Evening star., 1923-12-04
William Faversham In
"A Lesson In Love

The very large and cordial audience
which greeted William F'aversham at
the Shubert-B Belasco Theater last eve
ming, In the new play, now called "A
Lesson in Love-" by Rudolph Besier and
May Edginton, was fine testimonial Of
the favor in which that graceful and
polished actor is held in Washington.
And the applause which followed
! throughout the play and especially at
| Its close seemed a strong indication that
1t also had found favor. 1t was splen-
didly played by cast which was with
| out a grievous flaw and with an effect
that suggested an episode in real life
rather than a play that was being
acted upon the stage
With conditions In the world as they
are, however, to almost paraphrase the
speech of the venerable Dean Carey,
lovable character in the story, 1t Is
doubtful if the play will meet with un-
divided approval. II is clever, very
clever-and daring, most daring-and
the lessop that 1t imparts. not very
pretty lesson, is scarcely yelled by the
rather trite ending.
The novelist and the dramatist have
written the world full of tones on
love, and there has been written al
| most enough TO fill another word on
pdoSlOll - beSSOu III l1ONe
the inquiry when is the one the other
ard ar both ever the same.
Laura Westerly has made herself an
outcast, so far as her former stald
ing an unloVed husband for the man
| she loves and for whom she is willing
/ to sacrifice everything. She comes
to the home of Mrs. Beatrice Audley,
, who is engaged to Sir Nevil Moreton,
because her lover is dead and she is
4 lnnnlG fnEnarg g. "a
and needs sympathy. Mrs. Audley
comes into the room after she believes
Laura has been repulsed, and again,
| in the presence of Capt. Andre Bri-
quet, q Suave Frenchman of the
world, her guest, gives Laura to un-
| iderstand that she can have nothing to
do with her Capt. Briquet chides
her for this and tells her she has
| mates that she herself would do as
Laura had done had she been tempted.
/ From this point 1t is apparent that
/ Mrs. Audley is Influenced and before
she scarcely realizes 1t she herself is
/ In love with the captain. Breaking
her engagement with Sir Nevil. she
| calmly plans to marry Capt. Briuuet,
when she is firmly but kindly inform
| ed that his intentions do not con-
/ template marriage and when she
| ton he calmly tells her nothing re-
! mains but To say farewell, where
| upon, declaring. she cannot live with
! out him. she throws herself into his
/ arms In abJect surrender. This all
ihappens in the space of three weeks -
J Two days later, in private rooms in
| the Savoy Hotel, at London. Mrs
Audley is disclosed awaiting the call
| of Laura, whom she has summoned
| Laura comes. but does not seem TO
| take kindly to the captains objection
! TO marriage when there is no reason
:! f@r II. Then Sir Nevil appears with
| the venerable dean, determined 70 do
| ,r die. He does neither. for after
| Mrs. Audley again abjectIy surren-
ders, the captain produces a special
marriage license, which satisfies the
| dean. Sir Nevil makes rather sheep
lih departure and the final curtain
falls on the lovers.
! Even with the most elaborate
|celebration of marriage, after the
| captain had made his conquest of
the woman. his subtle arguments the
bright lines OF the pIayNand it Is
tull OF them-the mother of daueh-
ter or the respectable father of a
son would hesitate to expose her or
him to the possible influences OF
| Lesson in Love" Yet il was
from the feminine rather than the
ma culine audience that the big an
nlause came at moments when the
Thoughtful. the conservative. the
conventional mind expected silenc,
Gilda Leary as Mrs. Audley wa.
natural as well as artistic, playing
the role with the charm OF a gentle,
woman and an experienced artist
hugh Buckier's Sir Nevil also was
eXcellently done, while George Fitz.
gerald "a Dean Carey is an out.
standing memory. Grace Henderson
made natural and attractive Mrs
Carey. Beatrice Maude an adequate
Laura and NJ try Wauters and + $
Merlin modestly played the mjno1
roles.