New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-04-19
Fitful Play by Michael
Strange Brings Well
Loved Stars Back 10 Our
Stage After am Absence
By Haywood Broun

By Haywood Broun
Spot any playwright two Barrymores
and he can hardly fail to bring some
orilllance into the theater There was
flttul lightning in the Empire last NIGHT
when Michael Strange's "Clair do Lune"
was produced with Miss Ethel Barry
more and John Barrymore in two of the
leading roles. All too many finer PLAYS
have Jared worse. 1t does not seem to
us that "Clair de Lunc" is good enough
10 deserve Barrymore. And vet it is
only fair to say for Michael Strange
that she has not tried merely to hitch
ner wagon to her stars. The best part
IN the play falls to neither BARRYMORE.
but to Miss Violet Kemblc Cooper. If
we had any confidence in our ability
10 TELL player from his part we might
even hazard the opinion that the best
Work OF the evening was that of Miss
cooper. but 1T is more than likely that
.nls is because OF the fact that the best
writing has been done about her.
1t seemed to us that Michael Strange
vas FAR more interested in the crea-
tlon OF certain moods than in telling
story. She has, therefore, set an
enormously difficult task for hersclf
ana In part she has succeeded. In mar.
ttcuiar, she has devised most thrill-
ing entrance for John BARRYMORE To
DC sure 1T derived some Of its excite
ment from the fact that a well-loyed
prayer, long absent, came back to our
stage. He came somcrsaulting. But
mere was present, too, shrewd schem
sns on the part of the playwright to
nhd ana set just the moment and Tho
. mood: There was q fine entrance. also
tor Miss Ethel Barrymore. who. ,looked
more beautiful than ever before. but
the credit for this fact we sunnoso
must DC shared by Miss Barrymore and
, nod' without much reckoning for
Michael Strange
AGAIN John Rarrymorc's first scene
l has IN IT gripping suspense. We SOC
I'm oanclng masked and We are prom
'sed mat when The mask d,ops there
W ~, re s'ght OF fascinating horror
~ thls respect the acto: ha~tll,, nlavs
me author quite fair. He has s1ash Cd
MS mouth little wider into a >l,a.
gese'on OF a set smile, but countenanccs
lar more tearsome arc in the daily ex
per'ence Of us all. After that # did
MOI seem to US that there was any very
great demand upon the powers of The
'w9 stars or opportunity for them
'onn barrymore. TO be sure. was en-
,,lsteo TOT the best scene of the play.
inc STRIKING love episode in the bed
room OF the Duchess. Here came the
great surprise of The evening. In Inc
love making Mr.. Barrymore was en-
urely the secondary figure. The dom
lhaht male was quite obscurcd by the
dominant female. The surprise was all
me more startling from the fact that
MISS Coopcr seemed to approach her
scene with the greatest trepdatiop.
During the preliminary maneuvers. in
which two maids in waiting removed
her stockings, the young Anglo Saxon
actress seemed about as happy as 81
martyr with his lions and less Inspired
fut once in robe and slippers she
easily assumed command of the scene.
which was written entirely in her
favor. Barrymore was a man with a
deformcd and crooked mouth, but aside
from that he was presented as the
most simple and conventional of lovers.
Inc Duchess, on the other hand. was 81
lady deformed of soul Her fantasies
OF mind SCARED the imagination much
moro deeply than the face of the
mouhtepank. Cast as a mere runner
up IN wickedness, John Barrymore was
enormously curtailed and Miss Cooper
made the scene her own from begin
ming to end.
Later in the third act, during the
Death of the blind girl whom he loved
barrymore played with convincing ten
oerness, but this has always seemed to
us among the lesser notes Of his acting
range. HIS is not d flaming part and
we found no moment in the EVENING
when he burned. @
AS Tor Miss Ethel Barrymore. she ac-
compiished easily the regal air TO-
CURED OF her To her fell also some
smart ines and of course she made
mem teil. But of all the Barrymores
sne IS the one who can most perfectly
play scene directly for the svnnatb.,
of an audience. Pit her in q 'p ,lo"is
with John and Lionel for this emot 'io',
and at the end of the second act .nm
mousse would gladly lynch the brothers
Tor her sake. OF such stirring ANNALS
she had none last night. -
concerning the plot Of Clair de Lunen
}, Is not necessary to say verv mmcb
IT follows the general scheme or .T,,
Man Who Laughs" in CONCERNING itsa ne
with man whose face has heon A.
formed into perpetual smile and tho
ohnd girl who loves him and who 10 e
no knowledge of his ndeous deform;tu
inese TWO, mountebanks, are plunred
INTO the dirty intrigues of the court
ana their eventual escape to peace los
through death. ''e'
More detail we cannot give. One Of
. .,e characters IN the play remarks.
Before the rain can fall it is neces,
sary tor the mist to gather" or,words
10 that effect We think Michael Strange
mas been a little too intent. on assem-
bling the mist
Two OF the scenes are from designs
oy John Barrymore and are unusually
interesting, as is the boat scene of d.
Lyall Swete. -
The audience was large, brilliant and
socially elect. 1t behaved like the vcrN,
devil. W.
g. ~