Evening star., 1926-09-07
ADJUSTMENTS
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Brice

! SHtBEKT-BELASCO brIce
A theater newly decorated, but with
the old welcoming personnel that
stood their ground so manfully last
| year through one of the most wither'
! ing seasons known to the stage, was
thrown open to the public last night.
The motto Of the house was: For
get the past
David Belasco Was the presiding
genius, as he always is, whether his
name appears in large or small let
ters in the types. Who, in the race
of the gentle irresistible human com
edy he offered last night, would be 50
unkind as to refer to the rough Vo
cabulary Of Ladies of the Evening,
or to the Philadelphia detour. which
cut Washington out Of the itinerary
and landed Lulu Bell as one OF the
greatest hits known to Summer
broadway?
The theater flung a glad farewell
to the hoodoo that lowered with re-
lentless influence until it's doors closed
last Spring.
Fanny Brice emerged from the
chrysalis of musical revue, dramatic
butterfly of rarest charm. The IN
tensity of many moments in the play
did not require her to sacr1nce the
individual traits Of spontaneous com
edy which have so long endeared ner.
And Willard Mack-for the moment
forgotten. as is so often the authors S
eate on the occasion Of Success-shook
If the rugged mood of melodrama
sufficiently to weave a sincere laugh.
ter theme into sturdy story OF
underworld romance.
The title of the play, Fanny sug-
cests on the bill boards an egoistic
bo reveals
the fact that the title does not go
quite far enough. 1t might assume
plainly and unhesitatingly the full
~ame, Fanny Brice."
1t has long been whispered that
uiss Brice desired to be taken serious
fy. Even when she was employed
as a comedienne to assist in the
"glorification" Of chorus ladies, she
found expression in blues" and
Apache" numbers. Her present play
is a deft arrangement Of lines and
situations which reveal her person
ality in phases of such wonderful
diversity that the seasoned playgoer
catches his breath and wonders how
many different types of actress he
has been seeing all at once.
This heroine takes her plot
seriously When she sings a little
song of ancestral memory she renders
the vocal expression more exquisitely
convincing because it is unostenta-
tiouS in technical art. When she
comes to a scene in which disappoint-
ed faith hurls its denunciation she
arises to heights sincerely tragic.
When she undertakes by feminine
WileS to ensnare the cowboy villain
who is trying to cheat Fanny's bene-
factress she succeeds. without getting
out of character, in giving a, travesty
of the "vamp,' which requires a most
delicate sense Of proportion to prevent
it from lapsing into abrupt clowning.
She is a Bernhardt in grotesque.
There is much good acting in the
performance. The work of Warren
William, who plays the detective with
whom Fanny falls in love, stands out
with virile interest. So does the play
ing OF John Cromwell as the rascally
rancher.
A glance backward through the
picture book of the theater re-
veals recollections in sequence
which lead up to this dictinctive
characterization The dainty hero
ines of the past performing feats
of daring are brought into the atmos-
phere Of the long forgot "SamI Of
Posen," and not so far back that of
Warfield's "Auctioneer." Yet, the old
pathways are abandoned and the
spectator is taken far from the crowd
ed sidewalks into the haunts of the
desperadoes and gamblers, about
whom Mr. Mack SO dearly loves to
write.
An audience that filled the house