Show PERCY HAMMONDS HAMMOND'S NEWS LETTER By Dr HIES CIL BELMONT DA DAVIS NEW YORK Aug Robert 21 Van Dorn descendent a I of an old and aristocratic Dutch family and incidentally an unsuccessful clerk derk has lived with his family In polite poverty for twenty five years In Ina ina ina a New York neighborhood tenanted tenant tenant- tenanted ed cd by successful self Jei s Italians Greeks Irish and other Immigrants who have adopt adopt- adopted adopted adopted ed America as their home In- In Indifferent In Indifferent different to their aristocratic lineage line line- lineage lineage age Van Dorns Dorn's Eon Dab Bob falls In love lon with an Ita Italian lD g eh tl I Marl Mari Marianna Marlanna Marl anna anna and his daughter Alice with a Jewish bo boy Lester Blumberg Mrs Sirs Van Dorn encourages these International love affairs but at the tho very thought that his children should should- marry anyone any one who Is not per cent American Father Van Dorn l hO howls honis 19 and yowls his rage with all tho the suppression of a a tigress protecting her ber young oung Never have bavo we known a true aris aris- aristocrat aris- aris aristocrat aristocrat to so flaunt his ancient lineage In the tho face fae of of a first night audience Often Orten we have wondered why wh why why- there should hould be beso beso beso so few rew descendants of the old Dutch families left in New York but If It they all went through life tearing their hair and ond shrieking their rage gage at every overy ono one in sight as does docs Mr Van Dorn Darn then weare we are sure suro the they must ha c ha 0 vanished hed through pure physical exhaustion Although the season season li is hardly under way we are aro sure suro sure It will present no Ao stage aristocrat so noisy so 60 so Sl badly badr mannered as the born llan ot of Mr Ir ir William J Perlman's corn com com My My IY Country However the excess excesses s of Mr Sir Van VanDorn Dorn at least leat lea t gave his ills creator th the i opportunity by contrast to show how hov gentle and sincere were his Italian and Jewish Je neighbors from overseas OYer It is true truo that Mr Perl Peri- man Peri-man man did not hesitate to exploit In his dialogue the supposed racial weaknesses of his characters In characters ina a business way WilY tho the Jews sews were canny and the Italians Ita were somewhat vociferous but that all allot allot ot of them had hearts of ot gold The acting at nt lea least t to our WilY way or Of thinking while never ne super super- superlative was far tar superior to the play It If Mr Ir Frederick Burton was not good as nil Van Dorn the tho result was no doubt due duo to the tho Incredible lines he had to speak Miss Louise Randolph as his hh wife and O-nd Lee Kohlmar and Miss Pola Carter as the tho Blumbergs were ex- ex excellent ex excellent cellen Although the role rolo of Marianna 1 Is a small one It was played with much charm and real feal distinction by Miss Erm Moore It would be a 8 it brave reviewer who would dare predict the future futuro ot of My Country That Its author has come como nearer to discovering the secret recipe or rather the In- In ingredient in ingredient that might account for forthe forthe forthe the success ot of Ables Irish Rose than any ot of the others who have tried to solve the mystery there thero can bo be no question none question what what- whatever whatever whatever ever The theme the characters and the type o of o humor ot of the two plays are arc much the tho same That Mr Perlman pece piece peco should gain the tame fame and fortune ot o the Anne opus seems hardly possible ble but that 8 a few ot of o the rail mil millions mil millions lions who ho have o seen and enjoyed Able might drop In at Chanin's and derive much pleasure from MY Country Is la quite possible It seems to me that with the tho aId of ot a 8 good stage carpenter the Perlman piece while In no way wa detracting from its popular etc ele ele- ele elements elements ments memo might have haYe been made morn more palatable for the sophisticated ed theatregoers All the char char- characters characters run too closely to types mado familiar through comic strips and Van Yan Dorn Darn the des des- descendant descendant of ot an aristocratic Dutch family borders on burlesque Throughout most nio t ot of th the thi play he Insults his Jewish and Italian neighbors and docs doea and says thIngs that no descendant ot of a Dutch swell or any other kInd ota kind ot of Q II swell could have havo done Subtlety as never amiss even In a middle middle- middle class class clas American corned comedy and to drive home an Idea Into tho he brain of our average theatregoer does not necessarily require a chisel and hammer For or a 11 character so untrue to lire life us ns Van Dorn Dora simply annoys an Sll audi audi- once ence and had the role been moro more subtly written I believe that the future prosperity of o My Coun Coun- Country Country Country try would hive have been greatly s enhanced en- en enhanced en Of 0 the several farces I have seen this season there thero can be little Ankles question that Loose achieved ochle the tho greatest popular suc suc- suc- suc success success success cess Somewhat slow In getting started when on once co under way the pIece moved as swiftly as farces must move and the laughter of the audience was almost con con- continuous continuous con continuous Through it there thero Is a strong suggestion ot of Cradle Snatchers but the woman In Loose Ankles who seeks a sal sal- salaried sal salaried aried arced lover Is young and pretty does not get intoxicated Las has the tho decent emotions and ond as a r result the play Is much less frowsy than I Ithe Its eminently successful predecessor sor There are t two wo distinct sets of characters In the new farce Those of one set live Ilvo on Park Pork Avenue most part are arc explosive In their manner and those who are are not manner explosive explosive speak in well modulated voices but Jut always In rams Some Somo oine ot of t the