New-York tribune., 1922-03-21
The New PLAY
By Percy Hammond
Arnold DAILY aud Noltairc in
an Eloqueu, Play by
Two Noung Women
From Columbia
THE CAST.

Arnold Daiv
lean lie Rond D'Aiembert. .Liomel Hosarth
Aristide Frsrcn. Frederick Truesdeii
10 Due O. Nsvaflies Horace nrahar,
Marquis de Viiictte .....,... T.ealie Austen
.sSher Acatn -..-.. JOHN <. O'Brfrn
Ncisne .-.--... ...... George LeGucrro
Hse mere Howard Clancy
5sr'ier- -.-......... Marcel Rousseau
mlie. sIsiron -....--.- Carlotta Monterey
firne DENIS ......... Jane Wheatlev
Marie Cornciiie ........M .Margucrite Forrest
We learn from Mr.. Da1y's perform
snce in "VoItaire" that our hero at the
sge OF seventy looked older than his
years; that his manner OF gestures and
locomotion was eccentric, and that he
spoke his humorous words of wisdom
symphonicslly and in high voice.
A satanic old fellow. but possessing
noble heart, he was an skilled in
righteous intrigue as in impudcnt
lsmpoons, and such thwarting as he
had to do was done musically and with
eciat. There were thimes last evening
st the Plymouth when it seemed to the
irrcverent that his eiocution partook
Of the qualities of an auctoneer or
ring-master, so fantastic we're some Of
his accents. But the more serious of
those present regarded his utterance
and his actions as symbols proper to
his character. Give Mr. DAILY such
aluring French vocab bles as "Fleron,"
''Ciairon," "Ferney" and "Janvier" to
pronounce and melody ensues. His
performance becomes harmonious, and
all he needs is a musical director to
make it concert.
You will enjoy him most. perhaps, a
he sits spidery at the chessboard with
tho young Marquis de yillette and
plans the escape OF Mosnel, the soulful
poet. Fleron, of the police, is at hand,
asleep on a divan a few feet away, so
the conspirators are able 10 speak as
sudibly as they desire. 1t is a pic
ture, and Mr.. Daily in a disheveled wig
of long gray curls, wizards cap and
dressing gown looks effectively like
sorcerer. | may err, but I think Mois-
rel fed from Fleron and the guillotine
by Disgusting himself as a woman and
pretending to 60 to mass. Following
The example of the authors of "Voltaire," :"
! make no pretense at accuracy, but en-
deavor merely to telescope a few Of
ihc episodes"
These authors as they appeared be
forc the curtain last evening were no
doubt the youngest things who ever
wrote a play. Mere children they
seemed to be, two comely and erudite
co-eds from Columbia named Leila
Taylor and Gertrude Purcell And it
IS BY no means bad drama that they
have composed for Mr.. DAILY The in
especially thrilling, but such as they
cdents, telescopes from the less
crowded of Voltairs's hours are not
arc they are pretty we'll handled.
scholars in Noltaire will probably
recognize in some of the speeches
'amiliar quotations from his works,
but none, one suspects, that are OBJ
attributes of the play are thus better
than the dramatic. The ear-filling
lines are so numerous that can re-
call but one of them-that in which
h!le. Clairon, of the Comcdie Fran
ca,Se, says, Better mad with Voltaire
than sane with any other mani" This
occurs at the moment when they are
Sbout to take Voltare to the Bastille
Tor writings disagrceable to the Court.
Contained somewhere in the plot is
poetic correspondence between Voltaire
and Frederick OF Prussia, which is
deemed by the authorities to be
seditious.
A few of the devices are SO ancient
mat you wonder where the youthful
authors learned of them. Surely not
IN their time has the vociferous "aside"
oeou heard. The mnuet is present. of
course, since it is a French costume
play, and Ncltsire makes a speech
from his window to an invisible crowd
Of his people below. The impersona-
sions include that Of Frederick T1ues.
dell as the brusque Fleron; John s.
O'brien as Father Adam, the refueee
Jesuit; Miss Marguerite Forrest. as
Noitaire's adopted daughter, and Miss
Cafiotta Monterey who is a lovely
picture as Mile. Clarion. Mr.. DAILY is
striking IN every moment Of his per
formance and he makes an event of all
details from taking snuff to prophecy
eIOnnpntl,-
nIrers will be glad to know that his
work has not been Influenced by Arthur
Hopkins's policy Of reticcnt stage di-
rection.