Evening star., 1921-12-26
ADJUSTMENTS
NATI0NAL-Helen Hayes,
Golden Days"

Miss Helen Hayes. Washington's
very own youngest star Of the
STAGE" under the sponsorship OF
George C. Tyler and A. e. Erlanger.
experienced and exacting makers Of
stars, gave an exquisite performance
at the National Theater last evening
in Golden Days." charming little
comedy. whose chief actors were
drawn from youth before it became
sophisticated and "up-to-date"
1t was a performance that won its
audience from the outset and kept it
busily occupied with smiles, laughter
and the mist OF tears. until the little
heroine finally found her hearts de-
sire in the love Of a fine. robust, all
American boy, who had begun by try
ing to help her out In love affair
with another boy. and wound up by
losing his own heart to her.
Washington playgoers are quite ia
miliar with the exceptional personal
charm of Miss Hayes and with the
realistic impersonation, she gives to
days, rather than the composite of to-
day. They have followed her in joy
Gus moods when the pathway of her
mimicry led through paths Of sun
shine. and they have felt the spell of
her girlish emotional power as she
played upon their sympathy and won
from them the mist of tears. Her
forte Is not the tragic heroics of ma
turer and sophisticated Womanhoo1.
but rather the ever changing moods
OF the innocence of girlhood not over
common now.
Golden Days" the play that Messrs.
her stellar debut. is just such light
her stellar debut. isjust such a light
and pleasant creation As Is needed for
its purpose. 1t is joyous comedy, in
in the life of it's little heroine to af-
ford q contrast and to give it's little
star the opportunity to display her
deeper, emotional powers as an ac-
tress.
Mary Anne Simmonds has loved and
become engaged to William Barclay
| in the days when wealth had not yet
come to his family. When 1t did come.
William neglected and almost forgot
her for another girl. Mary Anne,
however. also had wealthy and
adoring aunt, whose pride would not
permit her only niece to be Tilted, so
she enlisted the services of Richard
stanhope to win william back. and
Richard liked the task SO well that
he eventually claimed Mary Anne for
| his own, and she was glad to have
| him after a little tempest in a teapot.
due to a misplaced letter, which. how
ever. was real tragedy in her young
| life.
There is nothing profound or prob
lematical in the simple story. moth
| ing of the unpleasant and disa gree
able. 1t Is all the unfolding of lit
| tie romance. with sidelights. in the
lives of two charming young people.
Miss Hayes and Donald Gallaher. as
| Richard. were not the make believe.
l. -
the young hero and heroine in the
youthful drama with a charm that
! defes description. Indeed, their per-
formance Is such as TO convey a de-
| lightfu1 memory to the older specta-
| tors and an object lesson to those of
the younger set who have been swept
| by the modern trend into ways and
customs out of the normal course OF
healthy adolescence.
An outstanding character In the
little play. which gave much amuse-
.nent and exacted attention for Its
excellence in realism, was that OF
Betsy, the maid of all work, SO ad-
mirably played by 10 Wallace. Betsy
took the world at what 1t said. and
SO when her mistress sarcastically
suggested it. she wiped and placed
| the boots of the hired man on the
piano, and later, in response to fur
ther suggestion, she doused the head
Of the same hired man into the rain
barrel until he had asked her to
marry him. Russell Medcraft also
contributed a pleasing bit OF char
acter portrayal, and Blanche Chap
man, as Mary Anne's mother. clever
bit Of emotional work during the un-
folding of the story.
But a very large cast also is quite
adequate in various lines and con-
tributed materially to the success of
the play.