The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-03-09
An1usen1ents

Robert Lorraine in EBEan and Superman.D .D Man and Superman," Bernard Shaw's brilliant comedy, was presented at the Montgomery Theatre Friday night by Robert Lorraine and a magnificently strong company. The great comedy for 1t is a great comedy--was rendered with an excellence that precluded the loss of any of its originality of theme and purpose, its unique individuality of character, It's fierce, almost brutal at tack upon the shams of modern life, its subtle sophistries and humor, It's sar- donic wit and brilliancy of epigram.
 Robert Lorraine was, rather than played, John Tanner, by whose aid the author, speaking ex cathedra--from the chair, better, perhaps, from the throne, upon which he has seated himself and defied revolutionary criticism hurled his thunderbolts against the 'supersti- tions of morality" and. to a properly comparative degree, Mir. Loraines fell lows of the dramatic personae portray ed with excellence the characters allot- ted to them.
 The play itself is brilliant. No mat ter what its purpose, its ethics, it's moral propaganda, 1t is brilliant. In his preface to Plays Pleasant and Un-. pleasant" Mir. Shaw wrote: q have no respect for popular morality, no be- lief in popular religion. I am neither a cynic nor sceptic in these matters. ."
 Man and Superman" had not place in the volume quoted, yet Is it to be as- stunned with that the preface might well be made to the comedy presented last night. With a story admirably invent ed to convey its characters and their sentiments Mir. Shaw set forth his the ories in manner new, blunt and brusque. again insinuating persuasive Tt is shame" he makes John Tanner say; not responsibility, mark you, nor even de- cency but shame; the more sins man has to be ashamed of the more respec- table he Is. I have every pos sible virtue--except shame;" and there fore, John concludes with an outburst of angry enthusiasm, he Is utterly an outcast So, with this absolutely can did, honest, shameless" decrier of ev- erything that is false to nature and truth, as his spokesman, does Shaw hurl his pointed epigrams and heavier weapons of wit against popular relig- ion" and popular morality"
 The comedy has been called Broad I, Shaw, in the minds ear, may be heard to cry, "Yes, yes, yes! Broad in truth and freedom from cant;' broad as you mean 1t from the standpoint of popu- lar religion and popular morality" The play. begins with a situation that is broad: a woman refuses to tell the name of the man she has married and sinister suspicious shock the owners of the minds in which they are born quite as badly as they startle the auditors, on the other side of the footlights; and this situation is told in the comedy with frankness. In theme and situa- ton and characterization, the comedy is not more broad than a majority Of inferior dramas; its verbal expression is franker, more direct. less restrain ed
 Tn It's characterization the play is remarkable, it's situation are strongly dramatic. Its dialogue is almost ener- yatingly witty; terse, crisp, incisive, epigrammatic, it's speeches bewilder by their uneeasing sparkle that oft is blown into a veritab1e blaze of satire and sarcasm-be 1t remembered that MT. Shaw disclaims cy'niclsm-by a | fiercely breathed anathema against things that are. or a hopelessly hissed prayer for things that are not
 John Tanner, from whom other char acters of the play are fiEuratively- and if Ann Whitefield be excepted-of- ten really centrifugal, with Roebuck Ramsden. guardians of Ann. Only John does not know Ann is going to marry
 him; when his chauffeur tells him so in the climax of the second act, he in