Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-01-06
A TENDER GHOST rs BARRELS GIFT
To the Modern SpooR Dranaa of The STAGE


II he remains in the room. He asks
! her to prepare mug of tea for him. She
leaves with the warning that he should
| keep a long knife near him instead of
leaving 1T on a table.
The housekeeper withdraws and Harry
sits down in q chair.
The door Of mystery opens without
visible hands.
A terrible creepy feeling steals over
one.
Then slow curtain.
Then we are introduced to things that
pass before Harry as he sits In his de-
serted ancestral home. We see the happy
but strictly proper home Of the Nor
lands. Mr.. Morland and Rev. George Amy
are having a heated argument over the
value Of certain print. The two men
quarrel and the good Mrs. Morland causes
them to make up and be friends again.
Then we hear of Mary Rose and the
strange circumstances surrounding her.
We are told that Mary Rose and Simon
Blake are in love and that wedding bells
viii be heard.
Mary Rose comes into the living room
through an open window, after she had
climbed an apple tree near the big win
dow OF the room. Mary Rose is a typical
Barrie character. She does not appear
to be OF the earth She seems to be
just delightful whisper Of the ultimate.
She wants her dandy to treat Simon nice
when he asks for her hand. She goes
upstairs into an apple room, so she can
pound on the floor so as to give Simon
Encouragement. Simon enters and here
Barrie is most delightful
Iu oil "
was about - years Of age she visited an
island in the Outer Hebrides and as Der
father was rowing to the island to get
her one afternoon, she suddenly disap-
peared. At the end Of thirty days she
appeared on the island--not changed and
unconscious to the fact that she had been
absent thirty days. Her parents never
told her Of her strange disappearance.
Il makes no difference to Simon and he
gives a signal to inform Mary Rose in
the apple room that her parents had
consented.
IN the second act wa see the mysterious
island which likes 20 be visited Mary
and Simon have been married for four
years. A son has been born. Mary Rose
with her husband and q boatsm8n by
the name Of Cameron visit the island
Mary and Simon are greatly in love
Cameron tells them of the strange legends
surrounding ths island. After q lunch
on the island, and just before they pre-
pare to row away. Mary Rose hears the
strange call Of the island and she dis
appears Only the franIc cries Of Simon
tells the pi;iful story that Mary Rose
had disappeared again into the lovely,
lovely land"
The first scene Of the final net shows
the Morand home twenty-five years after
Marv's second disappearance. The Nor
lands are old. Simon has never re-
married. The son of Mary Rose had
grown up and had become a wanderer.
Suddenly Mary Rose returns, dressed
just as she was On the day she dlsap-
pearrd twenty-five years ago. She has
not aged and cannot understand Why the
hair Of her mother and father IS white
and why her boy Is not a baby.
She gives a cry Of the heart and van
ishes into the room which was used as
nursery twenty-five years ago.
Now We reach the final scene Of tho
last act and we find Harry, the son. just
as we left him In the first scene Of the
first act The houseEeeper, who has been
absent ten minutes returns with the mug
Of tea and asks II 10 has seen anything
lie tells her OF the strange things which
has come to him while he sat In tho
chair.
Then we have the supreme Barrie touch.
The tender and lovable ghost Of Mary
Rose returns to the deserted home. She
is searching for her baby boy. Although
she talks TO him and he holds her on his
knee, Mary Rose does not realize that her
search his over. Instead she fits through
the window as the stars wink and she
goes to the lovely, lovely place" where
she can play.
That Is the story OF Mary Rose" told
IN my own way.
Please do not consider ''3dary Rose" as
a heavy play. Just permit Barrie to I'M
fold his story through an exquisite stage
production and by the masterful acting
Of Ruth Chatterton, Tom NesbItt as
Harry and as Simon Blake; Bertha Bal
lenger, Frederick Lloyd, Wlnifrsd Fraser,
A s. Homewood and Guy Buckley.
Miss Chatterton has caught the real
Barrie Idea. Her triumph IS one Of the
greatest Of modern times. 1t Is as per
feet as acting can be,
II is impossible to discuss the acting
points Of Miss Chattcron and Mr.. Nesbitt
ut this time but l promise you I win do
1t tomorrow
At English's today and Saturday.