The New York herald., 1921-01-04
Transpla ting Jean,
a French Comedy,
Broadly Amusing
Miss Margaret Lawrence and
Arthur Byron in Play About
an Awful Dad.

When De Flers and De Caillavet were
sent so many charming comedies over
the world they wrote a comedy called
Papa" and thereby greatly increased
the happiness of rne nations. Paris
laughed at the new piece long and loud
Ii crossed the frontiers into alien lands,
which still found place in their
strange hearts for the new work from
the French capital For nine years 1t
Gid its part in making a weary world
forget its sorrows. Yet New York heard
the play for the first time at the Cort
Theatre last night
Hallem Thompson, who has made the
translation Of the work an excellent
translation. moreover, which has caught
something of the nature of the piece as
we'll as its speech. called this play
"Transplanting Jean" instead of Papa"
Indeed 1t was this very papa which kept
so many years He was not the sort
of a papa that Americans like on the
stage. He was not domestic and con-
ventional and regular at all He was
by way OF being gay and at times gal
liant. ard always more or less absorbed
In his diplomatic duties. He was. never
theless. always gallant Finally this
phase of his nature is one day clouded
for good and all.
Here the Don Juan motive suddenly
crashes In it's dscord. The day OF gall
lantry is at an end. Age-well. at least
middle age--has interviewed. A lady has
actually laughed at one Of his profess
sions of affection. In such conditions
gpllantry must erd. Fidicule in its
lightest form is incompatible with the
most elegantly expressed and the most
fragrant declaration of passion. The
years have come then for the cessation
OF the chase. But the joys of paternity
They may still endure. There is the
son, the natural son of French drama,
on the plantation in southern France to
which his father sent him after the
parting from the beautiful actress who
was his mother.
The delights OF fatherhood turn out
to be far beyond the expectations of the
reformed lover. He not only finds
most congenial wife In the afiianced
bride of her son. but he marries the
young man to country wife who Is
much more to his taste than any who
would expect the ref,nements of city life
from him. Thus ends the famous play
of NM. de Flers and de Caillavet.
The representation at the Cort had
the cooperation of some excellent actors.
Arthur Byron plays the more or less
awful dai with hurnor and a saving Dig
nifty which might almost have made him
possibility to an American audience.
There was some genuine fun in one or
two of his scenes. and after the second
act he had TO thank the audience for its
applause. Miss Margaret Lawrence.
with her irresistible attractiveness. was
again q delightful figure as the heroine,
amusing in one speech, sweetly pathetic
in the next and running in her long
scene in the second act the gamut of all
tho gentlsr emotions with unfailing ef-
feet on the audience. Richard Barbee
had the youthful bluntness and simple
ity to win the sympathy Of the audience
for the young hero. Forest Robinson
drew a richly human portrait of the old
priest.
These artists were altogether admir-
able. There was an exquisitely rich
and tasteful background for the second
act. But, famous as these plays are
ard papa" Is one OF the best known OF
| them-they cannot be brought close TO
| the hearts Of the American theatregoers.
] The galantry, the ilegitimacy. the
Gallic ideals of life. at least on the ,tage.
are Ear. Gar from our own. So in every
play from the French there is this in
evitable lack OF sympathy between the
| SPECTATORS and tho subject. Such life ie
| In reality as foreign to our own theories
as IL NM de Flers and Caillavet had
written about a savage tribe In the heart
/ Of Africa