The New York herald., 1921-01-05


James Barlow. ............'.. Frederick Burt
Doctor Gregory .'.....::.. David Glassford
Mrs. Judith MacKnight. Mrs Alice Fischer
Nine. Morelh. .............M Miss Helen Ware
Richard Northcote. ..... Joseph Shildkrart
Cearch for the virtuoso, which seems
to inspire the managers of the day, ad-
vanced degree further last night when
Joseph Schildkraut was revealed at the
Princess Theatre In "Pagans." Mr..
Schildkraut's gifted father won his first
honors in Berlin and was one of the
important figures In the earlier days OF
the Reinhardt campaign there He
played here at the Irving Place Thea
tre and made a profound impression.
Abandonment Of the German theatre
sent him to the prosperous Yiddish the
atres. where he still is to be seen. The
actor presented last night also has
played under the Reinhardt banners in
the capital OF Germany. but is said to
have passed much OF his boyhood here
with his father.
The stranger is slim, young indeed
very young, fraceful. rather handsome in
way familiar to all travellers IN the
subways who see many just such Dru-
nette, regular featured youths every day
on the way to business. He has fine
dark eyes, expressive features and un-
doubted talent for the stage. Now he
overacts, apparently regards nature as
the last model in the world to defer to
and Is generally artificial and exagger-
ated in style. OF course he was play
ing last night preposterous part in
| about the most ridiculous drama that
has ben offered to this longsuffering
public in years He was tied to an in
valid chair during most of the piece. ne
appeared a fairly good imitation of a
department store, Ostodld marked down
after the holidays owing to the slight de-
mand for Ibsen.
! Some of these days when he has not
the responsibility Of . play on his young
shoulders and does not feel the burden so
| apparently. his undoubted talent may
make him a really interesting and event.
| ually an important actor on the Ameri-
| can stage. But the exotic and hysterical
| performance which he provided last
| night was scarcely interesting. Some
| thing of virilty and life some genuine
| touch of nature might have helped him.
| But they were lacking.
So far as "Pagans" goes--well it is
| another variation on a theme beloved in
| the theatre, and evidently all but ire
sistible to the struggling playwright.
Over at the Harris Theatre Miss Mar
| garet Anglin is singing something very
much like the same song in THE Wom-
an OF Bronze" The struggle between
love by the hearthstone and out In the
great open spaces of the world. as the
dramatists love to call the other place,
has occupied the genius of Charles An
thony, said to be a professor of music.
| But Il is piano music. although he makes
! the pagan love in his play inspired by
| a prima donna Her music has made a
| painter out Of the hero before he goes
to war. But she will not marry him.
| There is another and a richer man in
the background.
| When this hero comes back to the
ordinary affairs of life again he marries
the daughter of this very man. She is
a cutie in excelsis and capable of pro-
viding for her husband, in a very high
degree of perfection, all the comforts
of home. But he pines under her CO.
mestic ministrations. Only the offices oil
the song bird can really cheer him. Sh'
Is even called in by a physician 10 pull
! him around when domesticity has al
most proved fatal. This time she is
prescribed too late. for the playwright
cuts his knot boldly. She bucks the pa
tient up temporarily by singing off stage
/ Schubert's "Who Is sylvia" and ther
adds for good measure Mrs. Beach's
The Days at the Spring" Under the
/ inspiration of this unusual combination
from an operatic prima donna the hero
temporarily abandons his invalid chair
But the recovery does not continue. The
relapse comes promptly.
The unfortunate actors. compelled to
represent such incredible persons as
we'll as speak the authors wholly orig
| inal Witticisms did as well as anybody
could in such trying conditions. Really
| "Pagans' as a specimen Of what play
should not be, stands in a class almost
its own. Miss Helen Ware was th'
preposterous prima donsa. who sanl
! Marguerite and then stood about foi
hours afterward as II nothing had hap
pened Miss Regina Wallace was the
doting wife. Her gray silk stocking:
were beyond reproach. Miss Alice Fischer
was possibly moro trying than the Others
because she made SO much moreN noise
"Pagans" IS the sort Of play in which
| II you are an actor the quleter yoJ
keen the better ou seem.