Arizona republican., 1907-02-11

estly or affectedly patrons Of art, but
do the general theater-goers want
Shakespeare
THAT YOU can figure out for your
self Managers are, above all else,
business men. and they give the people
what they want. because it is business.
Follow that idea with the number of
successful Shakespearean revivals
chronicled during the past two years
and YOU will see that the people are
wanting Shakespeare. And why
shouldn't they? Is there any field of
dramatic writing he has not fully COW
cred. and are not the successful dra-
matists to . great extent working over
his themes There are none of his
plots. barring Of course, his historical
works. which could not be bodily done
with modem speech scenes and cos
tuning. and be entertaining.
In tragedy Shakespeare is of course
the master playwright of time. In
The Comedy Of Errors and Tanning
Of the Shrew' he has done farce far
better than Hoyt or AIDE have even
aspired to do. In Much Ado About
Nothing he has done the type of So
ciety drama which Fitch is known for.
and in Midsummer Nights Dream we
have the progenitor Of musical comedy
and extravaganza. MUS. Of course, the
topical song. but nevertheless a pro-
totype of the thousand and one things
in that line which deluge the stage
today.
81 am not sorry TO say that | find
no parallel in Shakespeare's writings.
60. I a
the Treatment of social problems i'm
the drama because no good can be ac-
complished Dramatists give no solu-
ton. throw no light on the matter, add
no new knowledge and end by only
creating a morbid curiosity in the sub
ject. Those who are familiar with 4
diseased social condition are familiar
with the effects of that malady and
they learn nothing Of profit by seeing
il. one need not live the life Of the
social outcast To know that there is
in such life. little but misery. and If
by chance there are among those who
see such drama. one who previously
knew nothing Of the condition depict
ed. in that one is aroused an unhealthy
interest which is regrettable.
Il remember case a year or two
ago. / had attended play given un-
der the title. THE Absinthe Drinker."
and the author asked me what /
thought Of the production. I think il
is a bad thing / answered. because
there are among those who, seeing the
al,sinthe drinker in al his joyous de-
lirium. observing such brilliant brain
pictures and experiencing new and alb
normal sensations. many who. having
no previous knowledge Of absinthe,
will be seized with a curiosity 10 try
for themselves this new thing.
so | think it is with girls and young
women and the heroincs Of checkeTed
career. Such characters are portrayed
with a glamour and romance which Is
entirely a Pigment Of the writer's brain.
but the matinee devotee does not real
ize that. Thee is in every human
brain a desire for excitement the
unique. the different. and because the
lives of most properly reared and con-
ditioncd young women are so nearly
alike. there is danger in the appeal of
the garish life Of the courtesan Of her
less pronounced prototype in the soci-
ETY. drama.
But the church can do much in this
line Whenever the church ceases to
condemn the stage indiscriminately
and yet positively condemns that
which is morbid and unwholesome, and
commends that which is pure and
good and unlifting then We shall have
better things on the stage. Managers
are not to blame for they cannot be
expected To lose money forcing on peo-
pie what the people do not want. and
| can say this for them. that ! never
knew 4 manager from the greatest
and best down to the keeper of the
lowest variety hall. who wouldn't rath-
er give his audience good things than
bad. and if the audience would only
pay as well for the good as they do
for the bad"