The San Francisco call., 1909-02-14
DAVID BELASCO
AT HOME AGAIN
By Walter Anthony

is symbol of the welding of the
club in the drama, which, like Roose-
velt's weapon, concerns itself now with
cleaning out false prejudices. beating
sham TO death and whipping grafters
and iniquity to death The big stick
stirs things up and then belabers re-
Vealed iniquity. That is what the
new drama is doing. Just as Roose-
velt wants to get at truth, demolish
untruth and uncover 'iniquty, so the
new playwrighJs are devoting them
selves in an equally strenuous manner
TO whipping evil into the flare of the
footlights and exposing it frankly.
The new hero no lon 1ger talks plati-
tudes and behaves like an impossibility.
The new hero occasionally lies and
does other things that men do and
then regret. He has suddenly escaped
from the laees of fancy speech to the
realities of life"
That is one reason why David Be
lasco is going to produce Shakespeare.
He thinks the bard has not been given
a proper chance of late. He thinks he
has been covered up with scenery.
This may sound strange TO those who
have heard of Belasco's skill for pre-
senting productions.
1T may be two years before I get
around to it." he went on, "but I am
AS You Like It. and Twelfth Night
] am going TO give a presentation of
Romeo and Juliet with Frances Starr
as Juliet, and l am going to give the
public a chance to see David Warfield
as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice
Belasco's eyes dreamed as he told
about his Shakespearean scheme. He
thought of d production of these
master works in which the supernum-
erary will be more important than
battlement He dreamed too, of a per-
formance in which the third citizen
would be an actor and the messenger
a player OF repute. Instead of painted
scenery he saw a cast of players fit
to utter the noble lines of Shakes
peare, and instead of electrical effects
he dreamed of oratory and acting. He
said he resented the gaudy Shakes
peare and thought the poet wronged
by elaborate settings. He heard. men
tally, the shriI whistle which used to
precede the rising Of the drop in "one's
after a brief scene and he said he
could not see the reason for distorting
Shakespeare's plan by ripping out lines
IN order TO place canvas feast before
the eye. when I produce Shakes
pearean plays / will put my money
ia actors and not in accessories. 1
viii pay page $3.50 a week if it is
necessary to get an artist for the role"
He would not admit for a moment
that his trip to the west was about
10 disturb theatrical conditions on
this border of the land But" he
said Il am watching and waiting 1
am not blind to the progress of events
and I am hoping that some day / may
be able TO extend the sphere of my
activities beyond the confines of their
present lines. I am not overlooking
any chance to develop the enterprises
I am managing. and would not be adj
verse TO carrying them into this field
if opportunity afforded, but that is
quite aside from the purpose Of my
present trip"
"The center and germ OF play is
in an emotion. and the effect must be
a thrill" is swhat David Belasco said
about picking a success in the drama
4 do not know how 1 tell what a
play viii be like when 1 see it in the
rough I simply feel It, Then / sleep
over It. ] dream about it and ponder
over it. If the thrill remains ] say it
is good and then begin TO develop it.
We, being human, feel first and think
later So with a play the attack must
be on the nerve of sensation and then,
il the play is TO be worthy and right,
the judgment must Justify the senti-
ment for true sentiment and pure
emotion is God given and can not be
wrong or vicious"
But BeIasco thinks that the intel
lectual appeal of a drama must be
such as to convince the hearers OF
what they are already believers in and
not argumentative and belligerent.
You would not expect to make
success of Uncle Toms Cabin in
Tennessee" he said. The stage is
mistaken by 1bsen TO be a lecture plat
form for the discussion Of therapeutics;
by Shaw to be a lecture platform for
the dissemination of wit and politics,
and by Pinero and others for the pro-
viding Of an arena in which to discuss
and discuss. The stage is not destined
to remain in the hands of any such
false prophets. however clever they
may be. 1t belongs TO the man who
has struck an emotional chord ana
who in playing plucks true harmony
Thus Ibsen will not be of any per-
manent influence in the land of the
theater except in so far as his won
dreful play building is accepted as
standard Of correct construction.
told David Beiasco some of the
things his brother, Frederic, had been
telling US on our way to Sacramento,
how he had recourted the early days of
the managers career. Gus Frohman
had taken over the Baldwin theater-
il was more than 25 years ago-anu
was looking for a stage manager.
David Belasco presented himself, but
was not regarded as experienced
enough for the job. minstrel show
with Billy Cassan had made failure,
and something was needed to be done.
or Lucky Baldwin would prove un-
lucky in his ownership of the now de-
stroyed hotel and theater. Frohman
was persuaded TO give Belasco
chance, and so The Octoroon" was
staged and members of the minstrel
company were employed by Belasco in
the levee scene. Said 'Billy' Cassan,
after a first rehearsal. addressing Gus
THAT mans a wizard. He tells me to
do this and to do that, and 1 do it.
I don't know why do it, but do,
and it's right. He's a wizard"
That" said Frederic. Is the way my
brother got his title of wizard
Did Fred tell you that?' asked
David with a twinkle in his eye.
Eyes. he did" said I.
Well" said the. wizard, looking out
of the bespattered car window into the
black night. Frederic is one OF the