| Show PERCY HAM HAMMONDS HAMMOND'S LETTER lly By PERcy PEntY llA NEW YORK Dec Dee The 11 11 The scenery in the second and third acts of ot Ned McCobb McCobb's Includes n a coffin In which the reo re- remains re remain mains main of ot an old sea captain reo re- repose re repose pose ose Hidden under a blanket of lilac blooms bloom this thi urn Is not an ugly eight though It sybol foes Izes with considerable emphasis tho journeys journey's lourney end Its pr presence sence In the decor hrs has been criticized 1 By sensitive persons at nt Q a needless abrasion of ot tM feelings It is said I that It represents tho the author Mr Sidney Howard In Q a a cynical dis- dis disregard dis regard for tor the of his Theater Guild au audiences lences Why not It Is complained suggest by subtle that the tho specter I of the the old sailor is In the tho room I In ea ead ot of o materializing It so 80 ob obviously obI I Sir Mr Howards Howard's Intention perhaps was to Illustrate the th probity of ot the saying How happy are r the dead wherever where they are Ned Ked McCobb reclines rully in the casket casket- casket bright thing with a dreary name Indifferent to the th turmoil going on about him himm He lie suffers no an- an an annoyance when his hi thieving son son-In- ton law law makes loto love lov lo to II a trail frail waitress Ilaw TIle The distresses of his squAre four four 1 daughter MIJI Claro Clore Eunes Baines do donot donot donot not disturb him Even Enn when Q a aNew New New York fork YOI bootlegger Mr Altre Alfred Lunt rests Ills his East Side SId brogans on the th catafalque he h is not Ir- Ir ir irritated by the indignity As pro pro- propaganda propaganda pro for Cor the silent and the tranquil shores Mr Howard Howards scenery is vivid Yet I am among those who estimate this mortuary d detail tall as unnecessarily trim grins Mr toward Howard himself must have havo doubted It It since in his stage directions direction be advises that the coffin cortin be bo placed In the settinG with a discreet re- re regard re retard regard gard tard for tor the sensibilities of the audience No doubt he h and the Theater Guild went Into confer conter- conference ence once many times time and debated iu Ito on the thc he Guilds Guild's following decision Is more valid than that ot of the casual ca al observers who now are aro questioning que It and for tor torone forone forone one I shall ahall hll not further object Besides the presence r senco of ot the lh corpse corple corp permits Mr Howard to add an amusing tag fag to the til comedy As Aa the th curtain falls talis fall Ned Ned McCobb's daughter Is victorious over the forces of evil I 1 know I ought to be b says saye ay she but I cant can't help hell lau laushin laughin And she ho adds looking at her h nor r dead father Cather Ex Ex cuse cuso me Pa Ia Ned McCobb's Daughter Is an Interesting and intelligent sum sum- summary sum summary mary of ot twenty tour hours in the lives of some seine humble folk tolk Inc Ing in n Maine Milne Carrie Callahan Mils Eames runs II a luncheon counter at the terminus ot of SL Q Kennebec ferryboat of which her father and her husband are skipper and ond first mate Her Hor bus hus husband band bend a product ot of o Boston Doston Is Q a grafter He Ht steals money from his employers and seduces a pret pretty ty ly and not reluctant waiter girl walter What shall Carrie do to get the 2000 necessary to W save rove the tho th par par- parent par parent ent of ot her ber children from prison Her IIEr aged ta father her tolls falls fall dead on heAring of the the th trouble Though II a competent Yankee woman un scarred by disaster dl astEr she ahe he Is i a lit lit- little littie lit little tle tie nonplussed sd by the crisis Whereupon Mr Lunt as a her hus- hus husband's hus husband bands banda band aport sporty V New York brother appears and otters offers to lift the mortgage It If she phe h will w allow the theold theold theold old homestead to become the clearing house of or his bootleg op- op operations op operations MIs Misi Eames ames Is keen as this handsome spare humorous and amused woman ot of thirty You will w enjoy hearing her ber re- re re produce the th Maine talk which Mr Howard say Bays la Is I the th most beautiful the th most gracious and the tho most distinguished speech to tobe tobe tobo be heard hard In nn any part of the th coun coun- country try and try and not to be b contused confused with the ugly url Cape Cod Yankee When she h sounds found aoun l the te th music mu lc of ot Catli Cath ance anee ance Skowhegan and you OU can listen with pleasure Mr Lunt ho Is I fast tast becoming the most celebrated of our malo Impersonators Is I again the th topic of much much flattering comment for his performance as a the tho hooch hooch- smuggler For Foy For an nn actor whose personality personam la II I poetic and whose appearance Is li elegant elefant Mr Lunts Lunt's counterfeit Is i an al achievement