Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-30
Ry SIDLE LAWRENCE

BY SIDLE LAWRENCE
EORGE BERNARD SHAWS play
ltT of CANDIDA" was given a highly
VI praiseworthy presentation at the
Los Angeles theater last night before
an audience of discouragingly small
proportions. On the same stage,
week before, Miss Shaw had played Tor
the first time in Los Angeles the same
authors MRS. Warren's Profession,
play loudly heralded as one of ques-
tionable morality. Mrs. Warren" con-
tinued throughout the week and was
greeted by large audiences. The in
ference is easy, even though the many
who went to see Mrs Warren" ex-
pecting an exhibition of Grass pruri-
ency in that drama must have found
those expectations unrealized.
In Candida" Shaw is at his best
as an analyst of human nature. Each
of the characters therein presented is
a. type and each is drawn with surety
of line that bespeaks the master touch.
OF action, as the term is ordinarily
used in stage parlance, candida" has
little. There are no climaXes; no dig
scenes" Yet the play presents all the
elements of a struggle, struggle De-
tween two men-or, as Candida phrases
it. between a man and boy-for
woman's love. That term love" doesn't
in the least mean the same thing TO
the man that it means to the boy. but
neither of them seems to realize this
fact and a conflict ensues, conflict
enIivened by Shavian brilliancy OF dia-
logue and situation.
No living playwright better than this
eccentric Irishman appreciates the ora
matte value of an unexpected turn,
either in conversation or action. He
leads up gradually to stereotyped
situation, which the habitual theater-
goer-if he happens not to have seen
or read the play-anticipates with some
small interest, when suddenly, pouf.
the course of drama goes flying off at
a tangent, just missing the obvious
thing to achieve something entirely
different.
The character and story of the play
probably are familiar by this time to
most people whom it would interest.
The play has been seen In Los Angeles
before and it is to be found in all the
printed collections of the Shaw dramas:
1t is quite one thing to read Candida,
however. and another to see it realized
upon the stage as it was realized last
night.
Miss Shaw's Admirable Acting
Miss Mary Shaws Candida is quite as
impressive from the standpoint of good
acting as her Mrs. Warren. Yet the
two roles are little short of antithetical.
Certainly her success in both or tnem
proves her TO be an artist OF unusuai
versatility. Candida is the nnest type
of a home woman; woman VINO
thinks for herself, who loves her hus-
band, not because she has idealized
him. but because she knows the man,
knows his little shams and self-de-
lusions, his poses and his foibles; and
perhaps this is the most potent rea-
| son of all-because she knows he needs
her love. There is much OF the ma
ternal and protective in Candida's al
fection for her clergynfan-husband. As
she herself phrases It, she has been to
him mother and sisters and wife in
one And that is the very sort of hu-
man trinity the Rev. James Morell most
needed.
In her handling of the role Miss
Shaw brings out these things with un-
erring accuracy, yet without undue ac-
centuation. She makes Candida mem
tally big woman, in love with man
of lesser mental stature; able to ap-
preoiate Eugene, the poet illusionist.
and to give him a maternal-like af-
fection. 1t is not Snowy" bit of act
ing, her Interpretation of this role; but
it is very good acting for all of that.
The support is good. Mr. Aylmer
as Eugene gave us finely imagin-
ative character. uniformly well re-
strained. Mr.. Pratt. as the Rev James
Morell, elected to preach" many of his
speeches, for which doubtless he finds
warrant in the lines of the play, though
the contrast with the quieter methods
of other members of the cast is rather
unpleasantly marked. The Burgess of
Mr.. Cohill was a character gem. and
Miss Pettes, as the aciduous typist
again proved her ability.
Candida will be repeated tonight
Tomorrow night and Wednesday night
Ghosts will be presented with Miss
Shaw as Mrs. Alving.