The Washington times., 1926-03-23

reason therein being that Mr..
tional as book-author Of Kid
Boots: ct the Belasco as
author of q new play, a Great
Little Guy" and in New York
by confirmed success, Twelve
Miles Out" Does this not suf-
ficiently identify Mr.. Mcclure,
remember that he wrote six
Cylinder Love- yThe Divorce
Question: and others whose
names don't respond when
memory whistles.
The Belasco Theater, which to
the discerning playgoer has been
vacant most of the season, lifts
It's curtain shades this week and
lights in the window a beacon Of
hope for the puzzled showfarer.
The beacon Is Mr.. McGuire's IA
Great Little Guy. interpreted
with fine and understanding
method by Small Joe Laurie. jr..'
who viii hereinafter not be re-,
ferred TO as the pint sized come.
dian. Assisting Mr.. Laurie Is a
cast that's aces" one that inn
bues me with a slight regret that
the season, Is fadins, bad az Il
has been.
II Is easy to detect the main
reason why Mr.. McGuire's new
play has IS happily come off and
wl1v il viii be b soothing. though
belated. sedatiye to Broadway.
gorged on reviyals and short
lived tryouts. He has construeh
himself into d triple entente, be.
Ing author Of the play. stager q
the play and producer Of the play.
Thus there II reflected a tnn1llrli-
tv sc oIairaiOn between these three 3,
innnorfaiit personages tembOdlea
Is, nsSe mani that gives Won 2
swell iaea Of what the author n
getting at.
NJ 1,an rehearsals begin, author
FL nroducer get along as ar1ianly
Z. ( s ~, Turks and Armeniaus. the
s a,,sl,nT writes with certain con-
ysscfinns The producer produces
v-ith certain. convictions Tley
CLASH frequently and It Is not I'M
,,suai for the charWonlen 70 Klna
the battered body Of one or the
other in the music pit before lne
rehearsal period IN over
NJ Mcclure has solved this
nroblem with safety to his prop
ertv and his own Skull, ne
worst that happened In rehearsal
81 am told, IS that he sasseu nm
self hack once or twice but otner-
wise kept his temper.
Mcclure has gone in more Tor
character building than Tor story.
TsI,a faIa II grated from famiiiar
stuff liberaIlyI and htiInorousiy pc.
damned with smart cracks and
'sarnraI nrettiIy twisting situa-
tsnna little shipping clerk,
about to be tossed to the slds'
,rsIl. FOR rent arrears, succumbs
to the advice that pig II0ns
means success: cultiVaIes hls laalau.
lord through this device nlanag So
I'd get one foot IN the social pIOoh
when a denOuement finds ninl g
the position OF one Doot1egger
selling another and, further. COM
promises his little wife SO IRE
vocably that he's about to leave
her when his boss, alias va
Scrogge. enters and manages 70
q few heart beats escape from
acarcass fibered after the arI1ia-
dfilo. Curtain finds the great 1T.
tie guy dragging his pillow to the
connubial couch.
Joe Laurie. jr.. has q role fash
Toned beautifully to his style and,
obviously, the play was written
with him iii mind. He cats It up
to the last crumb and his first
ascent to the larger glories OF the
legitimate In Plain Jane is
proved to have been no fluke
Tor here. again. he demonstrates
himself an actor OF intelligence
and deep. underlying humor
~ X
There are two competing char
acters that lift the entire piece
above the level Of a oIleman
play. One is carbon Of Aubrey
Piper in THE Show Off. At
first / resented him, so religious
was the makeup and banter, but
Unanswered by the capacious tai
ents OF Ray Walburn. the charac-
ter grew into an individuality of
its own and developed into a
gaudy and good contribution.
Charles Dow Clark romps away
: with comedy credits as the hard
boiled boss who masks his chart