The Washington herald., 1911-11-12
THE WEEKS PLAYBILLS,
BeIasco-The Irish Players, from
the Abbey Theater, Dublin.

The Irish Players, from Irelands ma
tional theater, the Abbey Theater, Dub
/ lin, will give Washington this week an
adequate idea of the new school of Irish
drama, about which so much has been
written and spoken during the past few
years, by presenting eight plays by Irish
authors.
There are allegory and comedy, tragedy
and farce, satire and sentiment in these
! plays, all of which deal with Irish life,
Irish passions. Irish emotions. and Irish
ambitions as they are known and appre-
ciated by this band of Irish authors,
whose work has caused immense dis
| cussion throughout the world.
The dramatic novelties of the week
that are Of special interest not only to
the confirmed playgoer, but to the liter
ary people who keep pace with the new
developments in literature. are George
Bernard Shaw's long one-act comedy,
The Showing Up of Blanco Posnet,"
and the 4ate J. NJ. Synge's satfric three
act comedy, The PlaybOy of the West
ern World"
Synge and Shaw are Irish, but their
methods of satire are very different
Synge is EliZabethan in his simplicity
and directness, while Shaw is-welI. lust
Shaw The production of these two re-
markable pieces by the Abbey Theater
Company, from Dublin, is proof, If proof
were needed, that Ireland not only has
attained her own literature Of the drama.
but national theater in which to inter-
pret it.
The Irish Players during their weeks
engagement at the Belasco, will present
eight plays. With the exception, per-
maps, OF Shaw's quaint play, they are
representative of the new school of Irish
dramatists that has been found and
1ostered by William Butler Yeats, the
famous Irish poet; Lady Gregory. the
writer of many comedies; George Moore
the Irish novelist and dramatist, and
others like them who knew that Ireland
mad the genius to furnish a national
theater and the plays and the actors to
furnish II out
Ihe programme for Monday and Sat-
urday nights and Wednesday matinee
contains William Butler Yeats 'Kath-
leen nj Houlihan," a delicate one-act
patriotic allegory so beautifully written
that 1t has become a classic. Kathleen
typihes the spirit of Ireland-the spirit
that has made Ireland a land of sacri-
nee for country these many centuries.
Following Kathleen nj Houlihan'' in
J. NJ. Synge's wonderful three-act COM
edy The Well of the Saints" which
satirizes the vanity and futility of human
desires and human ambitions The chief
HS III eS Ot IL are TWO blind roadside beg
gars, powerfully acted by Mr.. Sinclair
and Miss Allgood, the Dublin company's
leading players. Synge's play is follow
ed by Lady Gregory's ronicking little
farce THE Workhouse Ward"
Tuesday and Thursday nights and Sat-
urday matinee will be presented Birth
right" tragic two-act play by T. c.
Murray, and George Bernard Shaw's |
new piece The Showing up of Blanco |
Posnet." which Shaw subtitles "A Ser |
mon in Crude Melodrama" The scene |
is Western mining camp. and as Shaw |
has no great respect for what is called |
local color" it contains many details |
that will strike the American eye and |
ear as drolly un-American. Shaws bril- |
liant. satiric lines, spoken in the soft. |
musical tones of these Irish players, are |
unusually effective.
The Shaw piece will be followed by |
Lady Gregory's little play THE Rising |
of the Moon" a delicate bit of comedy |
showing an escaping Fenian prisoner |
a British sergeant to aid him |
to escape, despite the fat price upon his |
his head.
On Wednesday and Friday nights the |
Irish Players will present Lady Gregory's |
pathetic little play The Jail Gate"
which gives a quick insight into the |
emotions that lie at the heart Of Irish |
love of country, The Jail Gate" will be
by Svnge's much discussed sati-
ric comedy The Playboy of the Western
World q"