| Show PERCY HAMMONDS HAMMOND'S NEWS LETTER D By PERCY NEW YORK May At 29 29 At the first performance of The Cli- Cli Climax Cli Climax max the audience was disposed to be Inhumane to one of the actors Mr Walter alter Marshall His every effort to be lifelike was as molested by little titters of o derision de- de derision de derision an attitude destructive to toan toan toan an artists artist's best endeavors ors Of course there were a no o hoots nor catcalls as there are In London In similar circumstances American playgoers are far too polite to exercise the tho cruder expressions ot of discontent On Monday night they were satisfied satisfied to be 3 malicious In their enjoyment of another's distress Only once was as there an outbreak that might be termed uncivilized When Mr Marshall as a 0 small mall town physician physician cian clan making love to a 0 budding N Y T prima primo donna Inquired 1 of oC oCher her Is there then no hope for me a dramatic critic of the more churlish type answered audibly Not No 1 0 A player thus heckled must un- un un dergo agonies not easily to be estimate A man of of pleasure Is Isa Isa a man of pain There was Mr Marshall surrounded by popular fellow actors Miss Dorothy Francis Mr Albert Bruning and ir suffering Pinto Pinto alone the odium of dIsdain I How pitiable his emotions must have been when between the scenes he sat rot desolate In his dressing room fearful tearful to go out again and confront his sly perse perse- persecutors persecutors Yet he be did died so 80 with a fortitude worthy of the tho theaters theater's courageous art I thought him more majestic In his misery than his batters were In their happi happi- happiness happiness happiness ness As I- I pondered his plight I resolved once more never as a re lewer of show-business show to do door door or say aught to further the woes of the theatrical profession proCession Mr lr Marshalls Marshall's critics were per per- perhaps per perhaps hap haps thoughtless In their scorn pt pf his Interpretation Ills His role was that of a love love-lorn Kiwanis of Azalea Ohio who had bad enjoyed none of the advantages of up- up up bringing In a metropolis His derby hat haf was of Inland design and his to measure pants did not flap lap stylishly athwart his angular insteps He wore squeak squeak- squeaking squeaking In ing shoes and his gait and de- de demeanor demeanor de demeanor meanor were stiff and awkward Unversed In the tho careless gestures ot of bohemia he be was not able to express his hie emotions with th the tho In- In Insouciance In Insouciance common to lovers in the larger centers center of population When hen for Instance he petitioned the vocalist to forego a IL career upon the tho operatic boards he ho ad- ad advised advised ad advised her that womans place Is In 10 the home Tho The stage he lS- lS asserted as asserted was fraught with pit pitfalls Calls yawning for feminine chastity Ile submitted statistics to prove provo that the theater I is a 0 dangerous oc- oc occupation occupation oc occupation for shapely sopranos Not one ono actress in ton ten said he and escapes from it unsullied For every good woman on the stage I will name you ten who aro are not virtuous uS Better Detter ho he pleaded to lead a tranquil life under the sinless horse of the state than to take chances among the alluring trees and poison polson Ivies of way Broad way The Tho night first critics seemed to think that this fellow should be played as a a man about town man town experienced In the tho graces of metropolitan romance They for for- forGot forgot for forgot got that the date of ot The a Cli the thea moving max is 1910 1910 before before the moving ing log pictures had Instructed the I rural precincts In urban ele- ele ele gances gances At that period love love- love smitten physicians and surgeons from Ohio hamlets were Ignorant of the tho ways of the world and when they came to New York they were ere clumsy and unprepossessing unprepossessing They had none of the tho pretty tassels since provided by bythe bythe bytho the cinema Comin Coming In contact with the sophistication of the city folk they were as ungainly as their native e scarecrows Their outlook on life lite had not been broadened by association with the h Hollywood monitors They were not even cven apprentices Now of course the Inhabitants of the tho land main land villages are as skilled In savior faire taire as are those of the larger seaboards But six six- sixteen sixteen six sixteen teen years ago they were gokels as Dr Raymond Haymond is In The The Cli- Cli Climax Climax Cli Climax max gauche untrained and not knowing how to be au fait Therefore I think tl that Mr shall's Interpretation of the ru- ru rural rural ru rural ral medico of 1910 was an accurate accurate accurate ate reminiscence whether or not he