The Washington times., 1922-03-26


AT the Booth Theater last Tues
day night we saw a delicate,
fragile little comedy by A. A.
Milne that was produced by Win
throp Ames. The play, clever,
ina ginative, charming and I'M
usual as it was, wouldn't have had
the ghost of a chance If 1t had
been cast by one of our managerial
plumbers. 1t needed almost as
much imagination in the casting as
IL received in the writing. And
that is precisely what Winthrop
Ames gave it. The cast was
positive triumph. 1t had no single
weak spot. You might have read
the play and have mentally cast 1t,
but YOU could never have done for
&c what Mr.. Ames manages to do.
The characters lived, pulsed and
spoke the most delightful English
which is sometimes better than
living and pulsins. Most people
live and pulse, but very few speak
decent English.
THE Truth About BlaySs' was
largely question of talk-sor-
xeous talk that it was impossible
to hear without a warmth OF ap-
precia tion. Imagine casting it with
actors who looked the parts but
were unable to act them. That
could easily have happened. Often
you see plays filled with people
who exactly measure up to the
physical requirements and are vet
quite incompetent to suggest the
mental workings Of the role.
It was no cinch casting a play
like THE Truth About Bladys.'
1t needed an old woman las they
call iu. an ingenue, a juvenile, an
old man. young one and q
heroine" The agencies" il Mr..
Ames had applied to them, had
scores of these types on their
books. They could have undoubt-
edly sent at least half a dozen APP
plicants for each role-people who
had previously had experience in
such parts. But these would prob
ably have massacred the entire
play. IT would have fallen
weighted down by its cast.
And the initiated would never
have known why IT fell. The unin-
itiated would have ascribed it's
downfall to inherent weaknesses in
the play itself. Too talky. Too
English, Too unsympathetic.
Lacking in heart Interest," That
terrible heart interest'-what
havoc it works,
IN The Truth About Blsyds"
we had o. p. Heggie, a character
actor whose diction is a joy; Alex
sndra Carlisle, the very exact idea
OF Mines drab "heroine;" Vane
Featherston, wholly delightful
actress with an undying sense OF
humor: Ferdinand Gottschalk, who
usually plays bits but whose
worth Is enormous. Gottschalk has
depth, sincerity, lightness, the art
OF deft characterization and a GER
tain drollery OF physical makeup.
ov-d
juvenile with none of the fresh
ness" and the brash impertinence
Of so many of our young men.
Altogether a priceless cast. Mr..
Amos must have passed sleepless
nights thinking It up. 1t did just
as much for the success Of A. A.
Mines play as Milne himself did.
There is no doubt at all about
that. We might have passed a
duly decorous evening. Instead.
We spent a couple of hours OF
sheer delight. We heard English
spoken deliciously, and the lines
themselves were Individually worth
getting over.
oh, believe me that the casting
Of play means a great deal. No
body can overlook the immense
Importance Of actors who can sug-
gest certain roles. not merely by
looking" them. Types may be
used for starring purposes, but for
genuinely fine acting-never. We
do not expect, aud we rarely get,
good acting on the part Of our
stars, but from their support"
We have a right to anticipate the
finest!
TUE dreadful Shaw cycle-that
terrifying conglomeration Of
words without cessation-would
have been infinitely more alarm.
Ing u IL had not been for the
scholarly casting given to Back
10 Methuselah" by the Theatsr