East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1922-02-15
COUNTRY CLUB IN
THE LATEST DRAMA

H
NEW YORK, Feb. i5.-You can't
help but hear a. few Americans object
ing to j. Hartley Manners, an English
man, calling his new play which de-
monstrates dramatically that the
wages of jazz is death-'The National
Anthem"
Personally I can't get a bit excited
over the fact that Mr.. Manners is an
Englishman. l know too many Ameri-
cans who feel about the same way
over the Jazz craze. There is a lot of
sood psychology in this play as APP
piled to a phase of American life.
Laurette Taylor's beautifully detail
cd characterization Of the young girl
with visions and understanding of lifes
finer, higher purposes who marries the
Jazz and liquor devotee, believing she
can raise him to her level, and who
instead sinks to his-is one of the
finest things she has done.
The play opens with jazz and drink
at, the country club, continues with
jazz and drink after the elopement, at
the young peoples New York apart
ment. finishes with jazz music, drink,
and the valley of the shadow in a
Paris Hotel. Marian, to whom Europe
meant France and Italy or art and hfs-
tory and beauty has In her mad desire
o deaden her finer instinct taken also
20 drinking In her husbands jazzy set.
by mistake she takes poison. The
husband Is killed in driving after a
doctor. Her life is finally saved, and
we feel hopeful that she will after a
decent period of mourning. marry the
sutton she should have married in the
first act.
The play is excellently cast. Ralph
Morgan as the young husband, Dod-
son Mitchell as his father, and Richie
Ling as Marian's father, who sees no
harm in anything, are convincing pic
lures.
Whatever Laurette Taylor does is of
real importance. She is n Of the
finest, the most studious, the most sin
cere artists on the American stage.
To this new role She brings a rarely
plaintive wistfullness, Of stifled under
standing of life's values which makes
Of Marian Hale an u~nforgettable char
acter.
One cannot help wondering why
Miss Taylor. has chosen such agrees
sively u~nattractive costumes.
The most interesting revival of the
season is THE Deluge." Arthur Hop
| hins belief in the greatness of this
| play after its two weeks run, four
years ago, we hope, will be sustained
by public appreciation. 1t is a play
everyone should see. Few managers
have stood 80 firmly for the better
drama as Arthur Hopkins. The uni
| versatility Of appeal in this play by the
| Swedish Henning Bergers, portraying
| happenings In a Mississippi River
town, has been shown by its produc-
ton in nearly every country and Ian
guage.
It is the drama of eight people,
seven men and one woman. caught IN
a basement saloon during a tornado
and cloudburst. They are all people o.
questionable ethics and morals. When
danger is imminent they all awaken to
their better selves and form their bond
Of brotherly love. But when danger
| has past everything resumes its old
| time standard. (
The suspense at moments, so terri
| fic, is weakened as the play goes on,
by it's dragging action and discursive-
| ness Of dialogue. In q one act play
| this vital idea would, 1t seems to me,
| he a classic. The staging and the
| storm effect by Robert Edmund Jones
are marvels of realism. Robert Nc
| Wade as the pessimistic crouch gives
a splendid performance. Robert Ellis
az the despicable young broker, Ed
ward Robinson as the Swedish immi-
grant and Robert e. O'Connor as the
saloon keeper are excellent. THE
Deluge,'' like anna Christie Is
play / would not permit an Intelligent
friend to miss.