Evening star., 1924-10-21
ADJUSTMENTS
Belasco-"A Steam Roller.

The generous welcome accorded at
the Shubert- Belasco Theatre last eve
ming provided for the worlds pre-
miere" of Laurence Eyre's new play.
"A Steam Roller" at once dis
tinguished and a friendly audience.
And. it may be added. the play need
ed both. for its only element of in
terest is feminine FrankenStein.
Amelia Dill. who rides roughshod
over everybody around her and, sin
gularly enough. with but slight
setback at the hands of badly
stumped would-be cave man. gets
away with it even TO the final cur
tain.
The playwright has accommodate
ingly provided a cast of weak char
scters to emphasize the strong points
IF his heroine. and he starts out With
first act whose close leaves the
uninformed somewhat in doubt as to
where he is drifting. But after that
Amelia begins to get in her strong
work with vengeance and with all
the strength of a crafty and cold
blooded adventures. gauzily veiled
with the mantle of hypocrisy. wends
her lordly way until the hnal cur
tain finds her complete mistress of
the situation and with all that she
has really stfiven for securely within
her grasp, unless, perhaps, it be the
rather tame William Trimble, whom
she had cleverly tried to steal from
her sister by conveniently losing two
pages OF his letter and making the
document a clear proposal for her
own hand by simply utilizing the first
and fourth pages.
In this way she won over Williams
father, while William fed to China to
escape her, and upon the former g
death became custodian Of the family
responsibilities and property. She
preferred to believe William dead to
the world and affected to be his heart
wounded fancee. Williams unex-
pected return, however, throws a
monkey wrench into the machinery.
but only for awhile. Ameria quickly
RECEIVERS her grip and at the final cur
tain she has generously yielded VIII
liam to her sister, consented to the
marriage of his nephew to the girl of
his choice. because she has been un-
able to prevent either match, and she
herself grandiloquently retires with
Sl25.000 assured TO her for projects
that would bring joy TO China and
add to the imperishable glory of her
own home town, West Cnaster, Pa,
maybe.
Amelia is not only a strong willed.
imperous woman. but a very unscru-
pulous one. for she stops at nothing
to gain her ends. She may have-and
probably has-her counterpart in real
life 1t is to be hoped she has not,
for although she made a generous au-
dience laugh repeatedly at her audac-
ity. it is doubtful that she won even
the sympathy OF any but those who
might aspire to ride to success by her
methods. The famous Becky Sharp
is adorable in comparison.
Janet Beecher's art met every
requirement of such a characteriza-
tion in her performance last evening,
even to the unbending at the close to
Graciously acknowledge the hand
some floral tributes that passed over
the footlights. Bruce McRae, the
hapless William, may justly charge
the playwright with hampering his
opportunities. With Miss Beecher as
such a Katherine, he would have
been an ideal Petruchio had he been
given even half a chance. AS 1t was
Ee<made the most of role that gave
but sebrief and a most awkward op-