The sun., 1905-09-06
BERNARD AND DEMI SHAW.
y.lF or "HAN AND SUPERMAN''
rs TWICE AS GOOD.

=. At IFS Most Intellectual Relished III
: Its Finest Also at II" Broadcast
=, co ever said that the Shaw automobile
g. 90 ,rching for the ditch, we hereby eat
W." words. One reason Is that Mr.. Shaw
Sas bolted half Of his. The published
rnlume Of MAN and Superman" Is super
,s.,ed imitation Of the paradox as to the
ppso,rimonial fate of man, which was struck
nn, n' Mt the close of "You Never Can Tell
Viewed as theatrical proposition 1t is
sNt for intellectual vaudeville racked
Art 10 the proportions and to something
Vxe the pretensions Of Intellectual drama
aanital out of all proportion to liabilities.
Icceptng the magnificent sacrifices de-
landed by the theater Shaw has cabined
md confined his discourse, reefed the sail
- his wit. air pumped his philosophy and
.dyanced the sparkling Of his four cylinder
dramatic motor. The result, II something
wore than skit, is 80 much less than 1t
NIGHT have been as to be delicously, and
al but ncessantly, diverting.
Aided by a superlative cast, which gave
4 an ali but flawless performance, the play
Mds fair to rival the success OF its fore
u'nners For still another season Shaw
iii en- 10y his triumphant II tardy vogue.
The only danger is that the bank account
he must by this time have opened will las
|. hs once vainly anticipated) induce In his
snirit n conservative opinions. That would
ie pity of pities.
n is not that his present attitudes are as
1, novel as he would have us suppose. Ihe
iSea which underlies this play, for example
namely. that woman is the pursuing
animal, the real Don Juan Of the duel OF
&c ckea,.
xbere except on the sta ge.
Was there not a German philosopher
uho committed suicide the moment he
was convinced that his Fraulein had really
|, sot her lunch hooks fastened on him, rather
than fall sordid prey to matrimony1 DID
not Schopenhauer long ago out Bernard
Shaw in shocking and mocking 4the better
s;de Of our nature" and then into the
bargain fout us and scout US and all but
rout Us?
q, espousing the satire and cynicism Of
Shavvian philosophy. The knowing world
has long known that things are what they
are. All that remains Is to congratulate
ourselves that ideas which however aero
tstic, are still refreshingly alive, have
iound their way into the theater, and
vhat is more, have found there an audi
snce capable of taking them at something
like their true value.
For decades the prophetic few have
proclaimed that the intelligence Of the
rckoned it. Ardent folks have handed
together to elevate the stage. Up to now
|, their elevators huve broken, and have not
/ always fallen upon air cushions In the
cellar In this year Of grace. thanks to
| the force of Shaw's genius and his practical
sense Of the drama. the elevator scars :.
| Even the most cynical must admit that
there Is public Tor intelligent plays that
are stageworthy.
The present version, which, as the pro-
gnm informs us, scrupulously follows the
trail Of Mr.. Shaw own blue pencil, omits
the long retrospective passa &c in the first
act and the entire third act, with the inter-
lude in He'll, In the latter there ia much
!! which is in the authors most picturesque
tand effective vein Of satirical comedy.
II would not be a bad idea to give the
Internal interlude as an after piece. The
present result, however, Ia that the original
play, which would take no less than seven
hours to perform, has been reduced to three
consecutive and seHconsistent acts, which
conclude shortly after II.
The play as it now goes at the Hudson is
oil but lacking in the popular elements OF
scenic business and dramatic situation.
with which the previous pieces we're sup
piled. 1t is all talk, and talk that depends
forits legitimate effect upon the intelligence
Of the audience and its willingness to juggle
with an iidea,,to riot In cynical paradox
over the shafts that guide the jade Of COM
mon sense in the highway Of approved
opinion, Of dumping the apple cart Of Dame
Grundy the costerwoman.
We say legitimate effect" because, as 10
reported to have been the case with Can.
dida,' certain base souls Of the commoner
sort last night showed themselves willing
to meet the author mora than half In
his frank handling Of what may be described
In the cast phrase as the more realistic
aspects OF his theme. There Is no doubt
that Shaw means all he says. But he can
scarcely have intended it to be greeted
with Singer and guffaw.
Whether n, the play is fit pabulam for the
1eune flle is for the individual to decide. But
no one capable Of understanding intel
lectual topsy-turvy, and consequently Of
being stimulated by IT, should be baked
Dy any such crude misconstruction.
/, II there was any shortcoming in the per-
Iormance it resulted from the physical
and temperamental limitations Of the
artistic skill Mr.. Lorraine was somewhat
stolld perhaps in his impersonation Of the
Volatile revohtionist Tanner. But His in
tentons were so good and his effects in
general so adroit and firm that one can
only wish that some day he may pave Mr..
onaws own particular hell Of the interlude
with them.
Particularly admirable was his ease and
mhodulated restraint in passages that might
nave tempted an actor to vociferous de-
camation. He lacked, perhaps, the fire
and mobility which Mr.. Arnold DAILY would
nave thrown into the part, but il Is only on
IN afterthorght that one realizes this.
Miss fav Davis's willowy plastique and
nowerike beauty are i'll adapted to the i'm.
personaton Of Shaw's protagonist OF SEX
Lven more than Candida, Ann should have
tne warm, ripe womanhood of a Venetian
Madonna. Miss Davis's appeal Is poetic
Iather than passional. But all that intelli-
gence and skill can do she does, and does
with pervasive and eusively convincing
sense Of comedy
As the practical Violet, Clara Bloodgood
was perfection absolute. Her effects are
as subtle and true as they are poignantly
and irresistibly comic.
4, 10 name the rest OF the cast is to praise
tnem' As AIMS absurdly futile and vam-
Piresucked mother Lois Frances Clark
was the life itself. The Henry Straker,
cn,anhsur, Of Edward .Ables was on. z par.
WIN all this admirable comedian has done.
n me elder 1rish-American Malone of j.
u. beverdge was creation of absolute
S,ctlon As Rdmsden and the younger
;Meone, Louis Masoen and Richard Bennett
@it nothing to be desirered.
.,L 'ne ne three sets wee very attractive
nnd the motor car Of tn second act made
@ exit handsomely from the spark.
LLOYD BINGHAM, ACTOR.