New-York tribune., 1911-12-03
THE PLAYGOER
The "PIaybOy' Of Synge and
the PIayboyS of New York.

compared COlleCuNelN WIN the cast "a INV
drama which met with such familiar ad-
Ventures at Maxine Elliotts Theatre last
Monday night The PlaybOys of Manhat-
tan Isle were not well rchearsed. and yet
there were evidences enough that rehear-
lsal had been attempted. for these geniuSes.
high souls and patriots ready to 'iee"'
Responded TO cues sometimes, .n some
iSimes missed them. but they " "\ I"
iexhale their last breath and -.' their
lsast adjectives I'm the cause OF soothing.
MAY there not. decades hencc-so SLOW
lSs fame and justice-be affixed To the White
walls Of Maxine Elliotts Theatre in Ssth
ttreet a tablet Of bronze memoriahzing
'She as vet hidden fact that "On the NiSh'
lof November p. 1911, upon This HalloWed
fSpot. the Cause of Liberty. Art Enlisht-
lenmcnt-Nay. Civilization Itself-AdNance"
an Inch?
The Playboys of Manhattan Isle, unlike
ithe persons in Synges "Plsyboy of the
western World" have a plentiful lack OF
humor But they act with a punch as
lis the fashion, and they may be commend
ed to all who admire muscle, ginger and
}1ungs in the art Of the contemporary thea
sue.
For there is an art Of acting. Is We
luhlONs anu oven 1T AildA a ti'i'i' '-Nt'
En amatcurish forms. the expression may
ihe SO vigorous and compelling as to de-
,anand the services Of the police. il may be
IAN expression not always convincing. but,
tas i'm the case TO which conspicuous refer
'encc has already been made. it may be
Sonyictins. The Playboys Of Manhattan
Isle assumed last Monday night the roles
of champions Of outraged Innocence, Of
IN d
rcensorship. Unhsppily, they We're as stupid
as censors usually are. and while they
Offered themselves for the slaughter they
made no progress toward clearing from
beniehtcd world the dismal fog OF miscon-
Ception which rose. and still rises. between
that world and the entire perfect grace, tol-
'trancc and crystal purity OF their ideals.
The one unfortunate thing about Mon
day nights imitation Of a Donnybrook fair
was the crashing tumble of long popular
tradition. 4 world perhaps TOO credu'ous'
has lonC supposed that Irishmen have
humor-wit. too. But the volunteer cham
pions Of the green and venerated island
ovcr the sea. who took mp 80 much space
and made so much noise iu the theatre.
ran have meant little # they did not mean
that they. loyaly boldly and against all
q joke. SynGe's "Playboy of the Western
World" has been so long iu print, has been
a-ead by so many persons. has been per-
formed so many times iu one place cr an
othor. and has been described so often,
that a rciteration of it's theme and The de-
tails Of its narrative are scarcely ncces-
xarv now. But the Plsyboys Of Manhattan
Isle do rot appear to have read Synee S
drama. or. having read it. do not under
stand IT, A pleasant gentleman WHO sat
TWO or three rows behind the writer yelled
10 the actor who played Christy Mahon.
as CHRISTI was telling how he had killed
his father. You're disgrace 10 human
1ty." Then the pleasant gentleman seized
his hat and coat and FASTENED 10 the door.
where large persons iu blue coats greeted
him with none 100 great tenderness. Still,
rhe pleasant gentleman had done his duty
ss he saw it, But had he taken the trouble
10 see the whole play or read it be
fore entering the playhouse. h" would
have discovered. 20 his great modification,
that Christy did not kill his father; that
Ehristy was play-actng tale OF his own
fine invention. and that his father was
mute as ready as he TO join i'm the play
acting and did indeed, join in it, Says Old
Hlahon 10 the admiring patrons Of Michael
Jamess shebeen:
"Am not wslkin' about the country. hum
clean beds and the hll OF my belly -four
times IN the day And doin nothin but
tellin the stories OF that naked truth
It is. perhaps. pitable that the Playboys
OF Manhattan Isle could not see the hu-
nors Of the situation. But they could not
Christy Mahon comes to a shebeen In a
village on a Wild coast In Mayo with a fine
tale Of persecution, heroic defiance, a de-
dancc not less heroic than that made by
tho Playboys I'm the gallery and the dress
circle and the orchestra stalls Finding his
tale profitable. he expands g. and yet again
expands IT, into a killing OF his father
Nobody believes him except the Playboys
of Manhattan Isle The characters in the
play are so far from believing him that
tnsy encourage him TO deeds Of valor. He
IS q fellow Of imagination, and they rouse
III him a sporting spirit lie goes in for the
games and races. and wins them and shows
that ne is somthing Of a hero besides tell
ing Of it And, by and by when his father
appears I'm the flesh. Christy chases him
out Of doors and makes a mock Of slsyne
him again Whereupon he descends from
his heroic stnts and becomes in the eyes
bows Of Manhattan Isle could not see that
Maybe they were determined not to see
it, n was part Of their own great pur-
pose 20 advance civilization hsf an inch or
more
Old Nlahou crawls back. whining and
waiting. into the shebeen. but speedily sees
that the game is up i'm that quarter He
Jumps to his feet, discards his attitude OF
injury. and declares himself 90 all pur-
poses as much a Plsyboy as his son.
wen 60 away. he says MY son and
myself will be going on our way, ana ven
OF the yillany Of MAYO. and the fools IL
here"
Ana earlier at the end Of the hrsi act:
"Ah" says Chrsty when he finds himself
IN clover two hnf W momGh W"''nt t io5 me
wasn't 7 the foolish feler not 10 XIII my
father in the years sone D..
But the Playboys OF Manhattan Isle
could not see the humor in that.
Christy is kind Of minor Munchausen,
but the Playboys Of Manhattan Isle have
not got that point OF view-yet Through
some comieal misleading Of their own they
thought IL necessary 10 stand Ia the gallery
and elsewhere for virtue but nobodys virtue
was assaiied in the play. or even ques-
toned. least OF all the virtue of PeEeen
Mike Michael James's daughter Were
natriotism as unterrifed Immaculate and
farseeiuc among plain Americans as
among tho Play5ovS Of Manhattan Isle.
What a fine shindy there might have been
when Bernard Shaw's American" play.
..The Shelving Up OF Blanco Posnet" was
,,reeepted 1v these same actors In the same