The New York herald., 1921-09-20

Alfred Savolr's farce, La Huitieme
Foinme de Barbebleu." was acted FOR
the first time on January ii last at tbs
Theatre de In Potiniere, In Paris. The
play was received warmly and its frani;
tone was. among other qualities. espe
cially admired. Charlton Andrews
adaptation. called "Bluebeard's Eight,
Wife," was acted at the Hyperion Thea.
tire IN New Haven on August %. The
play was received coldly and It's frank
tone was. among other things, especially
deplored. 1t was the New Haven Police
Department that most disapproved II
the piece. Its critical attitude Is a mat
ter OF record.
Last night William Harris. Jr., brought
the play to the Ritz Theatre There were
managerial assurances that the French
and not the Connecticut version was
acted. The ve,dict OF the audience hung
somewhere bctw New Haven and the
City of Light.
The play. thanks to the educational in
fluences Of the A. II. Woods drama, was
not In the least shocking. The sight Of
bed at first strategetically concealed
behind curtain and then suddenly re-
vealed. no longer affects the nerves Of a
frst night audience. Nor does the de-
parture from habit which consists OF
seeing man Ia 1t instead Of under II
serve to bring the blush Of shame to the
metropolitan cheek. PaJamas are. in the
final estimate OF moral qualities OF a
drama. now equally negligible.
The story OF the Play.
New York. indeed. found much In CON-
mon with the Judgment Of Paris con
cerning the new farce. 1t ought In the
first place to move at a much more
lively gait than il did last night The
tempo was quite unconscionably dragged
from the first scene to the last. But It
was In the second act that the players
were most sluggish. Farce of this kind
should be staccato. The action is brisk
enough II the players only keep up with
IL
There Is novelty in this sentimental
duel of rather violent kind. The
American Millionaire with seven wives
on his conscience has behaved generously
to them all. 1t is the eighth who de-
manding twice the income the others
have received. gives nothing In return.
She even pretends to deceive her hus-
band whom she really loves.
IakeS hack Divorced Vile.
The comedy OF the pajamas and the
bed is to force him to divorce her. He
does this and then she Is free to come
back for only the love she bears for
him not for his money. She has the
income. She does not need his money.
She loves him and he willingly takes
back his divorced wife. Since the
money in the last analysis came any
how from him. the logic Is perhaps
faluty here. But nobody ought to
analyze French farce.
Miss Ina Claire bore away nearly all
the honors Of the acting. She was ir-
resistible TO look at intelligeniin her care
fully modulated and cultivated speech,
admirably graceful In pose and gesture.
There might have been more variety in
Ter facial expression. Even GrosVenor
protested that candy Tor breakfast,
candy for dinner and candy for sup
per was too much.
Barry Baxter played well the youth
full lover forced Into pajamas against
his will. Edmund Breese is rather
mature in appearance for the American
captain or industry and looked like
nobody in the world but an actor. All
that "Bluebeards Eighth Wife" now
needs Is n livelier gait to march quickly
to enduring success.