The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-11-06
Feast of Comedy.
Why HumOT Is Better Than
RidiCule Does Laughter
Depend Most Upon Char
aCteTs. Situation, or Dia-
lOque 2

lOque ?
What an assortment the ensuing week
offers! Classic comedy, modern Ameri-
can comedy. the problem play polite
vaudeville of the most UuaIIoyed type
thrilling melodrama, and unredeemed
burlesque. The aggregate is a Jheatr.-
cal e1emplihcauou of the old store sign.
We Aim. 10 Please" Let us hope the
managers viii realize that other motto.
Quick sales and Small Profits"
Miss .Rehan az the National chooses
three remarkable works for her roper
Ioiref THE Tanning OF the ShreW rs
one tof the earliest psychological dra-
mas. Its comedy depends upon The de-
lIreatiOn In events and speech OF COM
pfeIe Transformation OF character. If
Fome one, some poetiCaI Clyde Fitch or
dramatic Stephen Philips. were TO write
such play today, it would be received
4 everywhere as a final proof of our un-
natural introspectiou. That The Tam
ing OF the Shrewr was written as early
as 1896 establishes. then, the existence
of introspeCtion many, many years be-
fore this generation came into existence.
The School for Scandal depends for
its comedy almost entirely upon dsa-
lOgue. In that sense il IS a comedy of
the library instead of a comedy OF the
theater Whatever interest the play
has when acted which il lacks on being
read is not a matter of comedy. but of
dramatic intensity. And The Country
Girl" while acceptable as comedy. has
greater interest eologically-
Here. then. are three comedies, sue
cessIl! as means OF melting laughter,
pendent of their comedy. il is curious
that all require TO be well acted Iu order
10 be in The least effective. IL is also
curious lnal very oLner comedy F4Acn
euuuTes has this same completely of iu-
teTest, and makes this same demand
upon the actors who produce 10.
Laughing With OF at the Characters?
This matter of comedy is a mighty
strange business In It's lowest form it
IS built upon ridicule. MauifestIy
Shakespeare walks upon a higher plane
ln the ring scene at the close Of The
Merchant OF Venice, when his auditors
laugh eNultantly Ia their knowledge Of
Portia's trap Tor Bassanio. than I'm
Twelfth Night, when Malvolio makes
The dreadfuIy tragic mistake of fawu-
ing upon the Lady Olivia In the one
instance the laughter reflects an emo
tion which warns the heart with the
gentlesL sentiments. In the other it
fosters calous indifference 10 the sUf-
rerIng OF others, q superveutiUu OF sym
patLy- by cOarseuess and tends away
from humor- which is Wit and love com
bined-to ribaldry-which is wiz and
degradation combined.
Genuine LumoE- as IAzckeEaE defined
IL for all time. is never FAR separate FROM
patnosf ana tlis Isl g c5Ize9 le1rz 81 the
close association OF wiz which Er-lhlaz
ire face i'm laughter with love Hl-Cl
touches the heart with sgUuatlF- IL
wright has descended 20 the lower E1E1u
or comedy. but Invariably L-s rank as
reaTa -a O. D -
higher form OF comedy
Comedy and It's Basis.
These observations apply with Is
much force TO literature as 10 The drama.
The basic element of comedy FOR The
stage is the 5uNrapuzitlcu OF Va-i=d
types of human nature. George AIDES
.Ihe COLLEGE Widow offers me PROOF
Of this. As The Times noted IN it's re-
view OF that play. b. would be imy0s-
slbIe TO associate DIT. Nitherspo0u, bliss
NitherspOou, stubs TzImadEe. the
athletic girl. and the daughter Of the
dinghouse-keepsr I'm real life with
cut almost continuous laughter. Those
characters brought together ou the
stage made successful comedy just so
FAR as the playwright was able 10 build
upon their natural instincts. But his
invention must be along the lines Of
their probable conduct I'm real life
Wherever he transcribed these Emita-
tiouz his comedy lost quality
Compared 10 an intelligent Observance
Of those limitations Il scene built out az
the author iugeuuiry-Ike that lu THE
Second Fiddle where the Urima donna
IS so cIeverIv Iured away from the opera
house-is as artificial as the squawk OF
q pncnoEraph- IT viii be- interesting 20
note il 1Ir. AIDES other comedy -TEe
County Chairman" is as fine g. EIEua-
ture from this point Of view as "The
College widow
According 20 this measure Miss Rus
sells play. Brother Jacques" is
neither good nor bad The characters
we're not chosen al the outset with suf-
hcieHt skill 90 make IaughabIe scenes
strongly probable and those scenes as
they evolved from the pIaywrigHt.s
brains lacked interest TToporti8uaIeIv
in '"Ihe Marriage of Kltry.'-oue OF the
best comedies from. every standpoint
written In our time-tEe premises as 10
characters and situations might have
been developed in almost any direction
with Irresistible results AUGUSTUS
Thomas "TEe Earl of Pawtucketr
shows the hand of the trained work
man Iu much this same way Once
you admit the possibility of mis- char
ECters and their FIRST meeting you have
obtained an the elements 0t q nightly
laughable comedy.
"Giris VIII BE Girls" az the IHray-
cite. proved to be one of the best musical
offerings that thaarer has ever made.
The attendance was large, and the pub
lie interest satisfied Clase's presented
Bliss Mckinley 20 her profit and their
own Next week these two theaters
have attractions of at least equal
strength Eugene Blair is one of the
best emotional actresses au our stage
Iris which The Times has condemned
la uuequlyocaL terms. is one of the
strongest OF problem plays. Eha eu-
Eagemeut Dr. sure 90 arouse wide interest
The Cre5sy company an lEasT.E is aT-
tizticailE notable among the artist,
forces Of the vaudeville stage
Whoever goes 90 The tLearer This week
may aspect to laugh. and that heartily
AT the ThedteTS.