The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-11-20
A. ". PlNERO AS A SATIRIST
M FANS BRITI>H ufDDiE
fLi<> ~ ms NEU I'Ttl.
Feature nj The ThumirrboIt" AZ the
Nrt Theatre Tendencies pf His
Fofn,rr PLAYS Toward satire FN o,,i-
tisn OF THIS spirit IA the Dramatisi.

tl-NlIN. are liffl'lN 'A~N A' 'lsfllF' 49,
though IL - much w"rc dIihcult I" r"c"g-
niz, their boundaries III" earlier works.
that Included Sweet lavender Tn"
Magistrate and such "a delightful Sch"r2"
rs Tho An,agpn~." are not difrvult 10
classify. and tor rhe Second Mrs, Tan.
uueray Tho Princess ard ,h" butterfly
and -lreElwurr It rh" Well her" Ar"
very d~fni,. limit. 10 b" GNri Although
-Th. second Mrs Iinqu'ray" seemed
rather "A Gloss. a'rI,iy al a social question
when We saw u f!rs' and very drah III
comparison with IT." m.GlnAtron "f
-Th. Princes ard the lhgtr"r'ty. It -
rosy with romance compared "a tn.
plays b, the .lsess manner OF the play
wright. which comprises His House IN
Order and IN. powerful sarIr" m dramatic
form called IN" lhlndcrholt,- which
Is to he seen AZ the New Ih'.air".
How irnuoss, Die II is however Ia rlac"
definite limits On the trnd-ncl~s of Mr..
Pinero's plays may he understood from
the presence ~ The Times ia the Inst
that came before The Analons Yet
that cugnedy. which WAS produced by I'd
ward Terry in lsai. had occasional tastes
II the bitterness which p"rmeat-s every
speech -oi -Tha Thundcrholt' Then
a dep, h OF contempt and sadness IN CON
tempiatins certain phases of modern life.
which WAS Quite A. deC.dad a. any thar
his play now under consideration pub
fishes came before The Princess and the
Butterayss MIR. Pinero chose To view the
lsagressfSie characteristics Of The Rene
fit ~ taa Qnfts rn,re ~ sorrow than in
the anger which mad led him To- fiay middle
Glass EDcism, mshrS later dramas with the
ferooitv of modern Juvenn'
tvideutlv II ha. taken the playwright
some tim" io conclude that he will give
full play 20 the instinct to he mora list
tnIi h. H. ,S.u it-"lf 30 p.rsi-icntlv IN his
ph ". II WI erescpt- IN Tn" Notorious
Mrs Ehhsnni,ir- although rather tents-
fively eXpre sse' and in Lefty In
the PLAY tina precoisd The Thunder
bol.- tbo author showed with what de-
light he s-fs,- ~ his SUBJECTS from modern
middle cls-.. British society
Condtf,$1tNn- on~surh rnihai is suf-
ficient sn hs~lf Ia exclude any idea Of
ricturtSqu.nes> or sentfrn.rr No hour
geolsix gsarf, 10 offer Les Inspiration
TO romarc~ In. middle classics Of
Fran ce.and Germany posssss, al least for
foreign eyes sorl- slsrnent Of interest
But the colnrles- existence of the SNUG
English with their cant and hypocrisy
their zervtid nmhi, ions and their pious
regard. for, con ven IoIs. sscm bereft OF
all elements from whrh any dramatist
may draw an int ere,ting story That IA.
has evolved All sngruss ing. absorbing
drama from this unpromi>lnE material
il a greater tribute to Pinero power As
a draratis t than any 81 his previous
plays has proved
The Mixtures that gather to share their
brothers fortune almost before the
breath is out of his body are a very
clearly defined. human group with very
recogni III Die cnaracteristIcs. They act
as human beings OF such character
would and n"t ~ all IN accordance with
what the Theatrical! eEIgerCIes in the
circumstances demand. That they ar.
pretentious. hear less. hvpercrrt cal and
ignohlc IN every thought does not make
Thorn the only unBttractiye persons in
the drama Bne might almost think that
the author had lost his cunnIn z al drawing
an engaging character when the illeEitl-
mat Cn'ght"r falls 80 far short Of Great
ing any real sympathy She H. a. tn"
French might rav M chdyd ~ frOid and
colorless ~ every stage Il the play. The
unfortunate wife VI th" musician who
destroyed III" will an her -agerness not
10 lose the money which meant for her
eman C. .yafion from -" social ostraclsm
In which she had always lived. j. easily
the mos, -ymplth"rlc character IN th.
ltoTiinOro family II Oh" may employ
such conventional description ~ Il figure
in n play - FREE. from rrt ordinary 'vu.s
as Tue Thundcrholt
conrIn gene 81 pos-itl" wealth. has inter
ested the p,avwr. Ehts h"for" thus tins
The classic cum"Il,e # IN" Lat ms did not
neg le,.- the theme. which has rec Irrnd with
sufficiect frequency to prov" rs th.atrIc
vitality. No other playwright however.
has confined himself 80 the development
II rhr' 1.s. with such tiiracrn.-- a. tn.
author Il The rhund"rh,'' He shows
the heirs ~ law ~ heir al"r- expect sncy
~ thor -DI-y~ns. and uncertainty and
finally IN prp7y"rtiv" ,.us-'.-er ION ~ th"
wealth. thai the real near consents 10 di-
vide with them In every phase - IN"
story ttcr owl .i'IaIi',.- are displayed
with un-ptr,ng frlnNn"-- and their ~
nos,l. traits thrown into r.tII"-- relief l.
il alrrS-t- .Dconceivnble that N n family ~
large ss rhIs cnHnr ~ Eroun there should
not eSkT an apiabl' lIliity oNIi -lis m"
unfortunate hruther. Mr. Plrero - IA"
scalhing saririst IN Tine. Ihmdsrbnlr
although h. cannot quite abandon the
old tradition ''n' go n = NOR" Likely II" ha
found among IN" poor or the unfortu-
nate than among TN" prosperous
That the a'rthor's rurpo-" IN depr,'Ing
the --ffeGf OF lmp.ud,ul wealth on tn"
on irasasr " he NOgllE".. family h.u, any
economic tebdcrcy ~ scarcely II Jus' III
abl. conclusion ~hou tues" suhJe"'-
were less in tn" air thiu hey are 10 day
il would Meier have been thought n"""--
saryfo road into NJ rtn"rp 'arra gnIn-r'
u d. w"aAnars 81 human character "a
criiiskm u social and ..onrornicai CON
dit OIls Of property a. th"y - - TODAY
IN. dsasnais, has deliberate. 7irrIiir'-d
inagirAa ION. romance aud picturesque
n.-sy In hts atfDuittn 10 draw rat n f,Il