Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-10-14

want in this column OF each Individual
performance. but the
sp.;,"os safest way out Of
Changed Is ,roo, mo "' Grst n ose
Powerful nroductions which
,,r., c,rI;es, bid MS good-hyr. Ana that
hrinqs n us 10 the subject of kain.
o';TS TSo sterling qualities Of this dram.
.,,, odontction Of Somerset Vaughan
s, ,,orv were all the NOR" gratifying be-
sv'S ,."so they came as complete sur
nr;so Theatrical surprises are. un-
,or,una:cIv. generally quite the reverse
cf pleasant. ,, - WI
u0,s who staged Rain. and John
ro,ton on,o, one Of the co-ndaptors: have
hoon nutting the finishing touches on
yIs ,Ss NAV, The present iinalr OF ;he
so,ord net il now iour times as elier'
,,ro "a il was. and a few "f the long
,nserhes @ which bordercd on tediu,n
have been cut. There are rnmors TINT
some If the language is TO be modified.
hnt II will be real mistake to tampef
much in this direction.
Tho lines Of the drama. Rain. are:
With very few exceptions. the i'n"s or
~ somerset Maugham's story. and
,hcv are as much part Of the success
~ This grim tale nH the action itS"'i. 1t
,s seldom. II ever. that one Of the char
,c.ers sDr,ks "out n part. The sod
den profanity Of th" trader. Horne: 'he.
sbrill and vitnperative oulburst oi
Sadie Thompson--they are both as
much pnrt Of IN" characters as he
clothes ,hev wcar. One never feels.
.v was the case in "1'hc Hairy Ape.
that tho profanity is intPrDclat'd 50
tbat II may s,ring out and hit the audi
snce between the eyes.
Rain" is as different from the usual
South Sen yarn a. IT IA from Mr..
SIaurLam's own "Circlc.' Not n single
concession 10 stage worn or popularity
accepted tradition has been made nn-
less 1t be- the final sentence uttered by
Sadie Thompson. to which some cE-
ception has been taken by readers of
the story. 1t did not seem to us that
the adaptors intended to infer that
Sadie was reformed because she says.
perhaps. I'm little sorry for every
body" There IS nothing wishy washy
in the thought that this ontcast Of the
Islands should feel sorry for the wife
Of the missionary who had at first
bounded her. then shown his true col
ors in objectionable advances. and
finally had cut his own throat. .Sadi"
uIdcubtcdy was sorry. but that didn't
mean she had reformed W" imagine,
that she intended to 60 TO Sidney. as
she had at first intended, and that her
future life with Biff and Maggie would
be far from cloistered or gloomy.
Horne. TO us. was particularly
fascinating study. dle partly to the
acting Of Rapley Holmes. and partly
to the author. lie is the counterpart of
some of tonrad'S island traders in
this same part Of the world and he IS
az necessary 10 "Hain'' as the two
Leading characters are. lie stand. for
mat portion of the Inhabitants whose
lives already have been saturated by
me rain and climate. but Horne, him.
sell. IS sill vigorous and k,cr- minded
=, NSh to make astutc observations ON
me actions 81 the ii,;lr group boarding
IN his home.
Atmosphere especially Of an exotic
nature is on" Of the most dangerous
adJuhclS OF stage play. \ novelist
perfectly safe in employing it.
sometimes even in making it his trump
chro' but the dramatist has no such
opportunity. In ninc cases ont rf ten
pay with strange settings in far. away
HndS nave lacked substance and vi
'aIi'y' h""aus" The attempted atmos-
nhcr' TOOK ny to" great space in
,hfce or four acts, and crowded ont log :
zeal action building and notable char.
anCterlzation. Such play was The
blrd Of Paradise" the Tally South
SSs Island drama. which is recalled nv
nam, perhaps because they ura so
uinerent--at any rate in their e,cru. =.
ton. 'e'' 'N'' "
Inc atmosphere of Rain" il sincu-
larly effective. though never unduly oh =.
,rusN". The GuSty recurrence of from
a. ,,a. sno"rtS outside, the cultural ut
NrahceS OF llornc's half-cnst wife, tho
"sasl"'al and almost shadowly On =
,t nstlc'S 'f natives --nonc Of these in =
uriere III th" Least with the unfolding
W .n' N"S" story Of the moral lagon
h ers'l"h of "R"v. Davidson" ana the
IL.ou'at'"nS Of Sndl" Thompson. What
tnet steadily falling rain did succeed
mnd Nv "o'.g was 10 bring the nudicucc
rn"'f inc spell of III" island Of pago
tago 50 nat they "ouId appreciate the
s ,,rl,hsI oI n" characters. The bright .
'ncl SN@ "t IN" imai scene was thus
'mpoi'r "' the clearing in the
Sons. 7'' W P''
Mi'h Miss Jeanne Eas"Is giving one
~ me most striking portrnyals disclosed
T,r W. u, years, and Robert Kelly ,thc
b' M,, i'a''d~on' showing how much
USiyef ,',r, Nc can be than his Detective in
c, nne fa' mtimnted. Rain" be
.v,,eS ,,a NOR" than an ordinarily good
"ase presentation. 1t is u vivid iii :
~, amt straightforward presentation
S''SoIArly Impressive story.
-. 49, A'Nhh "eA' in significance to
w,ot -" MnuGhan story amon: the
wbiN, tN openings. was "rhr Cl,irinu =
in" ~, was, llrst of all. lucky in hay
irnn, ''uW"'G "h"ldon do the translation
InI';o" ""' Hungarian. and. then even
c,l;ho ~ having an actress Of tn,
C.,Sor, "' Doris kcanc in the role of
rsmairn air,"" nc Great. As the drama
o'' longer NJ the broad
Three Men mny be- sayed 70,
help lieke nest week. hu, il
Csmina" " Interesting to re.
mark on III" sue
EoL,,, cess with which tho
n,sn,iah v",,I4h "fAr" tiled the three leading
srIcL IL"'til" ~ roles, Ia New York, Fred
Kshb Nrir was the Chancellor. lar
,nsnt lh" French Ambassador whS
saw, uI"t unfortunate might in War
An ,a "na haSil tathbOne. the Czcrny
ther ''l'e Wer" deemed admirable IL
IN iAE's' ana yet il would hc har,
,IonS i'h' NOR" effective rhurarIrriZa
,nlh those now given by Harry
CsHo"a!cr' Paul lryssacE nd Lout
oS,a Mcstayer, an did time fav.
II N' was especially admirable.