The Washington herald., 1911-09-10

Whatever merited contumely it may
have suffered in the past, there is little
doubt that the American musical comedy
is emancipating itself from critical de-
rision, and will soon be able to abandon
that hangdog and shamefaced look 1t
has worn whenever such pieces as The
Chocolate Soldier and THE Arcadians"
were mentioned. Our managers have
been forced to the alternative of sur
rendering the market entirely to the
foreign product or of meeting the COM
petition fairly and squarely. They have
chosen the latter.
Not in a day or a season can the
Broadway tune factories and HbrettO in
cubators be forced back to their proper
sphere-the music hall stage, nor Will
there arise, fulI-panoplied, a native crop
of Lehars and Falls and Moncktons. But
I'm other ways the musical comedy is
outgrowing its swaddling clothes, the
irevues and the burlettas have created
demand for an altogether higher and
, cleverer brand Of traYesty than before;
the old slapstick comedians are losing
! out; prima donnas cannot be "angeled"
into drawing power, and far more Is
exacted by the public in every depart
ment.
In a single season Emmy Wehlen and
Christie Macdonald have assumed, with
FRITZ Scheff. the leadership in operetta,
! and more of the same caliber are COM
ing They have created new standard
by which the public can measure its old
favorites. Not many can survive the
comparison and the wedding out" proc
ess will begin before long. The native
musical comedy of the future will be bet
ter written, composed, and sung than II
: is at present and the ''uplift' is now in
full swing.
Washington expects much of the Be
lasco Theater this coming season, and
with good reason. The playhouse is in
an exceptionally fortunate strategic 20
sition; it is the sole local representative
of one of the two great warning syndi-
cates-a syndicate comprising such re-
doubtable producers as the Lieblers,
Savage Lew Fields, the Authors Pro-
ducing Company, and William A. Brady
and among the current successes which
will, or at least should be. seen at the
Lafayette Square theater before spring
time comes once more are "As Man
Thinks THE Bluebird," THE Gam
bIers.' "Pomander Walk 1.-The Boss"
and a host of others.
There seems to be little question that
the ShubertS are more firmly intrenched
at this period, Just a tweIvemonth since
fore. The dual booking system has ap-
parently justified itself although its
ultimate commercial and artistic effects
still remain doubtful. But the era of
competition has been the salvation of
that formerly down-trodden creature,
the American dramatist and to lesser
extent. of the actor. More plays of
native inspiration are being produced.
Our playwrights are not able to keep
pace with the demand, so that many
unleavened and immature pieces are be-
ing experimental with, much to the dis
gust of the unsuSpeCtng public.
But the Shuberts have dealt with
Washington fairly, and they have such
list of excellent attractions to offer
this season that the high anticipations
of the public regarding the BelascO book
tngs are more than justified. And there
Is no objection to Washington playing
the dog il we can see some of the
choice plays and Operettas sailing the
Shubert Colors before they are conveyed
into New York.
Like Tennyson's Brook the typical
London comedy runs on forever, un-
changing and disdainful of innovation.
From year to year it shows but little
shift of style or of manner, and reveals
the same strict observance of tradition
as the Edwardes musical comedy. 1t
/
York has just had another example of
this fact, the new John Drew comedy,
"A Single Man." by Hubert Henry
! Davies. 1t is the characteristic London
product, slender and conventional. but
clever; full of the delicate. elusive touches
which come only from the West End of
. the worlds metropolis.
New York reviewers seized the oppor-
tunity to compare this comedy with a
fresh American product Thy Neighbor's
Wife" which opened at the Lyceum last
. Wednesday night. This play is the
. handiwork of Elmer Harris a young
playwright, who wrote Sham for Hen
rietta Crosman two years ago. Neither
piece will set the Hudson afire, but the
native comedy shows a freshness and
vigor and vitality which is lacking in
the imported product.
For some years the English playwright
has been literally at a standstin He
has had nothing new to say, from Pinero
down to Maugham, and in consequence
the London stage has been dull and |
barren during the very period when his |
! American confrere was making his great
est forward strides. 1t is true that much |
of our native work is garish compared |
with the best that London sends US, but |
ST is rapidly gaining that much-to-be
desired refinement and finish which will |
put 1t on equal terms with transatlantic |
competition. |
An entirely new chapter in the psy-
chology of condescension might be writ |
ten on the attitude of the educated !
American public toward the commercial |
'theater," writes Frank Moore Colby.
The essayist adds that condescension |
Iis not only one of the surest haIlmarks /
Iof Philistia, but is the safest refuge for /
vacant minds. Grant all that may be |
said against the playhouse regarding the
slenderness of its intellectual appeal.
does 1t follow that it's essentially human
elements must entail complete boredom
upon the sophisticated spectator? A man
may retreat from the play in disgust af-
ter the first act. To what does he re-
treat? To the club or the cafe, perhaps
where he may hear professionally good |
Fellows sampling last years Jokes or
read brash melodrama in the newspaper
or do the eternal round of commonpiace
things he does day after day and night
after night.
Few indeed are so startlingly original /
OF able to find such constant entertain |
ment In their own thoughts, that they
can AFFORD to disdain the artificial aid on
the theater. Some go to the other ex-
treme; the theater becomes 10 than, a !