The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-07-17
He CAST.
By CLIFF MEREDITH.

It probably will offend Avery
Hopwood, responsible for twenty
two opening nights, to liken his
adopted brain-child, THE Return"
launched at the Belasco last night,
to certain portions of 'Abie's Irish
Rose" that much scorned and yet
unbelievably successful collection
Of museum gags which Washing
ton knows only too well.
But when that eStimable gentle
man cries "Buddies" and permits
his big scene--when husband and
the neglected lady's crush stand
face to face-to toboggan into a
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. P. o. E.
hand-shake, he comes as near
Anne Nichols methods as he can
safely travel.
1.-The Return" is postwar
story of a fussy husband whose
unromantic habits of donning
slippers and writing dry Spanish
history remain the dominant
things of his life even after the
reckless, dangerous fare Of the
trenches. A wife who would like
more gadding on her domestic
program throws up the sponge
wars only to put his glorious war.
going habits in moth balls with
his uniform. That, of course, il
a great disappointment-as much
to the lady as to the audience.
The jealousy formula is thereupon
applied, mama puts in few
wise cracks, and for the rest of
the going there's nox cents
worth of worry about the clinch.
1t takes some little time to
get back to normal receptiveness
after a First act that has the
novel MY Gawd"' for a curtain.
Many moments of wishing for
somebody to start something are
filled with a desperate attempt
to construct a suitable platform
upon which the returning soldier.
husband may step on his rather
tame entrance. 1t Is doubly
dreary because one cannot dodge
the fact that French material is
being served an American
audience. The French still re.
member the war. Our humble
observations are that Americans
are doing their best to forget the
war, at least the uninteresting
angles disclosed in THE Return"
Occasionally, however. certain
Amerieanized lines, obviously
flourishes from Hopwood's own
pen, ignite laughter and act as
shots of Coca-Cola ON a wearying
summer afternoon. These bits
were gulped by patient audience,
charitably polite. until the Broth
ers Elks did their turn in the
windup. For a scene which the
French possibly greeted with a
cheer, those at the listening post
last night had only a twitter and
a "Blaw
And the strange part of it all
is when they alter the fabric in
the customary manner after a first
night, cutting down full minute
speeches, and screening some of
the more obvious hokum, people
Will like 1t. Happily, Avery can
make EN- like it, with more
laughs and farce.
Josephine Drake seemed to
catch the spirit of the thing last
night, and, as the widowed mama
or the piece, openly burlesqued
her role. Edward Douglas, too,
went after the laughs in the man
ner that perhaps Mr.. Hopwood
should have gone after them with
his French-American dictionary.
These two were the joy of tho
evening. Fred Raymond, jr., and
Flora Sheffield seemed so terribly
serious over a not very awning sit
uation-not altogether their fault.
Mr.. Hopwood has a wide circle
or friends in Washington, and
they will have fun watching him
shape this thing into a trimmer
bit during the coming week. A
lot of these friends have openly
registered at the box office their
love of lingerie Mr.. Norwood
this time offers only two boudoir
uniforms