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"The Question". The author has selected the timeworn
domestic triangle for his theme, bringing
the respective principals together
in a blackmail plot. The opening is
speedy, full of complications and interesting
to a degree, interesting principally
because of the recent expose of the
system "worked" by an inter-city "mob"
who utilized the weak points of the
Mann Act for their pressure. Gradually
Hoffman becomes philosophical,
bringing in Sam Mann as "The Question,"
with Mann straightening out the
affair with a line of semi-comic advice.
Hoffman has thrown an abundance of
wit into this script, but that clever author
has permitted himself to "run
wild" on dialog with no "kick" sufficiently
strong to alibi the wasted
time. His usual surprise finale is there,
but it arrived 20 minutes too late to
register its natural returns.
In his latest vaudeville effort, a philosophical
farce, Aaron Hoffman has shot
too wide of the mark to be effective,
this vehicle running a full 20 minutes
beyond the regulation time, gradually
growing tiresome, talky and monotonous
despite the excellent rendition of
the various roles by a well selected cast. The vehicle
might carry with the essential
rewriting and vivisecting, but not in its
present form.
Source:
Variety 46:4 (03/23/1917)