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Show John Drew and Mrs. Leslie Carter Show Skill as Artists in Unusual Play, "The Circle," at Orpheum Those famous American actors. John Drew and Mrs I,csllo Carter, assisted by a fine supporting east, last nipht presented that much discussed dis-cussed play, "The Circle." at the Or- pin um theatre before a good-sized audience And no doubt most of these In the audience today are trying try-ing to make Up their minds Just what they think about YV. Somerset Maugham's Maugh-am's comedy. The play has been accused of con-donlng con-donlng immorality, ot laughing at goodness, of ridiculing woman's car-acter, car-acter, of failing to drive home any good lesson In fact, of beln a generally gen-erally worthies and valueless play. j The Circle" may be all ol that. But with Mr. frew, Mrs. Carter, Ern-er.i Ern-er.i Lawford and the others it is fine entertainment and gives ampi opportunity oppor-tunity for splendid aators to give full rein to their abilities. There is cynicism In "The Circle" but there Is humor of a high class as Well. The characters are all essentially essen-tially human. The story is cleverly told For the student of the drama,' the play should be remarkably interesting. inter-esting. After all there is a lesson to bel drawn from the play. Tt is that tew profit by the experience of others, although they may profit from their own experiences. Another lesson' might be this: That you can never tell what n woman will do. "The Circle" tells the .vtory of a young married woman, who leaves her fine home and accomplished hus-' band to go away with a penniless man, taking tills st ; despite thn fact that she had before her the picture of wreckage which has resulted because h'r husband's mother lert her husband hus-band with her lover in the same way 3 j j -ars before. Although this mother-in-law and the roan with whom she has lived for 35 years verj frankly Inform the voung woman that li is making the WOT kind of a tool out of her II if for defying the conventions, the young woman nevertheless departs as the :urtain goes down on the last a i, :-he and her lover are leaving and the two older slnnerH, both of whose llvv h ivn been wrecked by their misdeed; watch them go, knowing the two will bitterly regret the stop, yet admiiing their courage and laughing at She plight of loving ones left behind who thought the young woman had been dissuaded from her course by sly nvasures. I Of course that Inst is not a very pretty picture. Hut many views of life aro not pr.tty The dramatist has imagined a set of characters and a set of circumstances and theplav works out to a logical conclusion. The actors have made the authors characters real persons, John Drew Is the grumpy, grouchy Lord Por-teous. Por-teous. who stole his friend's wife, a part played by Mrs. resile Carter, who gave a fine impersonation of what might be called an aged flapper, There was Ernest Lawford- He had a refreshing role, that Of a wronged husband who takes a most cheerful view of his wife's rereliction, patting himself on the back as he sees what a painted rattle-bratped person she has become in age. and enjoying tin- man-net man-net in which the woman and her lover Irritate one another The part of Elizabeth, the s 1 wife lo ! iv. the same home was taken tak-en by Hetty Linley in a most crcd-Itablf crcd-Itablf inn rue r. Uulx i I Icnd I portrayed por-trayed the role of the artistic minded, mind-ed, ambitious and rather cold husband hus-band of Elizabeth and John Halllday was Elizabeth's lovrr. He was cspec ially good In demonstrating his peculiar pe-culiar brand of love making Of "course, tho great interest was In Mr. Drew and Mrs. Carter The former for-mer was most effective in whatever he said or did. some of lily shrugs being more eloquent that a chapter of d'-m rip) ive word? Mrs. Carter seemed as brilliant as evor. She wore fine gowns with distinction dis-tinction and moved about the stage with great grace and charm in . |
