The New York herald., 1922-08-17
THE WOMAN WHO LAUGHED
PLAY WITH THREE CHARACTERS
Edward Locke's Novel Drama
Like Burlesque of a Scanda-
navian Work.
ny LAWRENCE REAMER.

The Woman Who Laughed" which
night, Is a play with only three char
acters. Miss Martha Hedman acts what
Is presumably accounted the most impor-
tant, while the other two fall TO Miss
Gilda Leary and William II. Powell
Edward Locke has shown equal economy
In the matter of what the cinema makers
would call location as the action OF
his three act play is never allowed to
wander beyond the walls OF suburban
living room.
The efforts of authors to write plays
that may serve their purpose and yet
contain the minimum number OF charac-
ters are generally more interesting than
the event. The classic play OF this kind
Il, of courss. Braccos 'Infidele.' which
in Owen Johnson's adaptation called
Countess Couquette'' was successfully
acted here.
In the experience OF the writer, no
other play trimmed so closely to the
bone was nearly so interesting. No
other seemed so free from the sugges-
tion of being a mere stunt. 1t may be
possible TO write a play on such plan.
But why should an author so deliber-
ately deprive himself of the humor that
may reside in other characters or the
clarity which a larger dramatis persona
may impart to tale?
It's undeniably possible as Francisque
Sarcey once observed of another problem
of the dramatist, to compose a sonnet
without using the letter "a" or any
other. But what in the world is gained
by such a purely arbitrary essay in
techniquer
Mr.. Locke's play is not free from the
inevitable objection to works of this
nmlted apparatus. Tt is a burlesuue
~ almost acts indeed like a burlesque
OIL some Scandinavian playwright and Is
Sc genuinely representative of some OF
the moods of the theatre of that part os
the world that the spectators more than
cnce found themselves wondering how
Mr.. Locke could so we'll have assumed
= foreign aspect The mere fact that
the action is laid in a town near New
York or at all events a suburban town
has little or no significance. The whole
spirit of the joke is foreign. The char
acters are of European origin so fa-
as the distaff side is concerned. But
that may be Mr. Locke's own joke
The woman of the title who laughed
viewed in the terms Of humor, grim ard
sardonic but nevertheless humor. the e.
forts of her step sister who was win
ling her husband away. She had won
ether husbands from other wives. The
gesture of her latest victim was there
fore deliberately planned as a punish
ment to the woman who had given her
sleeping potion that shit might hav.
all the time she wanted to pursue her
little plan of seduction.
The laughing wife also gives the two
lovers in turn potion and while they
are under its influence binds them 50
closely together with ropes that the
Long Beach authorities would feel II
necessary TO extricate them. OF course
they struggle under this enforced pro-
pinquity 1t is after she has pretended
&c kill herself that the wife confronts
the sister who has been able to get
free. The intruder departs with a flea
in her ear. Wher the husband is free
he accepts the explanation of his wife
that she bound them only to prove how
unhappy they would be once they we're
irseparable.
Such is the content OF three short acts.
Much of IL Is entertaining, all of 1t ex-
travagant and none OF II as completely
without point as IL sounds in this mar
ration. But the story is unduly static.
The second act contains a scene in
which the wife mixes various poisons
from different bottles that Is the most
OBVIOUS pauulng. MT. LOCKE mas ma
terial enough in The Woman Who
for one generous act. Anus
ing, cynical and mocking as much of the
little play is. 1t should be condensed
into one act or skillfully made to in
clude some wider interest
The three parts were admiral bly,
played Miss Leary acted the intruding
stepsister with just the commonplace
view OF her emotions that made the
piece most human. Mr.. Powelrs nat
uralness and his revulsion against the
siren when she had grown oppressive
were his best contributions to the per-
formance. Miss Hedman did not lack
humor In her portrayal of the wife who
wanted to teach a lesson to the de-
stroyers OF her peace. Then her peachy