Evening star., 1928-03-25

not run.
So completely was adverse COM
ment transformed into good prac-
tical advertising that Anne Mich
OILS one merry Christmas sent hol-
| iday gifts of monogrammed lead
pencils to writers about the the
ater in the large cities. There
was nothing specifically to indi-
cate little spirit Of sarcasm. Yet
the intimation could not be
, missed that the more they wrote
rough articles about her play the
better Miss Nichols was pleased.
The Irish Rose" is an example
Of the manner in which fortune
often concentrates itself on one
outstanding achievement. In this
case it came at the beginning of a
career instead of in its twilight
as for example, in the case of
Trader Horn" whose book may
easily be expected eventually to
afford material for the theater as
well as the library. Miss Nichols
could not go on duplicating her
successes in the same key, as did
Charles Hoyt, whose Texas Steer"
was recently produced here. When
she took up the melting pot theme
and interested itself in another
play, which Washington saw two
or three seasons ago under the
title Sam Abramovitch," she
could not lend her own spon-
taneity TO the work. The spec
tacular portrayal of the struggles
of two immigrants, one selfish,
the other idealistic, was very
much in contrast TO the laughing,
kindly naturalnesS which won
hearts, even while heads were
shaken in depreciation Of the lack
Of art It is not easy to under
stand why Anne Nichols should
not have followed the method of
Charles Hoyt and written popular
equivalents Of many "Abies." Per-
haps she thought one was enough.
At any rate, she could not pos
sibly have hoped again for the
same stimulating effects Of a
unanimous attack In printers ink.
To heighten the sentiment Of an
old timers week at the theater,
within the Law" was brought out
Of its retirement with a company
including members who lead
recollection through trails OF BIOS
soming memory. One Of the
bright spots OF iStereSt in the cast
was FRITZ Scheff, who gave TO a
brief role the same Smartness OF
style that she used TO bestow upon
a comic opera heroine. The play
| is perhaps too sincerely written
| 10 hold its own among the bois-
ferrous and irresponsible crime
dramas disclosed in so much pro-
| fusion. 1t has afforded sugges-
tons for many Of these new ef-
forts. II partakes Of the Gold
smith chiyalry. which followed an
ancient rule Of romance by insist
ing on a mock marriage In Vicar
Wakefield" 10 protect the char
/ 1sEJGE Ol LlAS AaAJ W1Ap ACAAHA
| TOO late that men betray" Author
Bayard WELLER provides Mary Tur-
ner with a reputation which she
can face squarely in the mirror OF
conscience. She Is so different
from the feminine desperadoes Of
the day that she really seems al
most bit prudish.
| Establishing as his basic theme
the common property In story
making Of the lover who refuses
10 be changed in affection by ap-
pearanceg Of guilt In the life VI
| the beloved, WELLER struck out
some new material and cleyerly
embellighed the plot. That ma
teriai has been used sometimes
piecemeal, sometimes almost In
bulb, so often that the play now
finds public q trifie eurfeited
with his wares SO far as the re-
spOnEe 1t can elicit is concerned
1t ig really an old play. or at least
farther away from the present
theater than even She Stoops TO
Conquer"