Intended It to be so GO Mr Locke the author and the tho di- di director director di director rector of the revival of The Cli- Cli Climax Climax Cli Climax max agrees with me in that sup sup- supposition sup supposition position hew w When last between Monday Monda night he ho was 89 besieged g d between the acts by Broadway wish well ers to get rid of Mr Marshall he replied that Mr Marshalls Marshall's Im- Im Impersonation Impersonation was the most faithful of tho the several performances Miss Francis Francl was comely and charming charm charm- charmIng charming ing and her voice when raised In the famous Song of the Soul was pleasantly operatic and like thrush like Mr Bruning as the theold theold theold old Italian maestro gobbled his 11 dialects and accents popularly and Mr Pinto as the young com corn composer composer poser r d dupon draped himself morbidly upon the piano forte as Is 1 the tho custom of brooding and ambitious Instrumentalists The accomplish accomplish- accomplishments accomplishments accomplishments ments of all of them were ap- ap applauded applauded ap applauded Only the poor Ohio clod of Mr Marshall was treated with discourtesy It If It Is any balm to his hurt feelings he may know that this Ohioan believed him to tobe tobe tobe be faithful to type and by far the most plausible actor In the drama excepting excepting Miss Francis The Climax by the tho way did not seem to come back In to Its revival It was a 0 slow and an artless year sixteen stuffing Its ears cars to the tho warning notes of the curfew Since It has haa been bruited about that Miss boss Barrymore Barrmore Is to play of Pro Pro- Professor Professor Professor Helen In a a dramatization fessor The Private Life Lite anxiety Is expressed ex- ex expressed ex expressed of of Helen of Troy pressed as to what playwright will try to make It fit It for tor the footlights Miss Barrymore Is quoted incorrectly no doubt as assaying assaying assaying saying that the book Is a collection collection collection than char char- characters characters tion of o moods rather and that it will require nn an alchemist to vivify and distin distin- distinguish distinguish herself herselt Is Isa Isa them Helen a loquacious Grecian and In one of her humorous orations to Her Her- Hermione Her mione mione she uses if If It my arithmetic Is correct a a total of 1080 uninterrupted uninterrupted uninterrupted words It will be the duty of the adapter to shut her ller oft oct now and then and to enliven the conversation with Ith occasional from the monotonous active tone Who among the composers It Is asked Is compe compe- competent competent competent tent to make Professor Protessor Erskines Erskine's spectacled keener and more salable BIllable to the shoppers choppers of oft t e Rialto Samuel Smuel Shipman Willard Mack William Anthony McGuIre Charles Charl- Charl CharlI'S I PS IS MacArthur and Miss Gladys D D- D Unger are aro dismissed as too mater mater- mater mater-i ial lal In their methodS method to decant decantI Professor beady face face- facetiousness facetiousness tace Channing I subtle sledgehammers are dedi dedicated to more up-to-date up annd annul mo purposes and Avery Hopwood largely sunning hImself upon the Riviera will not be call call- called called call called ed back by the Importunities ot of otI any Helen whether from Greece I or Washington Sidney Sidneyi I Howard Is in Palermo and John John- John liy ill Weaver Is to slangy to do well by by the whimsical leal mythologies I George Kelly author of the Pul- Pul Pulitzer Pul-i Pul 1 prize play Is engaged In InI I composing other al another and James Gleason of Is Zat So George Kaufman of ot The Butter Dutter and Egg Man and Marc Mare Connelly of iho Wisdom Tooth are aro much too prosperous to be bo concerned In making Intelligible the Ideas of other men Miss lIss Louise Louis Drew a kinswoman of Miss Barrymore suggests that Frederic Lonsdale of ot London would be the tho person to adjust Profess Helen to the tho shops show shops Carl Van Vechten Is also proposed by several Inter Inter- Interested interested Interested ested poop people Ie as the man to edit and rearrange Erskines Erskine's academic Ironies My own WilY way out of the tho difficulty seems to me methe methe methe the m most st satisfactory 1 Miss lIss Bar Bar- Barrymore Barrymore Bar Barrymore herself should do tho dra- dra dramatization dra dramatization She can write and she he is both artiste and wo show man With a little aid from Mis Miss Zoo Zoe Alken Aiken and Rol Cooper Me- Me Mc-grue Mc grue Miss Barrymore I I think could turn out an Ideal approximation approximation mation matlon of The Private Lifo Life of Helen of Troy and In It we might see her again In the high high- higher higher higher er and more moro prosperous f altitudes altitude of th the drama |
