The Irish standard., 1909-04-17
DUBLIN DRAMATIsT.
John M. synse, the Famous Author
Of Irish Plays.


John N. synse, the Famous Author
Of Irish Plays.
THE Playboy of the Western
World" comedy of Irish country
life. is to be produced by the students
of the American Conservatory School
of Acting in the Illinois Theater on
Tuesday, writes R. &. Walshe in the
Chicago Record Herald
The author, John NJ. synge, died in
Ireland two weeks ago, and The
Playboy of the Western World" killed
him. True, the doctor did not state
so on the death certificate, but some
of us who knew the brilliant young
writer know the real truth. Two years
ago his brain Child handed him the
full cup Of bitter poison. and just so
long did he struggle against it's eff
fects.
1t is pitiful, = tragic, and proud
story-that Of synge and his play,
William Butler yeats and the Abbey
theater, Dublin the press and the
people Of Ireland-and will recount
it as best / may / knew synge, and
was present when his need was great.
The Abbey theater in the capital of
Ireland is the cradle of Irish dramatic
art. Not. let me add the Irish dra-
matte art as you know it who have
listened, and laughed, and, maybe.
dropped a tear Or two with chauncey
Olcott and Andrew Mack; and not by
any means the, drama. presented by
certain comedians whom Il am given
to understand believed, or did believe
until the legitimate ammunition of a
piqued public disillusioned them that
green whiskers were, essential to the
proper presentati9g9 Of an Irish play.
but an art that has. sprung direct
from the soul and the soil of a coun-
try. ...~ -.
1t is only five years under a roof
that it can call its. own, and that ow-
ing to the philanthropy of an English
woman interested in the work Of w.
B. Yeats, the poet, scholar and play
wright Mr.. Yeats manages besides
writing for the Abbey theater.
The box office Of the theater has
never taken in enough money to pay
expenses, with the exception of the
ten nights during. which THE Playboy
of the Western World" was running.
1t was only billed for three nights, the
| usual weekly Abbey bill. but its in
tense appropriately and Yeats back
bone filled the house for ten nights.
And 1t would be running yet had not
the poet got the undisturbed hearing
he demanded for his friend, the au
thor. &c.
/ It was in this theater and under
| these auspices that, in January, 1907,
"The Playboy Of the Western World"
first appeared. The usual sparse Alb
hey audience attended.
could count without firing the
heads that came to see the beginning
Of Mr.. synge's comedy, which lived
in turmoil and ended in tragedy
The play, or rather plays, went on.
There were two. The curtain raiser,
Riders to the Sea-" was also by Mr..
Synge. Next day the critics of the
four morning papers in Dublin as
sailed Mr.. Yeats. the Abbey theater,
Mr.. synge, and 1.-THE Playboy of the
western World"
Mr.. Yeats smiled. Mr.. synge was
in London but hurried over to Dub
lin. On the second night of the play
It was not possible to get seat in the
house when the curtain rang up. The
men Of Dublin had come to show Mr..
Yeats and Mr.. Synge that they dare
not thus openly asperse the character
Of the irish people by putting on their
stage an insulting perversion of the
truth.
The main theme Of the play centers
on the fact that the hero, because he
killed his father, becomes an object Of
sympathy and admiration to the peo-
pie, Particularly the girls Of the dis
trict in which the scene is laid. an out
Of the way part Of County Mayo. Such
was the root OF all the disturbance
and discussion that followed.
- 4 =
| Yeats f1oated about in front chat
ting to friends here and there in the
stalls. Tall, graceful and smiling, he
could hardly have noticed the grim