The Washington times., 1922-11-21
THE CAST.
I,y EARLE DORSEY.

lie very moment a critic OF
the drama takes up the bust
u ness OF writing a play, that
very moment "a veritablc host OF
ordinances. inhibitions and restric''
tions arise to hedge him about
restrictions which hamper, in no
wise. the ordinary purveyor OF
stage manuscripts but restrlc-
tions which must. perforce. weigh
nightly upon the soul of him who
turns aside from criticism to be
criticised.
For example. it naturally fol-
lows that any mortal, after years
of praising, blaming. suggesting,
criticising and advising others in
the ways and manners Of fashion
ing drama. must find himself. once
he turns playwright. face to face
with the task Of taking his own
advice-advice which, in nine
cases out of ten, makes II next to
impossible for him TO consistently
write anything that Is merely
theatrically popular.
Consistency in such matters,
however, has worried Alan Dale
but little. For years Il theater
critic of renown, he has fashioned
in "Nobody's FOOL" at the Gar
rick. a part" rather than a play.
1t Is, to be frank, a piece of
trade goods, fashioned more clev-
erly than usual perhaps, but
fashioned with the chief object of
rehabilitating Henrietta Crosman
as a stage star. 1t is not a play,
furthermore, that instantly forces
upon one n sense Of Mr. Dale's
personal sincerity. In his case,
at least, years Of criticism have
imposed no obligations that the
box office cannot laughinSly ig-
more.
"Nobody's Fool is one of those
plays which asserts the eternal
and everlasting omniscience and
omnipotence of the female of the
species, and which, on the con-
trary, reduces to absurdity and
puerility the claims and pretenses
of the so-called lordly male. 1t
is a theme which has not escaped
some half-doZen or more treat
ments every year for the last
fifty seasons and 1t is the sort
of a play infinitely desired by
actresses of the Grace George,
Billie Burke and Margaret Anglin
type. In short. "Nobody's Foop'
is generic hokum with overtones
Of Dalean wit that frequently lift
1t out of it's class and reveal a
certain underlying aptitude on
the part Of it's author.
However,
"Nobody's Fool" concerns a lady
grown elderly in years and more
than elderly In feminine domestic
guile. She is a spreader OF verbal
salve, an arch-anointer Of wound
ed VANITY, and n wise old bird
combiped. Her cub Of a son, who
fancies himself an artist, had
fallen in love with a lady tank
diver who persuaded him to write
instead Of telephoning. The result
Is a budding ofpromise suit
that mother circumvents by some
adroit questioning of the adven-
turess and the later burglary Of
the adventuress' bedroom. Such
high h-jackery excites the tank
artists guile and 10. she reveals
herself as a profane little hussy.
Result: the hero Is driven hack to
the girl he loves and all's well
that ends well.
Unfortunately. II r. not exactly
obvious that Miss Crosman tri-
umphs in the chief role. She ought
10 triumph. but somehow, she
don't. Somehow, she becomes 80
exceedingly guileful that she elm.
mates oil uncertainty from her
undertakings. Lastly. she ap-
proximates technique so thor.
oughly similar to Mrs. Fiske's
that by closing ones eyes. one can
almost re.stage Miss Nelly"
"Yes, it's not 80 had as enter
tainment. II you know what that
means, but even a critic has a
right to expect something more
than "Nobodys Fool" especially
from a playwright who's a critic.
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