Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1922-12-04
"THE LOVE CHILD"
(By United Fress.y

New YORK, Dec, 4-Wnen Al A. II.
Woods presents a play called "The
Love Child" it is a sure thing to find
a first-night audience all agog and
trying to defy fire laws to crowd in
and see whats going to happen. AL
so it's a pretty good "foregone con-
clusion" that Mr.. Woods has guaged
popular taste with an unfailing in
stinct for box office returns.
Of course the play being from the
French of Henry Bataille means there
are certain dramatic situations as in
evitable as the rising and setting of
the sun. But with all the triangle,
without which TO French drama
could apparently exist, The Love
Child" offers new proportions.
The American adaptation is by
Martin Brown but no French play
can ever be completely Americanized.
Even though love children and tri-
angles galore exist in America, we
have not yet become so causually
nonchalant about them as the Latin
races.
For this reason the Bataille play
is much more interesting when never
forgetting its native background.
Briefly it is the story of woman
who for seventeen years has been the
companion of a man, Paul Brander,
whose insane wife is still living. Of
course he has promised to marry her
as soon as his wife dies. In the mean
time the mistress. who came to him
with an Legitimate son, has really
made him the successful man he has
become. The play opens at the NOM
ent when a great step forward in his
career is presented. AT the same
time the wife dies. He refuses TO
marry the oman who loves him with
that intensity with which the French
dramatist always attributes to mis-
tresses and never to wives.
The mother tries to commit suicide
in the studio of the son she has al
ways neglected and showed out of
sight for her lover. The boy, with
whom the daughter Of Brander is in
love and who goes to his studio, swear
he viii make Brander marry his mo-
Their.
Two great dramatic currents meet
in the interview between son and low
er.
The son tells Brander he will force
him to marty his mother or he will
make his daughter what he has made
of his mother. He reveals his moth
er's attempt at suicide because of
BranGer's treatment.
Brander declares his determination
10 stand on his own feet and no long
er have it said he owes his career to
his mistress.
But both vital currents pass into
the conventional flow of ordinary
drama. The son curls up mentally
beneath the revelation of his illigiti
macy. The lover curls up mentally
beneath the already accepted knowl-
edge of tha woman's love for him.
The play is interesting and con-
tinually offers intense moments and
thrilling promises, the latter OF which
are not always kept.
Janet Beecher does the best work
of her career since "The Concert" as
the mother. Sydney Blackmer. who
became q popular idol through his
work in THE Mountain Man" gives
pathos and understanding to the son,
but his tempo is too slow and he is
too repressed.
Personally l question the probable
ity Of a woman who has moulded
mans career to success being sur
rounded by the conventionally unccn-
ventional demimondaines Of this play.
However, they offer that ever divert
ing comedy relief Of the equivocal re-
partee school.