Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-02-12
Lionel Atwill in The Out
slider"

F; A strong cast with a strong play,
| together with masterpiece or
characterization by Lionel Atwin.
| held a typical Washington first-night
audience Of elite sophisticates and
proponents of the theater in their
seats for approximately a dozen cur,
tain calls when THE Outsider
reached a brilliant conclusion Ut
Rejecting later upon the perform
iance, the structure of the entire pro-
duction reminded one of nothing so
much as of that Egyptian pyramid
which towers to lofty height. with
Action and plot in logical fashion as
cended step by step to the pinnacle.
and the play-stopping suddenly Just
as the big thrill is unveiled--left the
alternative but to fiutter. stumble and
tumble back down to this work-a-day
world as best 1t might.
The story is laid in London. The
plot concerns the attempt of wizard
surgical instrument maker to achieve
official recognition without the for
malities of a degree and course or
study in medicine simply because he
can effect cures with his rack that
the leading London F. r. c. $. give
up as hopeless.
On the one hand is traditional
medical conservatism as represented
iby members Of the Royal College or
Surgeons. On the other is TINS inter-
Hoping surgical instrument maker
who is curing ills by means of his
mechanical ingenuity that these mem
bers have pronounced hopeless He
lis the out slider. The first act lays this
ba ckground and introduces Lalage
Sturdee. daughter of Jasper Sturdee,
NJ. S, leading light in the surgeons
college. whose case has been pro-
nounced by her father and by emil
Inent practitioners hopeless.
Anton Ragatzy, outsider. colossus
of supreme conceit. gains entry to
Lalage's home and convinces her that
he can make her life worth while,
drawing her away from her fatner ;
house to be placed in his care. That
comprises the second act. and the fact
that it seems to work logically, that
this rank outsider" can walk into
! the great surgeons home and con-
vince his daughter that he IS PETER
than her father, speaks volumes LOT
the structure Of the play. but also for
the magnetism eXuded by Anvil as
Ragatzy.
At the wind-up the exhibition OF
the cure before the leading d IS surgeons hsr ai
tempt to walk. An anti-climax is
threatened Ragatzy has fallen in
love with her. supplanting a young
thing named Basil owen, WIZ .1S ni'
nounced that "Lalage took this cure
simply so she could marry me-. Basil
drifts away when he figures cure
still impossible. Anton Ragatzy turns
TO go. He is out in the hall. en-
route to oblivion. when the girl
realizing her love for him-suddenly
brings subconscious influence upon
the nerves leading to the muscles
which will allow her to walk again
and runs after him. 1t Is the su-
irene moment of the play and-down
goes. the final curtain-just as Anton
returns to gather her in his arms.
Ann Davis who came into fame
several wears ago, when called upon
To substitute for a leading actress In
"yyithin the Law" and who had been
in retirement for several years until
about a year ago, plays the crippled
girl with sympathetic appreciation
of the character. A cast that Is ex-
centionally well selected and appro-
nriately placed supports the leads. In
II are Pat Somerset. Lester Loner-
gan John Blair, Kenneth Hunter, I.
Wigney Percyval, Whitford Kane,
fernando Eliscu and Florence Ed
William Harris, jr.. seems to nave
uncovered a fitting running mate to
his other English play, outward
Round," in this production. The play
nv Dorothy Brandon. as directed by
Robert Milton, should find home In
New York somewhere. The scenic
production by Livingston Platt, forms
another angle of well assembled
creation.