The New York herald., 1921-12-24
The Dover Road
a Gay Comedy of
MiSmated Lovers
A. E. Mines Play Meets With
Success at It's Premiere
Here.
BY LAWRENCE REASIER.

The gayest scherzo heard in the
grinding symphony OF New York's
theaters for many o day was sounded
yesterday afternoon at the Bijou Thea
ter with the first performance of A. Z.
Mines latest play. THE Dover Road"
There was new producer in Guthrie
McClintic. who selected a Friday after
noon as the time for introducing his
play for the reason that all the nights
and days about Christmas are quite
fully occupied. Such a fresh and blithe
comedy as the new work proved would
have found a welcome at any time.
Whatever the weather may have been
without. the happy audience inside the
Bijou lost itself in whole hearted enjoy
mont of the odd situations and the
wit that spariled throughout the text.
Mr. Milne as playwright is making rapid
progress. The Dover Road" reaches
a higher mark than he has hitherto
achieved in any of his plays.
In three acts that know only a min
in1um of tagging steps the author tells
the fantastic story of gentleman dwell
ing on the Dover road who does all IN
his power to arrest the runaway couples
on their way to France that they may.
under his hospitable ronf, have time to
make more intimate acquaintance with
one another than they have previously
enjoyed He explains that his great
fortune makes this sort Of amorous
philanthropy possible. At all events. one
couple reaches his home--the chauffeur
having lost the way as usual-just as
another is about to depart after a week
of more or less enforced habitation. or
course the arriving and departing couples
should, under the right sort of condi-
tfons, compose a sympathetic quartet.
They Meet at Breakfast.
When they meet at breakfast after the
night of obligatory separation the hus-
band of the last couple to arrive Is al
together Disseminating. A determined
cold in the head keeps him sneeZing.
while the loss of his luggage deprives
him of the becoming necessities of the
toilet. Then he is hungry enough to
pay more than usual Difference to the
kipper, the kidneys and the bacon. The
cosseting wife of this gentleman has al
ready arrived with a young cavalier.
who shows plainly he has had too much
Of her.
Just as this combination of elements
has reacted in the dramatic past Il did
yesterday afternoon. A note of novelty
came in the flight of the two men TO
enjoy together freedom from the at
fentions Of the women in that part Of
southern France to which they were
booked to travel with them. Fortu-
nately the wife who must cosset some
body finds sick man servant to occupy
her time. The add woman thereupon
wins the philathropic host. who found
his payment in her society.
Nearly Always Amusing.
''The Dover Road" j. nearly always
amusing, always comic in the best
fashion of the contemroraneous Eng
lsh humorists and it's quaint changes
of mood keep it always free from the
sense of strain. It appears equally free
from the laborious search for something
that may serve to keep up the houp la
when one incident has been passed.
There is nothing more divertng in the
play than the quiet pa ssage in which
The devoted wife reads TO her husband
from Gibbons history of the Roman
Empire
such little masterpiece was acted
quite as well as 1t deserved. Charles
Cherry impaired his suave and mellow
art to the part Of the fantastic dweller
on the Dover Road, and with his old
fashioned neckwear gave him touch of
past century gallantry. Miss winfred
Lehman. who had too much humor final
ly to elope with her lover. communicated
the same quality to the audience. She
added moreover a sense of strongly per-
sonal charm which was quite irresistible.
Iyonel Watts's study of the unmarried
suitor was a delightfully."- natural por-
travail. and Reginald Mason found op-
por.unity for more conventional fun,
which he shared with Miss Molly Pear
son. George Riddell's butler was a
monument of melancholy humor. Miss
al (sric l,ad rhar ,olx,
artistic interior for the three acts.