The evening world. Newspaper, December 26, 1918, Page 20

_ rs 3 - the question of race. “by quiet physical force. @t the Vanderbilt Theatre, hher hair, for she Detng anything more than neurotic. The play presents an interesting Problem without solving tt. may marry a Gentile and live unhap- pily ever after, if that happens to be Me case. Frankly, this matrimoniai situation @oesn’t interest mo, Racial instinct as nothing in common with drama Mf the writer of the play fails to give 4% dramatic situations. In my opinion, the man or woman who goes to the theatre ts not vitally concerned with First of ail, ‘there must Ye a play of universal ap- ‘peal ; “The Gentile Wife” is a nervous @reation, and this fact ix proved in Whe scene where the wife of David Wakes her way into the garden at ‘bight with a man who draws her there He merely Bives her the word that he feels she ‘wm obey, and when the moment has A Jew ® THE NEW PLAYS © “The Gentile Wife” A Nervous Creation BY CHARLES DARNTON ITH her amber hair piled high on her head, Emily Stevens is the | irritating force of "The Gentile Wife,” the play by Rita Wellman | 1 don’t mean to say that Miss Stev- | passed she has nothing to say for | ens fises above the play because of | herself. never succeeds in In this respect Miss Wellman | strikes @ true and daring note in pluy writing, Only a woman, per- haps, would dare to deal frankly with | physical attraction, in any event, | nis incident stands out as a stark challenge to bumen nature. It is a wlice of life for which no apology is nade, | The moon may have been shin- ing, the nightingale singing, but the fact remains that the wife follows her husband's friend out of the house, ind afterward makes no bones about the skeleton that a less courageous woman might have kept in her closet. With no love for the man who fascinates her, the wife makes @ fool of herself overnight, There is real drama, as well as truth, in this phase of Miss Well- man’s play. Ail the potter about Jew and Gentile doesn’t matter, nor is it likely to interest people who go to the theatre for the good or the bad they may get out of it. Miss Well- man has taken the bull by the horns, and, at the same time, written with fagility and understanding. Moreover, heft racial point of view iy clear up to “ certain point, It is surprising, to say the loast, that the heroine dis- covers, when she meets the relatives of her rusband, that she has married a Jew. Surely, she might have guessed as much in her earlier ac- quaintance with David, though I must say that David Powell, who plays the husband with a fine sense of devo- tion, suggests an Englishman in every line of his face and every tone of his voice. He i8 an excellent actor-- ‘one of the few sensitive actors on our stage for that matter—who happens to find hunself miscast, and for this | reason, perhaps, he scema to clutch at the tone and manners of John Barrymore in “Redemption,” Miss Stevens makes the wife a creature of nerves, yet she is thea- trically effective. ‘Vera Gordon 1s true to type and amusing as the Jew- igh mother; Mra, A. Asheroff gives dignity and — racial significance to David's old aunt. Frank Conway acts the scientific lover with intelligent restraint, and Eleanor Montell ts clever, though @ bit “mannered” as the girl who contributes small talk to the first act. One of the settings by Robert Ed- mond Jones has the semblance of a mortuary, and is quite enough in it- self to kill the play. A pulpit that “Papa Davis" has established in it may serve as an excuse for the sepulchral arrangement, but a tieket box from the subway would be quite as ornamental and equally useful. A “breakfast porch” ts another scenic effect calculated to harden a soft- boiled egg. “The Voice of McConnell” Is Heard. URE, and ‘twas a GREEN Christ- mas after all, There wasn't the least doubt @bout it in the audience that filled the Manhattan Opera House last night to fee the opening of Chauncey Olcott fm “The Voice of McConnell.” Even ‘at the door green flags were offered for sale, And, of course, Mr. Olcott Wore a green tie and sang some of the old songs which have kept him green for years in the memories of thousands and will keep his memory green for years to come, But there were new songs, too— also green, These included “Ireland, My Land of Dreams,” “You Can't Deny You're Irish” ang “When I Look 4m Your Eyes, Mavourneen.” All are duneful and catchy, especially the last amed, which was whistled by scores @s they left the theatre. “The Voice of McConnell” is tho of a Dublin choir singer who is ht to this country and wins tn- stant fame and fortune, There ts un ‘Bdventuress who steals a $26,000 ring @ party to which McConnell hos invited to sing. He learns the identity of the adventuress, and to We an embarrassing situation for his ss and prevent scandal he writes thig check for the cost of the ring and gives it to the man from whom It was stolen, telling the hostess that he had taken the ring himself as a joke. Then he has a duplicate ring made which he presents to the daughter of the hostess after an enga; ent ne- gotiated by telephone. T adven- turess and