The New York herald., 1921-02-20
PLAYWRIGHTS, ACTRESSES AND
THE COST OF THEATRE TICKETS
BY LAWRENCE REAMER.

| suit. Just as false will be the event
Of any series of circumstances which
Is altered from It's logical course. The
heroine need not be run over by the
railroad train. but may become the
happy bride of the villain. Yet that
will 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,
story must end logically 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 OF Alexandra
Dumas as TO the effect of changing the
ending Of a play. How true that doc
trine holds to-day II Is not easy to say.
Miss Lulu Bett' has undergone this
process more than once and IL said to
have benefited by the operation. It's
material success Mt 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
audience. Judging from its looks which
ending will be most congenial. he quietly
slips behind the scenes and attaches the
finale which he thinks will cause the
spectators 10 write home about II, 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 o
producing manager in these days and
Mr.. Pemberton has proved his qualifica-
tions for his profession by tho Invention
of the detachable ending for plays.
which is something NJ. Dumas never
dreamed OF.
Another Miss Watson.
1t may be that Lucille Watson never
before had the opportunity to reveal
tenderness. affection and the mild de-
spair that the approach of middle age
brings before she acted In THE White
Villa" Managers may have kept her
always cackling away in her hard and
rather brittle style at epigrams which
were sometimes much harder TO get
over" than the authors dreamed they
were going 20 pe Such is the peril OF
gaining a reputation in one specially.
Miss Watson acted the femme de
chambre I'm "A Marriage OF Convenience
two years ago without making any
special impression I'm part which was
VI COuItt NiNnOul bi'tfN NFfNi
SO II 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 tho
actress. Miss Watson. who is always
comely enough, had actually converted
herself into n stage beauty. Her profile
was In particular quite OF a character 20
qualify her for Zegfeldian honors.
Her remarkable performance has al
ready been sufficiently praised. II was
wonderful tour de force. She swept the
whole gamut OF woman's feelings and
she struck every note with telling effect
II Is TO be hoped that she may some
day have an opportunity to reveal these
talents In other plays. Mrs. Ellis's
prolx and rambling study of n woman's
mind at certain times of her life has
engrossing passages, but II seemed all
most unnecessarily long the other after
noon. In the meantime. Miss Watson
Is ready for the repertoire In which Mrs.
Flslke revelied decade ago. more or
less IL there must be another Heddd
there could be none better than Miss
Watson. And there are other roles In
which che might distinguish herself
Any actress who played as she did on
Monday afternoon at the Eltlnge The
atre has powers that should carry her
far.
what's 60 Re the Price.
..t.. - A.