The sun., 1903-12-09
SHAW'S "CANDIDA" PLAYED.
A BRILLIANT AND PARADOXICAL
MATINEE AT THE PRINCESS.
Arnold Days Little Company Distin.
guishes Itself In New Dramatic
Production. Mr. DAILY In the Leading
Role-A Play With POtentialities.

Production. Mr. DAILY in the leading
Role-A Play With POtentialittes.
At last New York has witnessed per-
founance of George Bernard Shaw's "Can-
djdar! Put on most unpretentiously yes
terdav afternoon at the Princess Theatre
without any undue fourishing Of mana
eera or hstrionc trumpets it pleased
immensely an audience that quite thronged
the little Broadway playhouse. Nor did 1t
nroye cariars to this assemblage; though
il would bore a first-night gathering.
.Candida- has the potentalities of a great
play. but contains no smart speeches or 80
called dramatic situations. You may there
fore fancy its reception II presented before
people who love musical comedy.
1t is some years ago since Janet Achurch
was in this country. where she came to in
struct us in the art of 1bsen. II she had
not enioved a falling out with Richard
Mansfield we might have heard Candida y
sooner In his written preface to his plays
the Irish author declares that Mr.. Mans
field had confessed himself beaten by the
physical difficulties presented in the part
of the Youthful poet, Eugene Marchbanks.
Doubtless this was true, and truth Of the
order that Shaw would never let pass without
recording it, for he never forgave Mans
fields conception of Bluntschi in Arms
and the Man" That is, he said, he never
would; nor did he think highly of the Devils
Disciple" though he never saw Mansfield
essay the piece.
Thus il was that we have been too long
deprived of a brilliant withal paradoxi cal,
play. Every one says paradox" when
Shaw's name is mentioned, not realizing
that his lines are never more deadly in
their truth than when he wears the num-
mer's rnask) The chiefest thing about
yesterday e performance was its high order
OF excellence. Ten years ago such a grasp
ing of the dramatist's intentions would
not have been possible, for Shaw was re-
garded as a cynic. a burlesquer in the
robes OF w. S. Gilbert. To-day we know
him as something far more serious. He
has educated his public as well as his actors.
To be brief, Candida" was exceedingly
well played on this occasion. If this is
the measure of what Arnold DAILY can do
In stage management and Interpretation,
then we wish to remark that this young
actor has never been taken seriously be-
cause he has never taken himself go seri-
ously before. His conception OF Eugene
could be bettered-what Interpretation
cannot?-for Mr.. Daily is a trife too sophis-
hcated in expression, his features are too
mundane for the assumption oi a poets
personality. and this particular poet, who
L. at once Shaws mouthpiece, mingled
with much of the audacity Of Shelley, is
perilous role to portray. 1t speaks volumes
for Mr.. Daly's suppleness of temperament
more than once. that he did not elicit idle
laughter in episodes where undue en-
phasis would have precipitated the charac-
ter into the unenviable field made famous
by George du Maurier. His Eugene was
neither Poatlethuoite nor was it pert or
podson Mitchell as the Rev. James
MAJOR Moreu, the brawny Christian So
oialift clergyman was admirable. simply
lining the character, He was not pious-
~ crusty or enthusiastically unctuous.
4 finely balanced study OF a perpisxed.
earnest worker in the vineyard. utterly
without humor. as are all men with missions,
and conjugally selfish as are most men
without them. Herbert Carr was the
.fat-headed' old humbug. Burgess, the
father OF candida. We leave it to Mr..
Shaw to explain how such supernally
ter could stem from such vulgar stock.
Mr. Carr got out of the part all there was
In It, with its alienation of sly rascality
and oily cockney hypocrisy. MIR. Newton
lyHtO dS a INIa'dl ~ blIllt WAS ga
celent, whie Proserpine Prossy the typist.
was capitaiiy enacted by Louise Closer.
Her scenes with Burgess and Eugene were
very comical in their seriousness.
There remains CandldG It s not a
Ito all Of his characters. Candida is not his
greatest In. Mrs. Warren's Profession"
there is one that is more intense; in Cesar
and Cleopatra the Egyptian Queen with
the fateful nose has more variety and humor.
g1 ie hNt1 Ill md tr,tn
Comely Dorothy Donnelly fairly won all
the praise she was accorded by an eX-
ceptonally acute and sympathetic audience.
She WIS womany-a hateful word to the
moved at first a little stiff1y in the bonds OF
the character. but that will wear of in
future performances. Her SHAWL" speech
which would have been Kissed ten years
ago ior it's outspok n 1bsensm-was re-
,.eived with applause and the final pe,rora-
ecuted: it was natural, and warm with re-
strained pathoS-the pathos of the woman
who gees her husband as grown up baby.
II nit matched Mr.. Daly's departure.
the plcy. A false move on either side
would have brought the house tumbling
aboutth ears with inappropriate laughter:
As il was given. the sentiment aroused
was nearer tears than smiles. Accelerated
speed in the Hnale would have enhanced
the general reading much.
The play. All that will keep for future
consideration. 1t is too good to spill out
in general notice. Candida" may be
Shaw's wild Duck" Like Ibsen, in that
bitter dramatic arraignment Of himself,
the lrishman does not spare socialism any
more than Church or society. He has
named his piece after the principal feminine
parsonage but it is the poet Mdrchbdnks.
who talks tho purest Shawese Throughout.
His shyness is of the sort that causes rev.
olutions. Shaw makes Candida say that
nothing is 50 conventional as unoonven-
rona people, and We are forced to echo
the remark. an Irish echo nothing is so
conventional as an unconventional play
wright he only substitutes new conven-
ton for the old. Mr. Shaw's particular
convention is that an exponent Of muscular
Christianity like James MoreH would stand
the poetic palaver of Eugene for a moment.
Without granting the probability of this
crux there would have been no Candida
Mr.. Shaw delights in a good, square en-
counter with a paradox. He loves to
vanquish with his dramatic dialectics in
a one sided duel his opponent. who Is usually
a man of st raw. Up TO the last scene in
Act III. all is natural, if somewhat in the
nature of problem posed. But after
James and Eugene plead respectively for
the possession of Cdndidd the play goes
up into obscene smoke. and from logical
NE l.,.,t -