Judge — April 23, 1927 — page 19: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

‘ii iii JUDGE ING sTILL, despite my other great gifts, find myself unable to detect in Clemence Dane the remarkable talent that a lot of people talk of. With the produc- tion of the lady’s each new play I duly go around to the scene of the festivities and try to discover just what it is t folk believe she w angels at birth. And cach time I come away with the conclusion that either she is the most over- uted playwright for whom. the English critics ever rolled a log or that I am losing my old sagac- ity as a bloodhound on the trail of meri Two of La Dane’s products are currently on view in our fair city. One, “Granite,” I have alre: ady lectured on. It is a heavy-handed tragedy as full of rubber-stamps as the air-mail window at the post-office. The other, ‘Mari- ners,” has lately been put on by the Actors’ Theater. It, too, is a heavy-handed tragedy written in supine _ theatric English and, save for a few phases of the char- acter of the clergyman who mar- ries a barmaid and goes to pot, pretty dull going. I observe that certain of my colleagues, while admitting the tediousness of the play, find in it a poetic quality that arouses their admiration. Where this poetic quality, either in the direction of imagination or writing, lies, I'd give a round-trip ticket to Hoboken, together with a photograph of Sir Martin Har- t makes certain as kissed by the | comedy with E the SHOWS ¢ by Geame Jean Nu riners"" (Ply mo The Legend of Leonora’ “The New Yorkers" (Totten)—And here. “The Constant Wife” (Elliott)—Entertaining Barrymore in leading rile. Jhurst)—A really good Spread Eagle Are Trump Rapid Transit /* (Beck)—See next week’ Hea (Morosco)—Dit Provincetown) —Ditt St.)—And ditto. “La Fiesta” (520i “Her Eagel ruins a diverting farce- “Cherry Blorwoms" (44th St.)—T haven't around to this one as yet “The Spider" (46th St.)—Lively mystery play * (48th St.) —Sex flapdood anish setting Squa The Sealavag” (49th “The Crown Prin A pure bit for the inno- (Golden) Cord” Strail play of he Second Man" (Guild)—For future review “Caponsacehi” “The Devil in the Cheese” one. (Hampden)—A dull session. (Hopkins)—A duller “Oh, Kay!” (Imperial) —A bouncing music show with the engaging Gertrude Lawrence Countess, Maritza (Jolson)—An excellent inner” (Klaw) — “Two Girls Wanted” (Little)—Worse. “Set a Thief” (Lyceum)—Same her “Hit the Deck” (Belasco)—To be later. ¢ Maire’s Affaire” (Majestic)—Stereotype * (Mansfield) Sunk. ayfair)—Very fesome tragedy Play's the Thing” (Miller) —Amusing pmedy. (Music Box)—Excellent — melo- “Lucky” (New Amsterdam) — Elaborately al show with Playhouse) nied by special ple staged but conventic “The Road to Rome diverting moments weal "Yours Truly” (SI show ‘Rio Rita” (Zie rt)—An amusing music ful one both, I presume, habit ing to the boob sensibilities as for genuine poctry little more than in Maire’s Affairs.” What deceives the ad- mirers of the dramatic talent of Miss Dane is, I believe, the of superficial dignity with which she cunningly writing ly without di There is a of austerity to throws the track, ally touch but there is note invests d fundament: ic fake air work that ables off the used similarly to be taken in by the plays of Augustus Thomas and, in part, those of Stanley Houghton. Pauline the “Mariners.” I suppose that she does as well as is possible by a réle so exaggerated as to flirt oc- casionally with the Columbia Theater. Arthur Wontner is very good as the man of God. Hi Wright, the sweetie of the local reviewers, the simple réle of a heart-wrinkled old maid and shakes the life out of it with a species of 1895 Ivy Day elocu- tion. nit} her impres just as they Lord is star of dee takes II The revival of Barrie’s “The Legend of Leonora,” with Grace George giving an excellent per- formance of the réle originally played in America by Maude Adams, is a bad play from a technical point of and a mighty agreeable one from a the- ater seat. As the reviewers who have enjoyed it immensely always say the next morning, “It is hard- ly a play at all and it is too bad view vey, to be told. True enough, | wn. t,, Nhiwhestwonw | that Barrie didn’t take more Miss Dane makes an allusion to ie bogie Puen tortie pains to get some body into it, the stars and there is some talk spnat dace: tease tema (lied If Barrie had done as the boys about a woman dying of a broken bore urge, you might safely have bet heart on her husband’s grave— | __ __| (Continued on page 29) 17 comicbooks.com