Show I I Ethel Barrymore Much Too Brilliant For Her Play In one respect Ethel Barrymore Is the most pathetic figure on the he American stage says sas Jal James W W. Dean S The rho tragedy of Miss Darr lies In her hel great talent Call that paradox if you jou OU will but the fact remains that Ethel thel Barrymore i is pretty generally greater than her pla play Her lIeI action often seems BemS hobbled hob hob- bled by heavy lines and antI ponderous situations when the of or the matter Is that her own talent for expression is speeding far head ahead of the alays alay's pac pace Miss liss Barrymore's brilliance com com- submerges the tho slender merit of The Royal Roal Fandango This is iM isito isso so ito true that a verdict t by br first and second has already been re- re I I turned against the pla play The jury has been ben prejudiced by Miss l Barry- Barry more With a less glamorous figure In the leading role The Royal loyal Fandango Fandango Fandango Fan Fan- dango would unquestionably be berated berated rated a fall fair to middling pla pa play Zoo Akin Akins as usual constructs one smooth smoothly perfect act and places around It I t acts that fall far short of perfection In The Royal Roval Fandango Fandango Fan Ian dango tho the best act is the first one The Tho action of the second act slacks off I cannot render a no complete account account account ac ac- ac- ac count of the last Jast act because for forthe forthe forthe the first time In my my life I went to sleep in the the theatre tre In the first act a matador excellently excellently excel excel- played by Jose Alessandro falls desperately in love with Princess Princess Prin Prin- cess Amelia Miss lIss Barrymore The Tho mat matador dor is a marl man man of exemplary habits never er having smoked a cig- cig aret fth until d t the 1 princess bs asked fn l' l him d II had never kissed s la woman and tho the princess elide did but ask him to do that Tho The brush between the ro royal al coquette corbette tte and the virgin is s first rate romance However Zoe Akins was unwillIng unwilling unwilling ing to follow out this romantic l lead ad Hero and and heroine am aro made to look looka a bit foolish when the kiss hiss is still held in abe abeyance In the second act In the third act the kiss Is not even oven an n elusive cus object of the chase and tho princess returns home honie with her husband I I Perhaps Sou you ou see in this brief di digest di- di goat gest ost of p S. S the pIa play wh why I say that I dl-I r I Eth Ethel i Barrymore Is a pathetic fig fig- ure The play falls aUs as far tar short of her talent as Rose Rosc Bernd and The Laughing Laughing- Lad Lady In Iii only ono one play in which I J v ha-v laYe o seen Miss Barrymore w vas I the ho reverse condition condition condition condi condi- tion true That was Romeo and I 5 I A c s sV V I H JH I I 1 ElliEt MORE Juliet Providenc just did did not equip her to be 10 a i Juliet The American theatre owes Ethel a great play a thing that redounds in the thc quality of beau beauy y And It is time timo that tha thO debt wore were paid i I 5 I I From Columbus Ohio comes a note If more moro of 01 tho the New Yori critics had hael your jour our courage go the Western West West- ern theatre theare would not be cj vest I I with the trash t that at Is now v coming from New The rhe writer Y r re I I I forred in In particular la lar to this writers writer's opinion of Nazimova's heroine The Columbus ColumbOs correspondent Is In error errol Cri c cannot nn t sweep trash from the stage Producers Pro Pro- will always Pl pitt out the sort of show that brings dollars to the So long as loB tb the public pays to sciO trash Just so long fong will the stage ha have hao o the appearance of a a dump V Spring Cl Cleaning Jing the new comedy com corn edy by bv Frederick Lonsdale which has IlaS S Just reached New York lacks the lightness Jn In touch which marked his Arent Wo We 0 All AIl But It 11 gives Estello Win Winwood wood the chance to create create cre cre- ate ate atea a new st portrait that can 1 bo ho hung U alongside alongside- s of Jeanne l Eagles gl 8 in n Rain Le Leonoro or Ul lc r. r as Kiki Site She plays the of a common walker street-walker who is brought nt into Inlo a respectable home borne to show up UI the tile i J expectable prostitutes who have been enticing a respectable respectable respect respect- table t able wife front from tho the path of virtue But there Is nothing sordid about tho the preachment nothing sermonic Its Ills good comedy but s should be better coming from trio the pen of Long Long- dale I S L Last st y year ar was called the tho golden g Y year ar of the American theatre h be because cause of the tho great number of ot artistic artistic artis artis- tic and and commercial successes This season bids bIds' fair fall to go down lown to posterity tho the as filthy year yeal There is more and profanity profanity pro pro- fanity on the stage thus far tins tills season than there then has nas been In the last five seasons This reviewer thought that The Lullaby and The Crooked Square had gone one as far In the tho matter of bf foul language as decency would permit permit but but buti I he hadn't t yet ret heard the lIn lines Imps s of William i Hur Hurlburt's burts burt's Tho The Cup Hurlburt's drama Is centered in the tho repeated oft myth that tho the holy Grail is hidden In iii America lie Ite locates lo lo- c cates tes It In New Nw Yorks York's bowery lIe He has thugs fight over It It And a jado jade of a woman Is thrown Into the story for a nauseating romance romance Tom Torn Moore late hate of ot the movi movies s. s and O. O P. P Heggie two of ot the most delightful characters of tho the stage ha have vo been dragged In this sorry mess It is wanton waste of talent that might be he better employed A steaming stench seems to bo be settling ov over r the th ll after the final curtain The players rs aro by then probably occupied washing thou thell mouths month with soap and ami water tr I |