The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-02-07
Good PlauS a RdTitu.
Disastrous Season Prompts
Queru: Are DTamatistS
Waiting for a Public or the
Public for DTamatists2"

brought TO washington last week Ondn- /
ming Pollock. at one time dramatic |
editor OF The Times. He came this /
year in the dual capacity Of press rep |
resentative for William A. Brady aid |
author of Mr.. Brady's successful /
production, "The Pit" 1t is pleasant
to note here that The Pit owes its
success less to the splendid acting of
Mr.. Lackaye and the fine investiture /
provided by Mr.. Brady than to the in
herent strength of a strong drama mace /
skllfully from a strong book The at |
mosphere of his old home diverted Mr.
PolloclSs mind back to its old chan
nels, with the following characteristic
article as the result:
Nearly every theatrical manager IN
the country seems TO have agreed with
the rest that this is a particularly un-
profitable season. but no two of them
have yet harmonized in saying why this
is so. The present shakiness of stocks, |
the anxiety Of labor unions to strike
about as often as does "a town clock.
the excessive prices charged at most
places Of amusement and the increase
in the number OF breakfast foods on
the market have been variously
blamed for the sad state of affairs. IL
,.oes not appear to have occurred TO
ANYBODY that entertainment, unlike
meat. is not a necessity, and that, this
fact Notwithstanding, il meat were as
generally poor as entertainments have
been recently the entire population
probably would become vegetarian.
He must be a thorough-going optimist
who would declare that there have Deen
ten good new plays produced in America
since last September If l were asked
- III, he. In, "a
sition of the man who wrote on the slip
provided for opinions as to The Best
Hundred Books: Don't no. Only red
too Three of the ten were The Ad-
mirabIe Creighton" The Marriage of
Kitty" and THE Other Girl" Merely
Mary Ann and The Proud Prince"
narrowly escape this classification, and
Sweet Kitty Bellairs" has one capital
act-which, since there are only four In
the comedy. is an unusually large pro-
portion Of good Out OF the great NUM-
Der Of pieces presented last season l re-
call IF I Were King" Iris The
Earl of Pawtucl<et." and Pretty Peg
Ky" There may have been as many as
twenty. in all. offered during the past
year and half
Authors Have Not made Good"
When Il Is considered that the annual
output OF managers is about hundred
plays. something approaching the rea>
son for the slim attendance at theaters
may be reached One would experience
greater difficulty in saying why the pre-
ponderance Of poor dramatic material Is
SO overwhelming.
Omitting to mention Ibsen. Haupt-
mann. Ezscharzay, Sudermann and
George Bernard Shaw. who appeal only
to a particular cult. there are at least
a dozen authors on each OF whom one
should be able 10 count FOR at least one
good play a year On-hand. let US say
that these are A w. Pinero. Henry
Arthur Jones. r. c. Carton, Hubert
Henry Davies. Augustus Thomas, Clyde
Fitch. ]. NJ. Barrie. David Belasco. Will
liam Gillette. John Oliver Hobbies. Mar
tha Morton and Madeline Lucette Ryley.
Every one Of these twelve has done
such clever work as to prove conclu-
sively that he or she is capable Of doing
other clever work.
How many OF them have reason TO be
proud OF their contributions to the list
OF attractions" on the road just nOw2
Perhaps If the people who go TO
theaters really cared for good plays in
stead OF caring only for plays that are
good OF the kind which they consider
good, conditions would be improved. 1t
may be that a great many authors
would find IL easier to write entirely
creditable dramas than TO do their best
in the limits laid for them, just as the
lion pacing up and down at the circus
would be infinitely more magnificent If
more dangerous. were his promenade
not bounded by iron bars.
The public puts bars all around the
playwright. and II there seems a chance
OF his getting over them It stays away
from the circus. He must not encroacf
upon our squeamish ideas OF propriety
as Pinero did I'm Iris" He must no
get beyond the dullest OF as in thought
fulness. as Ibsen did in Ghosts" II,
mist not substitute real men and NO
men for the men and women we like
10 believe are real. as Zangwin did In
Merely Mary Ann" He must give US
lords and ladies and laughter-above al
other things. laughter.
The chief aim OF the theater should
be TO inspire merriment. Ask almoS
any producer OF plays II this isn't so.
What Is the Public Taste?
Works which are as interesting ant
elevating as they can be under thes'
circumstances are set down as goo,
plays, and we are obliged, perforce
70 accept them as such. Popular tast
as exhibited in the theater IS as dis
tressingly low as is indicated by tn
present preference for performances Xix
THE Rogers Brothers in London" owe
even the most puerile dramatic com
positions.
Reference was made in these column
not long ago TO the fact that Washing
ton "music-iovers. II permitted {
choose n repertoire OF grand operas
would select Carmen rather thai
THE Magic Flute" and 'Lohengrin'
instead or THE Meistersinger. i
these same "music-lovers' had beer
given free rein and had been unafrai'
OF censure. II is probable that the.
would have asked for king Dodo."
II may be true that these evidence
OF bad taste come only from those VIII
habitually attend the theater. and tina
there really is a large class OF intel
lectual and appreciative folk who wOul
patronize good plays II they had the op
portunity These people. If they exis;
have not come out in sufficient mum
bers 10 keep Miss Shaw's wonderfu
performance Of Ghosts" before the pub
lic TO al the seats at Mrs. Fiske'
rendering Of "Hedda Gabbler" or L
make profitable Mr. Daly's fnetropoll