Evening star., 1928-12-23
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS InterIude," |"

Eugene O,Neills much discussed nine
act play, Strange Interlude," will open
at $50 this afternoon at the National,
to the largest advance sale of tickets
that any play has ever had in the his
tory of Washington, it is announced.
Thus 1t may be expected that the
nine-act drama will repeat here its sue
cess In New York, where. after nearly a
years engagement, the theater Is con-
tinually filled to the last seat, and the
complexities of the play are the gen.
eral topic of sermons. newspaper edi-
torialS and dinner-table conversation.
There have been many people to dis
agree violently with some of the points
In this epic of a woman's struggle for
happinesS-Some calling her selfish and
unscrupulous in her development of the
lives of three men, others calling her a
faithful follower of woman'S deepest IN
stincts-but no matter how much they
disagree, it has been noticed that every
member of the audience is always
promptly back in his seat for the be-
ginning of the second part of the play,
after the dinner intermiSSion of an hour
and twenty minutes. Even those who,
in spirit Of punctilio, have rushed to
their homes to change to evening
clothes, are never late for the latter half
casts over its spectators.
The story of Nina Leeds, with her
three men-husband, lover and friend
whose lives she has enfolded, is told on
two planes, so to Speak-through the
voiced mental reactions of the charac-
ters as well as through the ordinary
speeches of the characters to one an
other-the audience hears what they
think as we'll as what they say, with
consequent illuminating passages in
which what they say contradictS what
they think. For example, one man,
when meeting another, registers the
inner thought, mo giant intellect
there" but stiles the mental sneer to
commentary on the whole worlds little
hypocrisies.
With its portrayal of the whirlwind
into which human beings are involun-
tarily caught up by love, the plays
message is summed up in the speech OF
one character-"Romantic imagination,
it has ruined more lives than anything
else In the world"
The Theater Guild of New York pre-
sents the play here with its usual
meticulous care, and with fine cast OF
well known players. including Pauline
Lord, Ralph Morgan, Harry G. Ban
mister, Donald Macdonald, Helen Ann
Hughes, Maud Durand and James
Todd.
BELASCO-"The Gingerbread Man."
Kriss Kringle and his merry band will
hold high carnival at the Belasco Thea
ter this week. 1.-THE Gingerbread Mar" !"
Christmas fantasy, with song, dance.
music and jingles, which is promised to
delight youngsters from to 10. will be
the holiday treat at the BelaSco, start
ing this evening, with the full strength
of the Savoy Musicomedians and many
added attractions.
Beginning Tuesday, Christmas day,
daily matinee will be presented in ad-
dition to the night performances, with
no advance in the regular popular prices
now prevailing.
"The Gingerbread Man" Is one Of that
famous trilogy Of fairy fantasies which
delighted the country some years ago,
the other two being "The Wizard Of
or" and Babes in Toyland." In way
1t has become classic Of its kind, be-
ing the most popular Of the three as
Christmas entertainment.
Eddie Morris, in the title role, ap-
peared in this musical play in Washing
ton about a dozen years ago. Miss
Hamilton, who will be Jack Horner, has
appeared in four or five Of the best
loved Christmas pantomirnes in Eng
land. Helen Aults Q native Of WASH