he epIgrams It if not particularly amusing while others failed In their intent t entirely Anil Ant an epI- epI epIgram epigram cram gram that falls dead in a theatre auditorium Is probably the tiro deadest dead dead- deadest est cst of ot all duds The Tho other set of o characters consists of four young men who spend their mornings s ina in a furnish furnish- furnished cd ed cd room In- In Inthe In the Fifties and their afternoons ns and ana nights at nt at the thet t dance ani hall ball halL where hero they ac act as Instructors to ladles ladies who can afford offord to tip their youthful dancing danel partners with Ith a lavish lo h hand nd ask there them out to lunch and make them handsome presents In cash and jO jewelry elry It was in the tho scene between these young youns men that the tho author of Loose Ankles Mr Sam Jan Jan- Janney Janney Jan ncy ney ney achieved his greate greatest t success Ono One ot of the four young was decent In his Ms instincts even bash bash- bashful bashful bashful ful in In manner but his three tel tel- fellow tellow fel fellow low b boarders were ruthless Broad way Broad way brigands whose whoso lives were devoted de to robbing their their elderlY too patrons too elderly and lacking the necessary pulchritude to attain at- at at attain tain Juman human affection without pay pay- payIn paying paying In ing through through the he nose for tor it To hear Ilear these three bandits talk lk t over oyer their tat fat and forty ladY clients and how through their vanity they bled them them to the thelast thelast thelast last drop is not to me roe an amusing Idea But Dut what is one ono among so many If It one Is not over over- over particular about the source of the tho fun there thero can be bo no more that many ot of o the tho lines JInes in these scenes were funny and ond that the audience fairly reveled In them end and roared Its approval and de- de delight delight de delight light There were a few scenes love scenes and scenes of ot more serious seri seri- serious seri serious ous nature when Mr Ir Janney seemed somewhat less sure ot of hIs hia footing fooling But primarily y yr tho rho pIece r was written for tor laughing purposes and In this It If I am to judge j bythe by bythe bythe the reactions reaction of o the night first audience It scored a a decided sue suc sue sue- success ce cess It If acting was never exceptional In most instances It was waa satis satis- satis factory Miss loss Kathleen played the tho leading rol rola rota of tho the young lady who advertises for a paid admirer and ond played It with sympathy S and ond even discretion discretion made her Impossible actions seem seema a possible Indeed even oven from the viewpoint of ot broad farce J INose Ankles Is an Incredible pla play but it contains many miny many laughs New Yorks York's most unique play play- play h uso is probably the tho Triangle Theatre Located at Se Seventh Seventh Av- Av Avenue Avenue Av Avenue and ond Eleventh Street Street its au- au auditorium au auditorium Is reached reached-by reached reached-b y descending a flight of steps that lead down below the street level level and down these steps there thero come one oneo of the most sophisticated d audi audi- audiences audiences of which the town boasts bonats The auditorium In question Is called isso-called so called for want of o a a better name It Is triangular In is shape and seats scats persons About the walls aro are pinned and po patted parted ted the countless newspaper articles of ot tho countless writers who hive have bo- bo become come bo-come come enthusiasts over the art of the tho tiny playhouse As for the stage tage though small In size itis It ItIs itIs Is one of the tho best equipped and most efficiently managed in the city And this is no exaggeration for tor forit It combines unbelievable effective effective- teas r ess with unbelievable simplicity of means Tho The stages stage's rear wallis wall wallIs wallIs Is a a Reinhardt dome on which through ingenious lighting an ef- ef effect effect ef effect is produced of measureless dis- dis distance distance dis distance tance storm clouds gather and dawn and sunset come and go with precise verisimilitude Kath Kath- Kathleen Kathleen Kathleen leen Kirk Kirkwood founder and dI- dI dIrector di df director rector of the Triangle presides at the switchboard the tho most res- res res responsible lo and Imaginative post In InI inthe Inthe I the little playhouse Productions ot of o all sorts oc- oc occupied occupied oc occupied Triangles Triangle's activities at at one onetime time or another There was as a revival al of Uncle Toms Tom's Cabin recently that created a stir among the discriminating as did also Wildes Wilde's and Salome The Tho present occupant I 1926 Bare Facts Is termed a revue but it differs front from any other production bearing that lother label Remaining on tho stage Is too confining an idea for the tho en- en energetic energetic en energetic performers and ond into the auditorium they dance and ond cavort dIstributing programs and givIng ginger ale to the tho thirsty and all to the tho accompaniment of ot lilting and Ingratiating music for Novelty succeeds novelty uniqueness was made mode the Uie keynote ot of tho production from Its In- In Inception in inception The orchestra for ex- ex example example ex example a ample consists ot of one man mon a pianist but he is Joseph J Gar Gar- Garren Garren Gar ren known throughout the coun coun- country country country try as a fine fino musician The Tho or- or orchestra orchestra or orchestra chestra Is a nightly piano recital b by a a great artist l And believe bellevo It or not there Is a a parrot that lives on the premises that knows the tho difference between a perform perform- performance performance ance and a rehearsal and disappears disappears disappears pears back stage when an audi audi- audience audience ence Is present A novel atmosphere atmos atmos- atmosphere atmosphere phere a novel theatre theotre a novel snow |