Evening star., 1926-10-31
/ ONDITIONS peculiarly ia
vored the interests of the
most appealing plays seen

vored the interests of the
~ most appealing plays seen
in this city III many seasons.
There was minimum Of competition
with Young Woodley." The rhetori-
cal densities into which the reviewer
finds himself plunged in the effort
to convey a full impression of its
extraordinary quality are excusable.
The play is SO delicately wrought in
plot mechanism, SO clearly and SIM
ply told i'll its words and SO adm-
rably acted by every member OF the
company that it leaves no peg upon
which to hang a fippancy. but holds
all almost irresistible temptation to
float away into the mists of ethereal
gush.
x * * x
1t is necessary for the auditor
whose mind is timed for the appre-
citation OF work like Young Wood
ley to look back through the years,
brush aside the memories of harsh
experience and come into tune with
the impetuouS chivalry and idealism
Quiste love story of two lives is re-
lated with all unaffected Gircctness
which makes it seem for brief time
like a rather commonplace little
chronicle so true to life and nature
that it was scarce worth setting
down; yet so absorbing its interest
became, so strong was the sympathy
established i'll the characters, that it
soon exerted an intense fascination.
1t brings vivid reminder that youth,
depicted so often as the season OF
careless gayety. is in reality full of
tragedies, often imaginary; some
times. very real indeed. The episode
oil young Woodley's lovemaking
might have been laughed away had
not the Tagging" of his schoolmates
provoked him to an effort 10 xiii be-
cause of a random remark which led
him mistakenly to infer that his
lovemaking had been discovered and
the woman he adorcd had been sub
ject to sneering comment. Yet the
revelation of what was in the minds
and hearts of this boy and girl, the
inability to- resist the first kiss and
to hold il sacred in memory. an ex-
pcrience never to be repeated, yet
worth all the trouble it had caused, is
the real value Of the play. The mo-
ment OF physical stress i'll the knife
drawing scene is but a subordinate
device OF narrative. Yet this scene
is probably what many New York
producer. had he the opportunity Of
viewing the manuscript before pro-
duCtion. would .egard as the punch"
OF the play.
X * * x
The separation of the boy and girl,
suddenly transformed into blazing
hearted man and woman, makes
somber. almost tragic, conclusion.
Yet the question is a fair one. as to
whether the play is not. after all. a
comedy of sentiment with cicverly
concealed happy ending" calcu ated
TO satisfy the imagination willing ,to
go on and weave little romance for
itself. Who shall say that over yor-
der, as the hands OF the clock go
round. they shall not meet again in
freedom, this boy. become business
man under his fathers tuition. and
this girl, who warned her implacable
husband that If he made the lad suf-
fer because OF that one kiss she
would leave him forever.
x x X
That the play was well cast goes
without saying, since it is under the
direction of this same George c.
Tyler, who has set the public talking
time and again, by the magnitude
and taste of his productions. 1t is a
short cast, with Glenn Hunter as
the star. and that rare specimen OF
placid beauty, Helen Gahagan. as the
leading woman.
x
he management Of the President
7 heater has been making an effort
TO avoid what most theaters used to
consider valuable. "a policy Such
plays as white Cargo" Rain" and
now Ladies of the Evening" have
proved alluring to large clientele
which does not remain nearly so
large when a play of milder quality
is put on. An effort is being made