New-York tribune., 1922-08-30
The Theaters b Percy Hammond
Pokirag Fun at the Amateur
Actors, ssThe Torch-B Bear
ers' Is a Bright and
Irnpudent Burlesque

gl
Jenny ;s.... !, Mary Giidea s
Paula CHS wife, Mary Boland
Airs. u. nuro Pannpinelis AIiaon skipwerth
Mt Spindier. Edward Beese
Netly Fell Helen i<1sseis
Mr. Hesscfrosse. 49,. Douglas Garden
Fioreacs Mccriekett I. Rose Mary Kins
Mr. Twiiier y. Booth Howard
The Stage Manager. ~. Al Curtis
RTIss ALISON sKIPWoRTH. ia thls
80 laughing. excellent satire OF anna
seur acting, is the high priessess. Of
some neighborhood players, who en-
deavor, by their comic efforts in the
Drama, to do it good. She is a majes-
tic person, with an overHowing vocabu-
larry, an expansive Standardization and
q surs familiarity with emotional
conservation" and the nuanccs. "The
Work" is her life. Versed in 'tone per-
fection" and the birds wing gesture"
she is also keen in the subtle differ
ences between method and technique.
give me-" she will say at rehearsal,
"just the suggestion of tear in that
line; or, "Tn that speech, my dear,
can have bit more Of the woman
and bit less OF the girl7" She is a
sull-sailed and highly gilded argosy Of
the gaudier bunkums; rather cruel
travesty of many good and nervous
lady. who, though Ill equipped for the
function, volunteers to tend the fam
- - Lei. &.
,mpersonates her thoroughly, and with
no mercy.
You can imagine what fun Mr.. Bert
Kelly, the author Of ,"The Torch Bear
ers," has with this fertile opportunity
IN the Forty-eighth Street Theater. Mr..
Kelly, though hitherto not professor
Of the three-act drama, is renowned
in vaudeville as actor and playwright,
and he has the further distinction OF
being brother to Mr.. Walter C. Kelly,
"the Virginia Judge" First, he con-
triyes rehearsal Of the amateurs for
8 next nights performance at Horti-
cultural Hall. Miss Mary Boland ap-
pears here, very humorously, as
feather-brained acolyte, taking her frst
brash steps In the better and finer
things and whose husband (Mr. Ar
thur Shaw is chill barbarian who
"kids" the proceedings with desper-
ate venom. Miss Helen Lowell also is
concerned, as highty three-time
widow; Miss Rose Mary King, as a
competent society" amateur, and
there are half dozen other fragrant
types, who are sneered at by Mr.. Shaw
In sententious arctic displcasure.
q
There follows, Of course, the evening
Of the performance, pictured by Mr..
Kelly and the players in ribald bur-
lesque, which retains, however, se-
cure connection with egitimate travesty.
Underneath the stumblings, the panics
of forgetfulness, the false steps of
every hilarious and stereotyped kind,
there may be seen the pathetic reality.
The tragic moment Of the incident
occurs when Miss Skipworth, as the
director, sweeps the stage for her ex-
elusive appearance, only to find that
the curtain ropes have broken, and that
she is cut off from her triumph. The
mellowest bit Of satire in the piece,
think, is that contributed by Mr.. Booth
Howard, when, with half of his false
mustache lost among the storms Of
kistrionism, he discusses with the di-
rectress the delicate, difficult minutim
Of his role.
1t is merry, we'll acted frolic, "The
Torch Bearers" with q little thinking
in it, though of no important kind.
Mr.. Kelly might have held che Little
Theater movement up to ridicule, but
lie was not that imprudent, knowing, as
perhaps he does, how often the semi
pros are better than the pros. As IL
is, he breaks an Insignificant butterfly
Upon hts funny wheel, and by doing
so causes gay evening to be available
at the Forty-eighth Street Theater.