The Washington herald., 1909-05-02

~ - -A-vliCr Seslls IN me course or q
characteristic condemnation OF q bad
play
No doubt I shall be told that
The dramas laws the dramas patrons rire
And those Who I've 20 please must riease 10 Ire 50
b7t you cannot set Cut Cf ar argument by s:mplv
telling a he n z Courlet. The dramas laws the
drama PATRONS % rot 1--WE. nor ever C1u rrs.
that Is Che T-crosativs of the d7zmatist. and the
drsIsJist alone. The rz1blic cannot do
without the theater: and the actor and dFamatist
axe. Therefore N position - insist on honorable
terls TIE msragers who are a. present hinznE
az rrofcssionzl hCucr % the winds hy conretinr
Uith Cne another 70 who shah secure the v1Iezr-
esI and f0nlishest rlav- are ~ more under any
oornFgi=lcn 70 do 50 than Sir HeHry Irving Is o
swallow swords. balance straEs oa ms nose. OF
bounce I'D through star-;raTs.
On the other hand. we have. in a
recent magazine article. the following
from the pen or Marc Klaw, Of the firm
or Klaw & Erlanger:
The thsater. II NJ orinion- il u0t r-lra-ilv
bIt lnCiieutally educator q tha p-lhic i does
net exist 70 dictate n public taste. bst % SATISFY
public demand and hy public demand I do not
mean the 'dEst-uight' theafer2oer. 7 mean that
great honeicvIlC. respectable and intelligent major
Ey- winch is often ahcnsted from the theater h7
dist7S5efui plays-
Bernard Shaw is not always 10 be
taken seriously; but when he IS not twist
ing truth to make an epigram. OF worship
ing AT the shrine OF wit and cleverness
for their own sake. he Is likely To reveal
a clearer artistic insight and a profounder
judgment in essential things than many
Of those who would write him down an
ass We can safely dismiss. as absurd
the Shawian philosophy and the Shawian
crotchets. without declining 10 accept as
authority the Irishmans dictum. when II
comes to a difference OF opinion between
Shaw and Klaw as to the mission and
provinse Of the theater.
Klaw. the theatrical manager. saws. in
substance: Give the public what II
wants" Shaw. the brilliant critic. and
author Of notable plays. says: The pub
lie cannot do without the theater. and
the actor and dramatist are. therefore,
in position 10 insist on honorable
terms"
With all due respect 10 the man whose
corporation controls a great part Of this
countTy's theatrical output We think that
he is entirely wrong and that Shaw is
entirely right Suppose. for example.
that the majority Of the theaters Of the
land were owned and operated by a syn
dicate made Up Of men who stand fo-
the hest in dramatic art-men OF the
stamp OF Sothern. Skinner. and the like.
These men, OF course. would put upon
the stage, as & whole. the impress OF
their own artistic sensibilities. cultivated
tastes, and lofty ideals. In such q con
dition of affairs. what would be more
absurd than 10 say that the people would
stay away from the thester. awaiting
return, should such be their incIinations.
Of vulgsTity and insipid folly2 The pub
lie could not do without the theater. even
though dramatIst and actor were TO write
and play above the public's head. An
artistic syndicate would inevitably result
n an artistic people.
The men Who ara In the theatrical
business solely for what they can get out
OF It. argue in a vicious circle Having
proved A by 3. they dexterousIy about
face and demonstrate the truth OF 3 by A.
II. assuming without warrant that the
public taste is no vorthier than their
Own. they happen TO flood the stage with
plays and performances that are the logi-
cal result Of their own sordid instincts.
and the public mind Is thereby educated
downward 70 the extent that = popular
demand for viciousness and inanity en-
sues, they say triumphantly: we told
you so: the people want It, so what can
We DO but give II 70 them?''
Klaw magnanimously admits that the
theater IS Incidentally educational.
This IS quite a concession. Would R
then. be too much 10 ask that he and his
associates exert their tremendous fnfu.
ence in theatrical affairs TO the end thar
the incident be made a factor IN the
development Of the morals. literature.
and art OF q theater-ioving people?
This is not treatise on the dezeu-
eracy OF the stage. The stage is neither
better nor worse than il has been AZ
many periods in its history. But It is
always in order TO attack demoralizing
standards and 10 hope for their removal.
Bill TrueteH." George H. Brennan's
story OF theatrical life. has leaped into
such wide popularity that arrangements
are already in progress for it's dramatiza-
ton. The production viii occur. in New
York early next fan. A well-known star
who has achieved several comedy sue
cesses win fmpersona1e the title roIe Of
the theatrical manager constantly in the
hardest kind Of hard luck The drsmati-
zation viii be made by a prominent play
wright in collaboration with ATr. Bren-
nan simultaneously with the American
OF "Bfn TrueteT' q produc-
ton VIII be made IN London 70 secure
the English rights