But Dut If dissent Is I permitted the th pro pre predominant pre predominant dominant deUr d clU of his hi speech and manner Interfere with his il- il illustration Il Illustration of ot a n brutal and illiterate illiterate ate blackguard As AI ho knocks Carrie down he lie Bays ay Ill I'll talk lalle any ways was way I g- g gd e dwell d- d d well please nn an you keep your our Yankee trap shut Now ow listen I Youre You're solo coin gon to stick by me like Uke lik you OU promised an Ill I'll tell you OU why Ill I'll tell you just what'll ll happen happe to you OU it If you try out on me m now Sup SUI Sup poem you could make malee me ins take back dat jack an walk walle out outa out dat dat door Can you OU Imagine what Im I'm doin doln del den Im I'm George Georgeoff off before do de cops has a II look In Im I'm George ott off an nn him In a nice an alto lIate cool place till de search after neter him gets ets plenty hot Den Im I'm torah him myself n night nt ht over to de d cops Im I'm him That Mr Lunt can do so ao o well with character and language such as aa the tho foregoing is a It feat teat of acting over personality But mar mar- marvelous marvelous mar as a it Is I the purposes of ot il- il illusion il illusion lusion might be better served I ita a hick actor 4 a typo type on the th Broadway sta stage taRe e should b bocast Colt cast In tho the role Here Hr Iam Iam I am m giving counsel to the Theater Guild Guild-an an institution that knows know I Imore more mor about the th sho show business than Al Woods or George P Bak Bak- Baker or er do As As A Carrie CarrI Callahan says S 'S In the last li of the th ply play cur Ex cuse CUle me Pa ra Miss Marcalo Margalo Gilmore Is simi simi- similarly similarly similarly Pled handicapped as Jenny the cheap little le who betrays her best bet friend Versed in the tony accents accent and demeanor of the Junior League Uli Mis Gilmore has I hasto to work worle har hard to overcome them The meticulous splendor of ot her often otten her of ot an bred III-bred Ill Kanuck with a Q conscience con clence but few tew moral But Dut In moments moment ot of hysterical heartache and I discomposure she h Is as resonant aj IlI Miss Alice Brady and when she beat beather her breast breut the he h other night In the anguish of ner nor situation I beat mine too loo too so o appealing was as ller oratory Among the th other uther things to be admired In tn Ned McCobb's Daughter I Is Mr HowArds HowArd's deft closing of the tho th technical gaps cap inthe In Inthe inthe the narrative You do not need to wonder why all the lodes are performed in public aa as you do In most other comedies When hen for tor instance you OU suspect that the characters should so Indoors to tell their secrets Mr Howard provides an excuse for tor their not doing so o Carrie Callahans Callahan's child children ren have havo the th measles and she does not wish to subject the th other memberS of ot the tile cast to infection I do not quit quite understand why a shrewd N Y bootlegger should bo be so ao o disregard Ius of safety and select a Q point surrounded prohibition by pro pro- pro I agents to cacho cache hla hi con con- contraband contraband contraband beverages However since my study ot of o bootleggers Is I only casual I 1 bow to Mr Howards Howard's superior penetration and admit that his his- hi psychology le Is I more mor de- de dependable dependable de dependable than mn The play Is a son sand an Inmate ot of the tho th cur cur- current current cur current rent lunatic an and It de- de deserves deserves de deserve serves serve attention from sane lIane theat r goers And they tell me It Is gelt getting In it r- r Of last weeks week's week revival of The Pirates of ot Per zance It 1 II to be b Bald aid that Winthrop Ames Ame its pro pro- producer pro producer ro- ro ducer tHIs IS hitherto empty boots of ot DOyley Carte The presentation pre pre- I Is a ft work of ot love lov on the part of Mr Ames Am a and anil at the first performance nce he lie received the grateful tribute of or the remaining Tese Tie e it seems are numerous for tor the th Plymouth the the- theatre the atre was filled on Monday night with an admirable audience ce crit critical Ical ical discriminating an and I enthusiastic enthusiastic Mr Ames proposes a II Gil- Gil Gilbert Gilbert Gil Gilbert bert and Sullivan repertory thea- thea theatre thea tre tr with Ith frequent revivals of 0 the tho comic opera classics Since he heIs heIs hela Is solvent sol literate liberate and anti Ambitious In the tho matter his plan promises many happy evenings for tor or the tho up- up upper upper up upper per class clas of drama lovers lovera The presentation of The Pirates of Penzance I li It save complete save for tor fora tora Q a few tew flaws tI's In Mr Ernest Ernett Law Law- Lawford's Law fords tord's acting ns nil the erudite pr and Major aJor General This weeks week's blue ribbon Is hereby pinned upon It it |
