TO get five out Of the
combination Of two and two. which we
know ought to make four according
TO the elements with which the play
wright set out to work. In other words,
q story must end losically and In ac-
cordance with the conditions the author
has set out to work with. The effort
to do anything else because the public
does not care for the product of-these
conditions makes five out OF two and
two"
This was the opinion " Alexandra
Dumas as to the effect OF changing the
ending OF a play. How true that doc
trine holds to-day it Is not easy TO say.
Miss Lulu Bett' has undergone this
process more than once and is said TO
have benefited W the operation. Its
material success OF least seems as
sured II has been said that the un-
ceasing vigilance of Brock Pemberton,
who neither slumbers nor sleeps. has led
him TO invent several endings TO Miss
Gales play. Standing in the lobby he
studies the aspect OF the arriving
ending will be most congenial he quietly
slips behind the scenes and attaches the
finale which ne thinks will cause the
spectators TO write home about IL, or
at least tell all their friends not to miss
the piece at the Belmont whatever they
have to give up. II takes genius TO be
producing manager In these days and
Mr.. Pemberton has proved his qualifica-
tions for his profession by the invention
OF the detachable ending for plays,
which is something NJ. Dumas never
dreamed OF.
Another Miss watson.
II may be that Lucille Watson never
before had the opportunity 70 reveal
tenderness affection and the mild de-
spalr that the approach Of middle age
brings before she acted in THE White
villa" Managers may have kept her
always cacklinR away In her hard and
rather brittle style Mt cpigrams which
were sometimes much harder 10 get
over than the authors dreamed they
were going TO be. Such is the peril OF
gaining a reputation in one speciality.
Miss Watson acted the femme de
chambre In "A Marriage OF Convenience
two years ago without making any
Epeclal impression in part which wac
OF course NlluOuL SNttA
SO Il must have been the character OF
Elsie IN the play which Mrs. Ellis drew
from Karen Michaelis's The Dangerous
Age" which so much inspired the
actress Miss Watson. who is always
comely enough. had actually converted
herself into a stage beauty. Her profile
was In particular quite OF a character 70
qualify her for Ziegfeldian honors
Her remarkable performance has al
ready been sufficiently praised. ~ was
wonderful tour de force. She swept tho
whole gamut OF a woman's feelings and
ahe struck every note with telling effect.
II IS 10 be hoped that sho may some
day have an opportunity 70 reveal these
talents IN other plays. Mrs. Flhs's
prolix and rambling study of n woman's
mind az certain times OF her life has
engrossing passa gcs. but K seemed all
most unnecessarlly long the other after
noon In the meantime, Miss Watson
,e ready for the repertoire IN which Mrs.
Fislte revclled decade ago, more or
iesa RI there must be another Heddd
there could he none better than Miss
Watson. And there are other roles IN
which she might distinguish herself
Any actress who played as she did on
Monday afternoon al the Eltinge The
atre has powers that should carry her
far