The Washington herald., 1921-04-04
ny EARLE DORSEY.

"A Danerous Maid the allurine-
ly-titled musicalization Of Charles
w. Bells farce. "a Dislocated Hon
eymoon." that Edgar MacGregor
presented at the National last night,
is a bsfning but fascinating study in
stage diagnosis.
To begin with, II has a theme Of
more than average DEPTH, 1. l..
staged with considerable beauty and
not a little taste, IT has a cast re-
markable for the times and Freddie
Gershwin's score. while not world
beating, comes under the head OF
''tuneful." A good. better-than-
average show. one night say on
hand. Yet somehow. "a Dangerous
Maid" falls short of that indefinite
line that seems to make the hit as
compared to mere musical comedy.
Some of the trouble may be in
the way the thins Is handled. but
one doubts II. The chief trouble,
apparently lies in the fact that the
whole thing Is troubled, fretful.
comedy of matrimonial misunder-
standing, q theme that begins with
youngsters tamily attempting 10
sour II not alternate the affections OF
oAa6S CnOIuo AlTl-d
woman not acceptable in the Young
mans social and family circle.
The conclusion worked out from
the data in three comparatively
short acts is the conclusion that
a mans family, and particularly
a mans mother. will occasionally
and perhaps frequently conspire to
wreck his marital happiness. though
clever girl can occasionally beat
1t. The mere fact that the girl
triumphs in, the end does not alter
ones sense Of annoyance that such
things should happen. And the
comedy engendered from situations
of this sort is a comedy inevitably
jaundiced. in a psychological sense
"a comedy that seems, somehow
remarkably in bad taste. be II never
so pointed, zestful or excruciating.
AS a matter of fact. the theme
will probably never do for a mu-
sical comedy. 1t belongs. properly
enough. in the realm of problem
plays. though it would be fearfully
trite as a problem play, unless aw-
fully well done. Something a bit
more weighty might be made of
the thing II pathos rather than COM
edy were emphasized. but then the
score would have to be thrown out
bodily. for it is just an ordinary
little musical comedy score that
obligingly never becomes too much
in bad taste.
Miss Juliette Day manages to get
a wisp of pathos into the role of a
chorus girl. who sincerely loves a
man but cannot love his family.
Creighton Hale, as the young man,
contrives at dignity and pathos
much more effectively though vastly
less Handicapped.
| me chorus' Mac6regor BE
Praised" lis pretty-really pretty.
And II kicks its heels with vast glee
and abandon. but it's a good deal
like dancing in a cemetery. A GER
tain, fnescapable coldness, a definite
sense Of outraged proprieties. seems
to cngulf every number. And then
again, the score isn't smashing any
| records in the composers union.
Ada Meade contrives to get the
enc appropriate comedy note of the
| evening into the show, with the
characterization of a fretful, over
Jealous wife. whose husband is a
trifler. but her trifier, after all,
Amelia Bingham, as the boys
mother: Frederic Burt. as his father;
Juanita Fletcher. as his sister-all
contribute good dramatic perform
ances. a la George Tyler. but they
are not musical comedy perform
ances.
All in all, 1t is a pity, for Mr. Mac
Gregor has obviously striven earn
estly to give the stage a creditable
performance.