| OCR Text |
Show I With the Plays, ' Players and the fc H "Damaged Goods," tho now Eugene H Brieux clinioal pluy which was Blven H its premloVin Now ' York?' rontly, " H' deals - fnnik'ly- iul impressively;- with ; H the contaminating actualities of the H ncourge. Tho )lny holds nothing for H, the prurient and sClll 'loss for" tho H p'rudlsh. Its chief plon. is that -the H insupportable, but nevertheless actual H taboo which is In force against tho H frank consideration of a menace H i H against public henlfh, should bo ro- hflj moved. H Tho Medical Review of Reviews' H Sociological Fund, under whose au- H apices the play was brought to Amer- H ica, seeks to combat tho most powor- H ful projudico in America, tho rofuaal H to permit u free discussion of a peril jH! which now is appropriately talked H about only in tho medical schools. Hjf "Damaged Goods" presents a young H man who, on the eve of his mar- Hl riage, has consulted an eminent H specialist and has discovered that he H is contaminated. H It is set forth that he has boon a H more than usually upright young H man, but that subsequent to a wine H bout he hns tho ill fortune to en-' H counter that which others havo os- "capod. Hj - - " He is pledged to marrj' the daugh- H tor of his father's friend, a young P woman of beauty, high social estate H and rich. Tho doctor forbids him to H marry for five -yearB,-nnd there en- Hj pups an argument, during which the H physician lays before him tho hor- H rlble probabilities of a marriage. H The young man bitterly insists that B it is Impossible for him to delay the Hj ( f remony for more than six months. HL He argues that he may bo one of tho M luck 5 per centum who escape. lie B 4 demonstrates that to tell the truth H will ruin him and rob him of the girl Hj he loves. In return the physician ar- H rays more facts and remains adamant H in his demand that there shall bo no 1 marriage. Tlio argument, which con- P Huems the entire first act of tho play, B ends with the departure of the young I man In anger from the doctor's office. of-fice. Some eighteen months have elapsed j v. hen the action of the play is re- jj .sumed. .The marriage has tuken B place and a girl baby has been born. J It develops that the young man had H delayed the wedding for half a year, H in the meantime placing himself in PH the nands of a quack who, ostensibly, ppj was treating him for an infection of PPJ tho lungs. ppj The charming young .e 13 mak- ppjj lug a lace cop, for her baby when tho ppj Iimbond arrives from his business, PPJ ind there ensues a scene of demon- Hj rftrativ love and affection which, in PPJ view Of the fore-knowledge of tho PPJ ludience, Is powerful in its piteous- Efl ness. -,$acln embrace mkes the on- R looker shudder. PPJ It soon develops, through the ar- ppj rival of Hh'e young man's mother, H that tho. family physician has found PH that the infant requires the sorwleos-- CRESS Y AND DANK Rare entertainers who a ill return io the Orpheum next week. of a specialist, and the doctor whose warning had not been heeded is summoned. sum-moned. It is then discovered that contamination has extended to the nurse, who leaves, finding out tho truth, to go to her own child and to her husband, and thus, with a terrible terri-ble certainty, tho farther dissemination dissemina-tion of the plague is indicated. Tho nurse denounces the family as she leaves, and the young wife, who lias been attracted to tho room by tho sound of loud speech, is thus apprised ap-prised of hot calamitous situation. She spurns ho husband as a loathsome loath-some creature, who has botrayod her, and with a cry of anguish, which comes as a climax to a highly effective effec-tive dramatic scene, she fall fainting to hte floor. In the final act of the play tho play tho young wife's futhor calls on tho physician to secure a certificate on which a dlvoroo may be obtained, but the spooialist enlists his sorvioos as a member of tho chambor of dopu-tles dopu-tles In an effort to onact laws nnd arouso public sentiment for a frank and honest dealing with tho manaco. Ho introduces two other victims, who toll their stories to tho deputy, and the various ramifications of tho subject sub-ject are spread before him. Tho offoct of tho play is wholesome. whole-some. In it no vulgarity and no unnecessary un-necessary facts are permitted to appear. ap-pear. It offers the strongest of arguments ar-guments against tho hypocrisy, and makes a tremendous -appeal for tho decencies. & & j ) David Belasco, who moves In a mysterious way to discover his plays and players, is preparing another pupil of his dramatic doctrines to make her real debut before the thea-tregolng thea-tregolng public of New York. This is apropos of the announcement announce-ment yesterday that Miss Helen Freeman Free-man is to have the leading rolo in tho trial production of a now play that Mr. Belasco will mako late in tho spring. Only onco before has tho young actress anpoarod before a Now York public. This was in tho loading rolo of "Tainted Philanthropy" on the occasion oc-casion whan Judgo Holt ordered a doublo performance of this play and "The "Woman" as final evidence in an important case. After tho performance per-formance just two namos woro on every one's lips David Bolasco, because be-cause of his courago in offering the two playo, and Holen Freomnn, because be-cause of hor convincing performance. Then nothing mora was hoard of her. Back on tho stagos of tho Belasco and Republic theatres, howovor, sho has bean a busy little worker. Mr. Belasco gave hor tho understudies of all tho Important roles in "Tho Governor's Gov-ernor's Lady" and later assigned her to similar work with "Years of Discretion" Dis-cretion" md "A Good, Little Dovil." Thus in tho courso of a fow months sho has studied and privately acted, under his supervision) eleven different differ-ent parts ready to jump In and play any one of them at a minute's' notice. Now finally, tho moment of hor eal reward draws near. mmmmammmmmmm At last the courts havo decided that an actor .must consider his Crossing room his place of business his office, of-fice, as It were. After .nearly seven years of logal scrapping, Henry Kolker, former star with "Tho Great Name," and more recently In "Our Wives," hns been found in contornpt of court, and ordered to pay $11Q, nearly tho amount involved in the suit, or go to jail. Tho "ase is intorostlng, in that it lets actois and actresses know whore they stand so far as a place of business busi-ness is conoornod. Although flitting from pillar to post, thoy cany with them tholr business address. They just tako it around In their traveling? bags, as it were. Next week's bill at the Orpheum theatre ranges from fantastic panto-mlme panto-mlme to a.nimal thoatricals;; from cosmopolitan songs to talking pictures, pic-tures, with other featuros so blonde-.-that no reasonable fault should be found with tho ontortainmont as & whole. "Puss In Boots," tho head-liner, head-liner, is an elaborate fantastic production pro-duction that is little short of a big musical comedy, It Is tho offorlng of B. A. Rolfo and is said to be one of the most pretentious from every Iowpolnt of any act now appearing in vaudeville. The star is William J. Kennedy who plays tho role of old King Rumphiz. David Abrahams, Jr. tho famous animal impersonator, will be seon in the title role. Next will come Cress.y and Dayne, presenting their absorbing sketch "Tho Village Lawyer." Mr. Cressy Is well known I ! GOODWIN'S WEEKLY 9 H |
