Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-12-08

Special Correspondence.
7 ONDON, Nov. Alt Il brilliant
and daring. When all IL said and
l. done, that Is the highest praise
that one can give to George Ber-
nard shaw's new play. "The Doctors
Dilemma" which, after much prelim-
mary trumpeting, was finally done at
the Court on Tuesday last And Of
course II would have been highly sur
prising thing IL this tragedy" as Mr.
Shaw mistakenly calls 1t. has been q
really forceful and inspired work.
written as IL was In response 10 crit
les suggestion that &c. b. s. should
put death on the stage, and thus prove
himself a satirist and diaiectician OF
first rank. AS it Is. he has only proved
himself a satisist and dialectician OF
the first rank. and as he had already
done this to the satisfaction OF every
one, It is hard to consider THE Doctors
Dilemma" anything more than O COM
paratlvely wasted effort.
Yes, this time Shaw has completely
failed, for neither has he given US a
cal tragedy---as he avowedly set out TO
io--nor has he made anything IKE a
iuccessful assault upon medical men,
whose nefarious ways and unwarrant-
able powers were to be so relentlessly
exposed. once he got to writing about
them He has put no less than six
doctors into his play, Il Is true. and
poked all manner OF fun at them, but
every one OF the lot is quite as unreal
and unconvlncing as Is the great death
scene" In THE Doctors Dilemma, F"
which Is perfectly evident that its au-
thor means to be really pathetic, al
though, of course, In q highly original
and eminently Shawesoue way,
That THE Doctors Dilemma" would
be daring, nobody doubted, but this
lime even &c. Il. s" has outdone him
self. In fact. many folk IN the thea
ter were honestly offended by the
amazing creed pronounced by his dying
artist hero. This began, II believe In
Michael Angelo, Velasquez and Rem
brandt, and the redemption OF all
,hings by the power OF ever lasting
beauty" II seemed. too, as II the dra-
matist were rather presuming on his
popularity when he made the same
character say; II don't believe in NOR
Atty; ! am a disciple OF Bernard
shaw" and there were several other
jpeeches and episodes that Jared. On
the other hand however, as in all
Shaw's plays, there Is much clever
character drawing and on INFINITE num-
Der OF witty and mirth-provoklng
peeches.
But The Doctors Dilemma" fails al
30 to interest until the nd and this Is
largely due TO the ineffectlveness OF the
story upon which the author has hung
his ideas OF art, medicine, conscience
md the thousand and one other things
hat are discussed In HIS play. 1t opens
with a gathering OF physiclans--begin-
ming with an eminent practitioner who
has Invented an anti-toxine and boon
cnighted for IL, and ending with a
sixpenny doctor" OF the slums-and
although the first act lasts exactly an
hour, II IL not until It's final 10 minutes
hat we get TO the real point, which
II whether a certain mans life shall
be saved or whether It shall not.
This man IL Louis Dubadet. He Is a
Young artist, consumptive, but OF Inn
mense promise, and Just before the
end of tho first act his wife comes TO
Sir Colenso Ridgeon. the eminent dis
coverer Of the anti-toxne, 10 ask II he
win not take Dubadet under his treat
nent and thereby save him The ply
sician, however. hesitates. II seems
that, for some rather obscure reason
he Is able to take only one more patient,
md he has already half-decided that
his shall be his friend, Blenkinsop. the
'slxpenny doctor who is also In dan
yer Of dying from consumption. But
Jennifer pleads passlonately for her
husband, and as she Is pretty and Sir
Colenso Is half In love with her at fret
light he partly consents. and arranges
10 see Dubadet
Thus we begin the second act. I'm
which. however, II Is soon made evident
that the young artist IL a blackguard
md rogue. Are the claims OF art 80
sreat that he shall be saved In prefer
ence TO the honest Blenklnsop, or to use
Mr. Shaw's words: Are good pictures
more needed than good menu" This
ls "The Doctors Dilemma" and II IL
aggravated by Sir Colenso's love for
Dubadet's wife which puts him some
what IN the position OF King David to-
wards Uriah the Hittite. In the end.
however, he and his fellow medicos
decide that Dubadet shall perish-that
Is that Sir Colenzo. while ostensibly
taking him as a patient, shall hand
him over TO a bungiing colleague for
tereatment. and meantime the great
doctor equivocates TO Jennlfer Dubadet
by telling her that her hero shall be