The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-09-10

| George Bernard Shaw wrote Man
and Superman" in a book, although a
| comedy. and he could have had no rea-
| sonable expectation that II would ever
| be acted: for il was not until last year
| that Arnold DAILY hit what he seemed
| sure to miss-a considerable popular
! success with one of Shaw's whimsical
/ compositions. Daily didn't appear to be
| the sort OF chap to deliver such matter
| effectually A boyish clerk in the Froh-
man offices, he had asked for a small
| part in play and had done so well
| with it that he got another: and soon
/ he was a good actor of eccentric char
| acters; but, like most who disguise
| themselves in versatility. he gained
! hardly any credit with the public. He
| sat around at the Lambs and talked
/ dramatic art and literature but few
! listened and none needed He went to
! managers and asked them to put on
! Candida" but they said pshaw to
| Shaw, for hadn't even Mansfield failed
| TO make anything of "Arms and the
/ Man." and none of them would risk so
much as the $500 or 5000 that a matinee
| experiment would cost. Daily was not
thrifty soul-conViVial rather-and he
! couldn't capitalize his project even
| thus moderately; but friend made
/ the gamble" as the shoWmen say, land
/ II WON OUT LAZY lOuIlu iliillStI d.
once in class with Mansfield and Mrs.
Fiske-in good art for good arts sake,
and also with more remunerative fol-
! lowing than the faddists can Of them
| selves supply. But he held no patent
J or copyright on Shawism, and, although
| he is TO soon take possession of a
Broadway theatre for a season of Shaw
| plays, some one else produces the one
we see this week.
AS printed, Man and Superman"
was SO long that two evenings would
give no more than time TO perform ii
unless by some photophonIc process
| that would speed the show along. as
they do in the slot-machines. In one
of its FIVE acts the characters went to
hell and talked systematically in the
light and atmosphere of sulphur. That
cynicism isn't lost in the condensation
but we get ii from speakers in a nor
NAL environment-some OF it from a
| chauffeur, who gets his social views
fro mthe front seat of motor-car.
ut is the aim of every woman" is
one of his conclusions, 'to get married
as soon as possible. and OF every man
TO keep single as long as possible"
And that is the theme of ,Shaw's plGy.
a charmingly scheming girl wins the
man who endeavors to match her with
another man and himself remain a
bachelor. How he fled from her across
Europe in an automobile; how he be-
rated her as an assassin Of his happi-
ness, and how she convinced him that
he would be miserable without her
all of it comes OFT amusingly when act
ed, and not without an appeal to sober
consideration.
A small but diverting contention is
involved in the presence of Fay Davis
and Clara BloodgOod in the company
Both have been exploited as star ac-
tresses. Miss Davis, a born Bostonian,
came here by the way of the London
stage and is commonly regarded as an
English woman Miss Bloodgood went
to the stage from smart set society
Fay has the role of the man-huntress
and her gentle personality rescues il
from audacity. Clara couldn't do that
But Clara has the part of a witty hu-
morist who has to sparkle. Fay could
not do that. Partisanism was shown
on the opening night, the friends of
each trying to Guido the others with
applause. As to the actresses. I think
they scored a tie in the contest.
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