The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-10
SHAW IN INTELLECTUAL FARCE
"I'OL NEVER CAN TELL" DELIGHTS
THE FASHIONABLE.
Arnold DAILY Heads n Company OF Most
Admirable Actors - John Flndiay
as the shawesque Butler - Drina
DE Wolfe JenreSs Lewis, 1T Al.

Admirable Actors John Flndiay
as the shawesaue Butler - DrinR
DE Wolfe. JctTreys Lewis. 1T Al
Mr. Oliver HEREFORD called Candida" a
problem farce, which phrase hit off very
well its sternpost and fgurehead, but
quite ignored its mid4hips, which was real
human drama You Never Can Tell,
produced last night under the most favor
able auspices by Arnold DAILY at the Gar
rick, has no midships at all, and no prob
lematical sternpost. From beginning to
end it is just plain farce, albeit Jared Of the
most delicously intellectual quality
There are times when it verges upon a
problem of the emotions and other times
when it seems about to hit up the pace Of
drama. But at the critical moment the
train that is laid TO rouse our intellects or
10 fire our hearts goes of into the most
delectable pyrotechhcs Of ShawismS.
One easily imagines serious minded
people writing critiques TO trace the growth
Of the authors philosophy OF life between
this male duast of sex here and his female
counterpart in Man and Superman >"
But both will upon analysis vanish in
the thin air Of n mental mirage.
There may even be those who profess to
have been interested in the passion OF the
five shilling dentist ("ivory snatcher' or
gum architect"l and his phantom bride
Of new woman, steeled from love by
Science If Bernard Shaw were to write
the letters OF the alphabet in a row there
would be plenty TO find them intellectually
dramatic and plenty more TO argue that
they were an amusing but unconvincing
paradox.
What caught the attention Of the audi
cnce last night was perhaps the pretence
that something momentous was about to
be said. What held it was the flow of
highly mentalized animal spirits the varied
and seemingly inexhaustible vein of viva
cious pleasantly. Mr. Shaw has all along
assured us that this is his briskest acting
play and the one likely TO be most popular.
It bore him out by acting far better
than it gives promise of in the reading.
II IL falls below Candida" in popularity,
1t will be only because it affords a less real
and legitimate point Of departure for that
great promoter OF publicity discussion,
that chs sei itself round and round the
vinegar jug, as of old the monkey chased
the weasel. That was, after all, poetic
drama Of the emotions. This is only the
most delectable nonsense.
There is no denying ,hat the play would
have been better II the theme had been
developed with n real sense of human ma
ture. On the one hand there was father
OF the old conventional sort who had been
separated from his wife and had forfeited
his children because they were bitten hy
the craze of ratiunalism. His plight when
thrown face to face with his family after
eighteen years might have been as moving
as it was divertinR. But it wasn't. On
the other hand, there was an advanced
Young woman whose primitive heart was
awakened. and whose natural instincts
were revealed to her by the Shawesque
dentist, who was peg more advanced
and expert than she But one and all
lacked dramatic viAbllity.
At best they we're lay figures, each en-
lowed with a portion of the dramatist's
marrowless spine, and necessarily scintilant
brain. When the time came for them
TO be impassloned they explained 10 each
other and TO the audience that their blood
had become oxygenated They we're not
inspired by love only by theories AS to that
passion. My knowledge Of human ma
ture,' said one Of them. lis fairly extern
siye; but | find it impossible to take the
inhabitants of this island seriously" That
vas Mr.. Shaw's own ruhric.
But lot us not seem TO qualify the de-
light OF the play or its popular success.
Barrie, in his not dissimIar vein of eX-
travagance may at his best have CON
celved his themes more deeply and kept
them more firmly in hand. but he has sell
dom been moro brilliantly diverting. The
intellectual faroes Of Gilbert and Wilde
have never been more unfaGgingly vi
Vscious
y q
chair, which 50 shocked the fashionable
sens.b iues of MIR Cyril Maude Of the Lon
don Haymartet that he abandoned the
piece after he had thoroughly rehearsed it
and moved Mr. Charles Frohman 10 the
prediction that it would move an American
audience 10 the doors Last night 1t went
With breeze Of merrirnent that electrified
a cultivated and mcdish assembly.
The colloquies that 10 the managerial
mind have seemed tediously windy came
out IN he acting like a necklace Of flashing
radium TIE last act with its bo al fete
fairy enchantment. Altogether it is one
Of the ever recurring narvels of the theat-
rical world that so good play has so long !
remained Enacted
In a carefully prepared speech Arnold /
DAILY thanked his audience, which more |
reasonably might have thanked him, and |
paid tribute to his mana gers, Messrs. !
Liehler b Co, for che excellence Of the |
production and the company they had !
given him-a bit Of gratitude which was !
in every respect fully deserved.
A better cast, in fact. it woui be hard !
70 imagine. Mr.. DAILY himself was perhaps /
the least evenly excellent. He was over !
vehement n his m menfs of passion, quite 1
dispeniug the proper atmosphere Of ecs- |
tatic unreAlity. But humor and charm he 4
had in hi n degree, and viii doubtless I
subdue lis performance with experience !
when the burden of managership rests
more lightly on his shoulders.
George Farren made a similar error.
pertaps. in his portrait Of the deserted /
f-cher, throwing such wealth Of emotion
into 1t as 10 make the perverse nationality
with which his daughters confronted him
seem little less than nonstrpus.
1t was no doubt Shaw's intention TO make
his heroics Of thu conventional emotions
seem n bit forced and unreal Yet granted
Mr.. Farren's conception. his performance !
was perfect in its trlsque vehemence and
heartfelt emotion.
JefIreys Lewis. as the twentieth century
mother (the play was written when the
twentieth century was . hay dream of
the future), was capital. as were also her
daughters, Drina de Wolfe ard Mabel
'reliaferro. W. H. Thompson played
the not very ample part Of the 60
licitor with all his accustomed skill and
unofion. Summer Gard was an acceptable
Philip.
The most stimulating ard amusing
cheracte rs in the play are the old wal er.
william and his son. he fashionable bar
rister Bohuu. These were played by John /
Fludlav and Harry HARDWOOD Nth n DprfeCf B.