The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-10-21
SHORT BUT TRAGIC MAS I H [ l IF [ OF POOR 4LAUNZT"
Twas DiSConcerting To Have Charlie CchapIin Out
 In Audience
By WESTBROOK PEGLER tLeased Wire to The AEe-HernId)


 NEW YORK. Oct. 20-It is only a week since Arthur Hokpins produced at the Plymouth Theatre as his first work of the season, play called Launzi" by Franz Molnar, author o1 Lfllom." And, although Miss Pau line Lord, lately celebrated on two shores as Anna Christie" plays the title part of the story, it is already almost too late to speak of 'Launzi Tn the present tense, because it wil soon be making way for Ethe Barrymore in "A Royal Fandango.' "Launzi" opened under peculiarly embarrassing conditions. In the fifst place, the play is rather confusing clinical study of a gentle but nor bid case of insanity and no scorer will ponder in deciding wether tc place it under the hits or the errors In the second place, all the players had throat trouble due to a course of very trying rehearsals which con tinued until the night before the premiere.
 Chaplin Was There.
 And as a third complication Charlie Chaplin, only slightly incog- nito. sat in the audience and was recognized with the, disturbing con sequence that when he went to the foyer between acts, the audience shoaled after him and spent the sec ond half of the evening noisily tip- toeing back into the theatre.
 As a conscientious artist Chaplin did his best to obscure himself ano to avoid g., disturbance. He wore g soft hat instead of the derby, he left his stick at home, he checked his mustache at the coat-room and he kept his shoes tucked well into the shadows under dhis seat. Once when bit of insane philosophy lodged ir Tn pr r lfr Chaplin eased from his pew and stole up the aisle in the dark, strangling devotedly for the love of his art and spent the next 15 minutes at the drinking hydrant in the smoking room. Some of the company noticed this considerate act of fellowship and thanked Chaplin for it afterward.
 "Launzi' goes mad for the love of young man whose name, worse luck, isn't Mike. The young mar prefers her mother You see the sort of story this is going to be. The mother has been given convenient divorce from "LaunzPs" father and is marrying a millionaire.
 Being in love with her mother and father and with the youth who loves her mother, "Launzi" is placed un' der quite q strain and you begin to sag in the first act. In her dementia "Launzi'' imagines herself to be dead and, illogically, an angel.
 o O O
 Curiosity Is Satisfied.
 Having satisfied his curiosity re- gardng this strange work of Mol mars, Hopkins will soon present Miss Barrymore in play by Zoe Aikens who gave him "Delcasse." And later in the season he will produce Eugene O'Neills first attempt at TO- mantle fantasy, a play called "The Fountain Lionel Barrymore was tn a nj ri nf Leon, but Fritz Leiber has now been engaged.
 John Barrymore's Hamlet" will play d season of three weeks here later on, resuming the bumper busi- ness that was broken off when Bar rymore insisted on quitting last spring after 101 performances, con- tent at that time to top Booths olo record by one. After the season here. Barrymore will go on tour oi