The Washington herald., 1906-11-25


billty the plot that underlies Caught
In the Rain" one would think. thus add
Ing much to the artistic value as well as
the enjoyabIeness of the little comedy.
No matter how intensely funny or witty
lines may be. there is a certain cOnstralnt
or hesitation in laughing at them if one
has a sUbconsciousness that the whole
action of the piece Is based on the absurd
and the impossible. And the plot of
Caught in the Rain" is about the limit
of absurdity and crudity X is no de-
fense TO say it is only a comedy or farce.
Some OF the best and most admirable
work of the great dramatist5 has been
done in writing comedies and farces.
This form of dramatic composition is
just as respectable as any other. and is
just as deserving Of serious handling But
Mr.. Collier and his collaboration were
plainly IN a great hurry when they put
Caught IN the Rain" together and figured
that any sort of a dramatic framework
would do. provided the trimmings of puns
and gags and jokes were bright and lavish
enough. This was a mistake. The bright
lines viii not serve to bring marked
have been rendered a decided go" if the
story had the elements Of probability and
consistency to make 1t respectable Mr..
Golfers odd. dry. almost unclassifable-
but Enthusiastically delightful type of
humOr-woUId have been given a much
richer and keener zest by such a back
ground. Il would have put him and his
assistants at "A distinct advantage at every
stage Of the action. What an embarrass-
ment all around to have to play against
the confusing effects Of the incidents in
which the complaisant but supposed-to-
be-respe pectabIe father consents TO the mar
Tiage Of his daughter. first to the hero,
and then 20 the villain. I'm order 10 get
out Of his money trouble. If the father
had been sketched as of the type seen
in Julie Bonbcn," there would have
been no Inconsistency; il would have kept
the comedy line. But 10 represent a re
spectacle American father as doing that
sort Of thins is jarring TO the last de
gree. IT affects the flavor Of the whole
piece. II isn't good comedy. and it
isn't good meIodrama- Mr.. Collier is
too promising a comedian and
author TO be permitted 70 waste him
self in this way. When he secures a /
really good line of plays. ne will do
work that viii place him in the rank Of
the late John T. Raymond. Mr.. Col
lier has in his present company another
young comedian Of great promise, Mr.. 1
Wallace Eddinger. His playing Of the
part of the -for-nothing Bob was
remarkably spontaneous and convincing.
There wasn't a suspicion Of acting about I.
l.
The musical comedy that is really musI- !
cal and genuinely comic hasn't come to !
town Yet this season. The Social !
Whrl' wasn't it. The piece is aItogeth-
er too much broken up by unrelated
vaudeville stunts 10 be honestly entitled
10 a place in the musical comedy class.
It is musical burlesque or extravs-
ganza Of the deepest dye. There IS too
much doing in it 20 give a chance for de-
yeloping 10 the fullest effectiveness the /
various Incidents. Pruning would improve
the picce-make It fuunier and more
WCrkmauike. The Shuberts are thinking
Of taking IL 20 London, but If they do
they viii probably find the BTitishers
staring in blank bewildermeut instead Of
laughing at some Of the gags that are
making the greatest hits here.
Dramatizing the novel has been quick /
ly reduced 20 The absurd by the New
York author and publisher. who has turn /
cd into a thriller a wild Western TO /
nance that he is still running In the |
columns of his story paper. He wouldn't /
take the chance of even the slight loss /
of heat that might be caused by the de- /
lay IN getting the story run out in book I
form. after it had completed its serial I
course in the periodical He dramatiZed I
it right off the bar. as ii were, and no I
doubt the play will be advertised as be /
Ing founded on one Of the dozen beSt-sell- !
ing novels Of the season And probably /
thousands Of ignorant people viii go 20 /
see II under The impression that Il really 1
was founded on a great novel, and viii I
come away with the Impression that they /
have seen a good play Great IS the /
power OF advertising-for a while. But in I
the long run people viii learn not to be |
fooled by #, in relation 10 books and /
plays as to everything else.
What is known in the slang of the 4
stage as the tabloid drama" deserves /
encouragement 1t is fun Of mighty |
interesting possibilities. Perhaps the /
most alluring Of these is the prospect that /
in the near future, through the popular /
izatlon Of the tabloid form OF dramatic /
composition. authors with clever little /
ideas in their heads viii be content to |
work them I'd into nice little One-act /
playlets instead Of resorting to the cotton /
wool bag ana padding them up into |
thTee-act or four-aCt dramas, as some Of /
the authors Of the day are in the habit Of /
doing. Real ideas will stand a moderate /
amount Of padding. but too much OF it /
distorts and fatally weakens. The pad /
ding gets heavier than the idea. as it /
were, and says away from the frame It /
was intended to amplify. if not beauufy. |
A story that would be moving and strik- /
ing in one-aCt play loses force and
point when spread over three or four !
acts. That's what's the matter with
many of the plays Of the day whose au-
thors ard producers counted on big sue
cesses for them, but find they aren't /
going with the rush that was looked for /
The story that seemed so good and ef- /
fectlve In the germ lost its snap and /
beauty in the course Of the forcing proc
ess il was put through in order TO make /
enough OF IL 10 MI an evening in the per !
formanCe- II it had been done UP as a /
tabloid drama or comedy it might have
afforded forty on sixty minutes OF keen
enjoyment, emotional or risorial But its /
force was dissipated, the action weakened, /
by expanding it 10 a two-hour-and-a-ha /
production.
Probably the fault lies even more with /
the managers and the public than with |
the nnthnrs The darnaraa a tha In.tn. !