New-York tribune., 1910-10-23
MA II NJ f. T II
LONDON DRAMA
Aristophanes for Suffragettes-
A Shakespeare Show
London. October l.

Ar;stophsnes was mocker win q
ruling passion for common sense.
wrote rollicking farces tainIeu
,--.,ass and obscenity for blohS sls0
eos+5,-als. he salted them win ~1O1e
- This was George Mere
z,-,,,s Judgment OF him: "WheIheT 'ls ~
~ wrong in his politics ana i'1s
ciens and bearing in nina 1iIe i'10
--,.,-s he uja1ed on and the anoleIlce ne
~, there is an idea IN his com
- - ss the idea Of good citizenship.
q natural conservative, barking
- >, he Athens Of the Persian wars,
s...r-;vo the vaCaries c. mob rule. as
~.,,;-- deuacogues like Cleon with
.-e-1ts-t banter, whipping thistles IN
~ highway Of social usage, and pro
c1siy,inE the urgency Of peace after a
,s;st-acri1r period Of devastating war
fare. he was at once censor OF puoilo
morals and poet with a delicate genius
for writing lyrics. and he found his SUD
-e-ts for satire in local affairs and IN the
vulgar and sordid tendencies OF degen-
crate politics. His methods and lronlcsli
motives NAY be critically studied IN the
library. but il is clearly iulpractlcaoIe 10
revive his comedies after the lapse OF
. 300 wears FOR the entertainment and
obstruction os a modern audience
..Ty,-sisrrata-r produced this week at
.Le dainty Little Theatre. with its blue
zz-e5gvood decorations and Adam fit
ri7rs. has the eQect Of a French farce
which has been laboriously disinfected
snd ADAPTED 10 British proprieties- II is
not frreproa chably clean. Yet II is con-
s:srenrly duh. there is q riotous fight Of
esrciraI extravaganza. still the hurly-
burlv does not excite merriment; the
songs OF the Spartan and Athenlan
-7st5ens are heard without thrill and
-he satire IS so subtle that II passes with
ont observation. Miss Gertrude Kings
ton IS credited with cleverness in dis
covering triumphant suffragette leader
on the steps leading % the Acropols IN
3. {. AS. and in arraying the Athenlan
and Spartan Amazons against their hus-
hands and the police myrmidons. The
hurno-s Of sufraEetre raiding al West
minister are supposed 10 be vaguely mir
rored in the rough and tumble hght be
tween the sexes on the ACrOpolis. How
difficult II is for the spectators 10 grasp
the truth that the satirist was scourg1ng
the military coxcon1bs and fire eaters Of
his time and expressing the public desire
fo- peace AT any price after the ruinous
devastation OF revolutionary strife.
When the men from sheer ineptitUde.
could DO nothing. the women deserted
their homes. occupied the citadel and
couuelled a surrender n the interest OF
rational peace over a howl OF wine
they pledged themselves 10 be cold 10
husbands and lovers until there should
be an armistice IN the civil war, and
after resisting attack and belaboring the
doddering old men and the police con-
stables they were victorious
n place Of the original motive Miss
Gertrude Kingston has introduced, with
the aid Of an unknown adapter. . ian
tastic plea for q Wonen's league in pol
.ttcs. The text is modernized with cur
rent slang and references 70 conscrip-
.Ion and a strong navy, and while the
street C-v. Votes for women" is not
raised. the comic policemen are igno-
rniniously suppressed when they attempt
70 disperse the militant women While
classical scholars may be TepelleG by
low comedy below the level of the pro-
loEue 10 the Westminster play. sympa-
thizers with the w0men's suffrage move
Irent may he attracted by the unequal
contest between fair and sprightIy
Tnaideus IN charming Greek draperies
and the awkward. senile Arhenians, bare
legged and scantily clothed. Men are
rendered supremely ridiculous from be
ginning 10 end, and women are crowned
with honor as the superior sex This
motive certainly was not in the satirist's
scheme; and Yet Miss Kingston may
easily De forgiven for the liberties taken
with the text when she has provided q
spectacle Of real beauty. The wives and
nlaidels form z series OF Burne-Jones
groups as they rally around their leader.
wave their coueIy arms IN defiance and
resist the trrpoFuunate pIeadings. OF the
men; and the effects Of sunrise and star
light on the Acropolis are heightened by
new system OF lighting. Miss Kings
ton herself acts wiki declamatory ferv5r
and Is a stately and statuesque Lvsis-
trsts- especially at the final fan OF tha
curtain, when her associates OF the
Women's league have been carried of to
their homes and the leader is left alone
o. the heights Effective. also. are Miss
Margaret Watson. as the home loving
Ca1onice, and Miss Dorothy Minto as
the incorrlgible hirt, Myrrhina.
The Greek comedy in this fantastic
version may not be particularly inter
esting experiment bat the plavbousa
and the enterprise command The baS,
wishes OF thoughtful pIaygoers. The
Little Theatre is q cosey and dainty au-
oitor1una. built upon the strong rooms and
back Offices OF the old Coutts bank be-
hind The Strand II is approached by
spacious vesubule and foyers, and is it
se1 small square hall, without orches-
tra or galleries, where three hundred
spectators can be seated II stalls and in
q few private boxes AZ the back A pret-
tier bi3oU theatre for the production If
works on 4 small scale can hardly be
imagined. and players and audience viii
De brought into the most intimate rela-
tons Miss Kingston, who is herself ac-
tress. painter. illustrator and writer. and
las many friends in smart society. as
was proved by an exceptionally brilliant
audience OF the opening night, intends
70 produce farces. comedies. tragedies
.Oregn ana native work-old and new
irRFyTn- ~ uns