The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-11-10

THEATRES;
BY w. c. SHEPHERD.

DV W. VI y nv
To be really behind the scenes
doesn't mean TO be back near the
dressing rooms There's a deeper be-
hind-the-scenes than that, and II In
wolves not the lives OF actor folk, but
the lives and thoughts and ambitions
OF the folk who make and choose and
stage our plays. That's the real be-
hind-the-scenes. It's land OF sudden
Joys and lost ambitions. of unexpected
success and broken hopes. But the
most remarkable part OF II is that It's
land in which its folks must do the
things they don't want TO do and can
not do the things they would most
enjoy doing.
Clyde Fitch lived In this behind.the-
scenes world. His last days were
spent In bitterness. The world had
given him fame and gold, but he had
been forced TO do the thing he didn't
want to do. There were many and
beautiful things he wanted TO give to
the world in his plays, but he thought
the world would not listen. Not long
before he died. he said In effect to
young playwright:
Give them pinrle. They won't take
anything else"
Most OF his life he had been giving
out what he felt was foolishness
though now and then, with his rare
art, he was able to so sugar-coat some
message TO humanity that he was able
TO get II across the footlights.
At the risk of being personal l am
going 10 mention in this connection
two OF the most promising young play
wrights In the country. One OF them
is Thompson Buchanan. The other Is
Avery Hopwood. Buchanan tried,
until he was almost discouraged, 10
give to the public the sort OF play he
wanted to write, but at last he was
driven TO write the sort OF play the
public wants, and his society pieces
have been numbered among the hits
OF the last two seasons. Avery Hap
woods remarkable study, This Man
and This Woman" fell fiat In des-
peration he wrote Seven Days" a
farce which has been one Of the hits
OF the past two years, and his recent
musical comedy, Judy Forgot" prom
Uses to be another great success.
All this is because the world wants
10 laugh, you say. But that is not
true. The Russian playwriters are
hurting out their messages to the
world through the stage. The plays
of IsSen excited Europe. American
managers are pleased enough to put
these imported plays on the stage,
after they have succeeded abroad.
But in their narrowness, they fear to
try the serious plays that American
playwriters might produce. The re-
suit is that present-day playwriters
who know how matters stand, away
back behind the scenes, do not even
try to write the plays that might help
20 make the world better. American
managers today are forcing American
playwriters to make mere testers Of
themselves.
Kyrle Bellew has a French play
this year called THE Scandal" by
Henry Bataille. It's the dirty sort, IN
which a wife goes astray. without any
explanation or excuse, and the hus-
band takes her back because there is
buried deep I'm the heart Of every man
the desire TO protect a woman"
Gladys Hanson plays the wife in an
extremely mournful fashion. Home IS
the best place on the night THE Scan
dal' comes 10 IOWn.
But THE Concert"-there's the play
for you. It's foreign, too. Of course.
Herman Bahr wrote IL and Leo Dit
rlchstein made an American version
for himself He appears In the lead
ing role, taking the part of Gabor
Arany, music master, the idol OF so
ciety girls, whom he calls geese"
He entices the beautiful wife of DIT.
Dallas TO his bungalow, telling his
pupils that he is going to give con-
cert during his absence. Dr. Dallas
and Mrs. Arany discover that Gabor
Arany and Mrs Dallas have run of
together. The former pair are folks
with common sense. The latter pair
have no common sense at all; only
artistic temperament. DR.. Dallas and
Mrs. Arany arrive. at the bungalow an
hour and a half after the music mas
ter and Mrs. Dallas have reached
there. and find them preparing 20 have
dinner, which the keepers wife has
prepared.
DO you love Arany7" the hard
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