box 24/5
19. Der Ruf des Lebens
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NEW YORK AMERICAN—A Paper for People
coble'’ to Be Filmeo
TKE CIL OFUIFE Leads New Cast
WTcohicey TiETRE
COMEDY THEATRE—The Actors“
Theatre present Arthur Schnitz¬
ler’s“ The Call of Life“ English
version by Dorothy Donnelly
directed by Dudley Digges.
THH CAST
Egon B#
Moser.
10 bis dauchter Eva un Galllenne
Edward Rainer, a forester
Douglas R. Dumbrille
Thomae Chalmere
Doctor Schindler
Mre. Toni Richter. Moser’s sister-in-law,
Allce John
Catherine, her daughter
Katherine Alexander
Max, a lieutenant of ine Blun
Derek Glruns
uirassiere
sergeant. Leete Stone
Sebastian.
Hermann Lieh
The Colonel.
ert, a lieutenant Stanléy Kälkhurst
Irene, the wife of the Colohel.
Rosalind Fuller
By ALAN DALE.
mmlib Blue Cuirasslers never
I came back. Last night’s

audience at the Comedy Thea¬
tre must surely have determined
EVA LA GALLIENNE, who ar¬
to emulate the example of the
pears in Arthur Schnitzler's
aforesaid Blue Culrassiers. They
drama, The Call of Life,
had to sit through a portentious
which opened last night at the#
Comedy Theatre.
sample of Schnitzlerism in the
shape of The Call of Life.“
spot. Marie thereupon creeps
They had to endure for one
from her hiding place, and as the
tremendous first act that lasted
curtain falls she is there with
one solid hour the symbolisms
her Blue Cuirassier and the
that are so often used in “cult“
corpse, or prostrate body, of Mrs.
plays. You know the sort I
Colonel.
mean. Nobody ever really an¬
It was all told in dark biue
swers a question. Everybody
atmosphere, with frighhteningls
seems to be playing at cross-pur¬
long pauses. The pauses were
poses, and you are obliged t0
simply unbearable. They all
wonder what it is all about.
seemed to think that time meant
Frinstance, if somebody asks:
„
nothing at all. They super¬
How do you feel today?“ the
paused, they paused, they estra¬
reply is,“ Oh, the birds are twit¬
paused, and it grew dendeningly
tering and the heavens are
tedious. It seemed an odd play
blue.“ Or to such a query as
for the Actors' Theatre to pre¬
What time is it?“ the answer
sent. The Actors’ Theatre must
would be The pink flowers blos¬
be hard up, indeed, for it takes
som in the Spring.“
more than a label to make an in¬
That is regarded as singularly
teresting play. In this case the
beautiful, and dreamy, and poetic,
!Schnitzler“ label was too thin.
and its lack of sense is forgiven.
Eva Le Gallienne played Marie
In fact, if you don't like it, it 18
mournfully ande super-sculfully,
because you have no soul. You
but Katherine VAlexander, who
are material. Nearly all the first
had a slight röle, was quite de¬
act of The Call of Life' was
IIghtful and as human as Schnitz¬
that style of entertainment.
ler would permit. Spring didn't
The lachrymose Marie and the
tease her blood as it did Marie's,
invalided Moser sit and talk. The
but she murinured Farewell,
Blue Culrassiers never came
flowers! Thei past is past!“
back. They dinned that into our
Derek Glynne was the Blue
ears. After the first intermission
Cuirasster, whom they all geemed
I longed to be a Blue Culrassier.
to dote on, and Alice John, in
Why waan't Ia blue Cuirassier?
the garbs of 1850—that was the
Marie loved a Blue Cuirassier,
vintage—was au old dame in a
and was awfully blue herself.
shawl and a poke bonnet.
Oh, how blue was Marie, and
But the Blue Gulrassiers never
how tedius! But a Green For¬
came back. I leg to announce
ester loved Marie, and begged
that as far as this play in con¬
her to go away with him. She
cerned, I fully intend to be al
had Moser to lock after. She
Blue Quirassler.
couldn't go. Ard-she löved the
LR
other. Then cht dröpped some
mereiful drops into old Moser’s
medieine (they should have been