Evening star., 1921-12-20
ADJUSTMENTS
NATIONAL-"Blood and Sand"

Last nights audience at the Ma
tional Theater. where Charles Froh-
man" presented Otis Skinner, Amer
ica's greatest actor. in Tom Cushings
play, founded on the famous novel
by Vicente Blasco Ibanez, hovered
between admiration Of the highest
dramatic art. such as Is rarely Of
Tered on the modern stage, and Won
der at a morbid monstrosity. whose
theme was nothing more nor less
than elemental passion. 1t applaud
ed the actor with the warmest and
most insistent cordiality. apparently
with the purpose of calling forth a
speech whose lines would unQues-
tionably have been a relief to tho
drift Of the Tom Cushing effort. But
Mr.. Skinner adorns the stage with his
talents and ability as a player and
not for oratorical purposes.
Anything from the pen of the dis
tinguished Spanish author. Ibanez. Is
very likely to attract wide attention.
because his -Four Horsemen of the
Apocalypse" which an almost un-
known director Of photoplays made
masterpiece, is still fresh in the pub
lie mind. Blood and Sand will not
add laurelS to the dramatist. but 1t
will increase the admiration for the
motion picture director.
With cast of twenty -eight char
acters and additional impersonators
of picadors, banderillros, mozos. at
tendants. peasants. etc, the play un-
folds in four acts the story of a man
whose parents wisely wanted to make
an honest cobbler, but who left home
and, after an apprenticeship in the
Spanish abattoirs, where he learned
the psychology Indispensable. de-
veloped into a bullfghter, the ma
tional idol of his country. Vain to
intensity, weak and vacillating in
character. superstitious, always nerv-
ously delirious. oscillating between
the glory of future victories and the
fear Of death, but physically human
picture of the magnificent animal it
was his profession to slay. he attracts
the attention of one Dona Sol, a
harpy of the nobility.
Three days Of unrestrained indul-
gence and she casts him aside. In
done by the reaction, he again enters
the ring and his leg Is broken by an
infuriated bull. After three months of
suffering in bed physical and mental.
over the tragedy of what he calls
his love. impatiently he bids his
own child sever the bandages that
bind his broken limb and almost in
the instant Of promise to his faith
full and adoring wife that he will
never re-enter the ring again he flies
to Madrid and meets his fate on the
horns of an animal which Re declares
with his dying breath did not play
fair"
Such is the story as unfolded by Tom
Cushing's play.
In the realistic impersonation of
Juan Gallardo. the bullhghter, Mr..
Sklnners superb art manifestS itself
in almost illimitable opportunities He
does not act the part; he lives it with
thrilling intensity. Catherine Calvert
as Dona Sol. despite personal charm
and conscientious effort. seemed
scarcely to attain the authors ideal.
But as Rosario, the wife of Gallardo,
now embraced and loved. now showed
aside, then deserted and finally mis-
taken for the human vampire who had
supplanted her. even in his last mo-
ment on earth. Madeline Delmar
achieved success that entities her to
share honors with the DISTINGUISHED
star. A quaint. but almost pathetic ef-
fort at contrast on the part of the
playwright was realized iw it's highest
possibilities by Miss Cornelia Otis
Skinner. daughter of the star, in the
role of modest, innocent maiden,
who sweetly played and sang re-
llglous melodies of the twelfth CEN
tury that were almost lost in the tor