the man from whom she stole the ring meanwhile decide to be married and she gets McConne!ls check back and returns it to him. to everything ends happily, with no oue the loser and the two girls wearing the duplicate rings on their third fin- gers. Both the play and the songs were | written by George M. Cohan, under whose personal supervision the comedy was staged. Mr, Olcott and | coMIc | Thereday, December 26, 1918 LITTLE MARY ?. Now ,You cARRY 2 “THe DRESSER AN) Fo.row ME / a ee Cpe MIXUP THE BIG LITTLE FAMILY E ADMIT T MADE A “BULL"= BUT “TH’ BEST OF US PULL A” BLOOMER” Now AN’ “THEN ! JUST THINK How SNUG AND WARM "UL BE, DRIVING THE LITTLE SEDAN To THE CITY “TODAY Joe! ‘ser! NO CoLD WIND OR ANYTHING) “SOMEWHERE IN his singing feature the whole per= formance. Constance Beaumar, as tho | adventures, and Roy Cochrane, as | McConnell's valet, were well received. Others in the cast are Mrs, Allce Chapin, as the hostess; Gilda Peary, as the hostess's daughter; Edward nell; chard Taber and Harold de Recker, who fell in love with the ad venturess after she ring from him. Mr, Olcott, after the second act, an- swered to repeated calls with a little talk in yhich he gave cred!t for the production to Mr. Cohan, Afier which there was presented to him a harp about six feet high, made out of flowers twined with ribbons—-GREEN ribbons. had stolen the About @omedy hit, “iriendly Enemies,” is to be produced at the Haymarket Thea- tre, London, late next month and he! Wants to be on hand. Aaron Hoff- oo-author of the play with Sam- uel Shipman, has returned from Cali-| and is adapting the comedy for | lish consumption, . Mr. Woods. ANOTHER CORD SET, ‘The Hippodrome broke all its Christ- gape? ettendance records yesterday. | than 11,000 people saw Charles Dillingham's “Everything.” GRATEFUL CHORUS MEN, The men :f the chorus at the Park Theatre yesterday presented General Manager William Wade Hinshaw and hie wite, Mabel Clyde Hinshaw, of the Society of American Singers, with a handsome loving cup “in recognition Of the real spirit of Americanism in this company, which treats the chorus men as men and artists.” BUSINESS FINE. Business was excellent in the the He will sail) report capacity crowds at all Plays and Players | By BIDE DUDLEY | lee's, ROADWAY hears that H.| boy" lads will be guests of Mrs. Woods is planning a trip | Senrge u Gould ay A : he society misses of “Hooray for @broad early in January. Hit/ene Giris” gave Frank Bmitheon, | stage director, a silver humidor and said be was a sweet old thing. A prized addition to the Friars’ library is @ handsomely volume of the late Jere J, Cohan's poems. George M. Cohan gave it to | the club, Edwin Carty Raneck has succeeded Alan Dale as dramatic editor of Ains- He retains his duties as press epresentative for Mr, and = Mrs, Coburn and “The Better "Ole." Mary Sullivan has been loaned by the New York War Camp Commun- ity Service and her friends to the |“Attaboy" show as press agent, No ats are hard to buy i Broadhurst's new farce, | Keep It te “opened in New Haven yes Cline wires }us it proved rollicksome, frolicsome and Frenchsonice A THOUGHT FOR TO-DAY, As his Christmas gift, Mrs, Dodie Penny of Wellsville made her hus: | band two nice nightgowns out of flour sacks she'd been saving. FOOLISHMENT. 4,dencins youne woman named, ton wea ke ms © twenty-five houses, s"ralendquits's ballabaibs, FROM THE CHESTNUT TREE. Ne "Bans but ping Fielding, as the manager of McCon- | bound | O'SILK SUSPENDERS EACH Got STUCKt WITH PRETTY PINIS FLOWERS ON‘EM! DAISY GeTTA PAE ate ‘ } You Ant Got Te NOTHING, | ON ME. | hs _——" AW! You'RE ALWAYS PULLIN’ ome Fool STUNT! Once ALA THE WOMEN ARE SO JEALOUS! “THe CATS! “THEY “THink «t's Too SWELL FoR us! NEW YORK” TRdTSIE GOTTA FAIRE. = CHARLIE AND AnipoLe Peopts hy HOMERS F JT TAIES A LOTTANERVE MIM-THEY ALWAYS! To WEAR.A CARISTMAS GIVE Him SLIPPERS: TIE, GUT YA GOTTA DO IT ad PAGE “SAY, MR WELLS - T Got A LOT OF CHRISTMAS PRESENTS T Dont Need. WILL YOU EXCHANGE “TEN HAIR RIBBONS, ADoLL 4nd 4 ZAT 07 YOURE ONE OF “THOSE. BIRDS WHO BELIEVE “THEY NEVER DID ST TAINS, EET HURT ANYTHIN' FOOLISH IN “THEIR LIVES ! THEY make mE “Tired! 4 ANYwWAd — “THEY'LL sIMeLY DIE OF ENVY wHEN THEY see + ---— ITS NICE OF PAW TS Smoke ONE oF DAISYS Get NO 1d)cle MAw's GIFT CIGARS FORCHRISTMAS Sonny At SHE Ger i = FUR HE'S GONNA DO IT OR. DIE DIAMOND RING SHE WANTED! SA Good THING _ SomeEeRooys SATISFIEO! I OUGHTA KNOWN WED GET, SOME CHEAP THING LIKE THIS PIN CUOSAION FLOM RS. SIMPICINS—-NOW WE GOTTA WUSTLE AND BUY AER SOMETHING! WILLIE GETS Bosy WTA AIS PRESENTS RIGHT ) AW aT. / ao © Fess ub CG wy evewonmre A FoR A LITTLE “PONY AND CART DIDNT T 2 MARRY ‘You € - ALL THE BEAUTIFUL CLoTUes VM GOING To GET To WEAR The Day After Christmas HERE HE Is! OW SLUSH! Re ExT NEN PAR GT ieee EINECS enrs! GIFT GLOVES For PO MANGE MIS bys Size Base an Y a TO Tae H S TAEM WAS A_ U>=—- foe) SPE SALE— SERENE Shar cor) TAG NO MORE AT THAT orrl — Frice! ._ > — ——a ¢; 2. “Sure! The hajser thought be had the dope ( Uncle Sam | ; thot J ‘a SENSE EnovGH cfend a Nobody’ to “Grindstone George” He understands ‘human nature” an Size up ™ Z Pane i the ) .