New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-11-28
Synge's Piece Presented in Spite
of Flying Missiles and lnCes-
SAINT Election Of Disturb
erS by Police.
TEN PRISONERS LOCKED UP
Lady Gregory, After Urging Her
Charges to Continue the Per.
formance, Goes to Front
of the House to Enjoy
the Fight.

inc Elliott's theatre last night when the
Irish Players tried to produce The
Plavboy Of the Western World. The
players were busy enough at one stage
Of the game lodging potatoes. eggs.
bread and balls of asafptida-and they
were busy II through lodging hoots'
Kisses and catcalls-but the police vera
buster throwing people out Of the house.
More than a hundred were thrown out.
and there were at least twenty real
fights and half a hundred near fights.
but only ten of those thrown out were
arrested. The others We're taken to the
street and turned loose
Traffic lines were formed at Sixth ave-
nue. and Broadway and crowds hung
about the corners all the evening watch
ing the show on the outside OF the thea
tre as man after man was hustled out I.
by bunch Of husky traffic cops. Three
relays OF reserves were hurried up TO
the scene and half a dozen police went
back on the stage 10 protect the play
ers from any attempt to carry the stage .
from the front of the house
Only one player was struck. Miss
Eithne MaGee the heroine Of the play, /,
was struck on the head by a potato bet
her hair protected her and she was not
seriously injured. She continued =
through the production.
Statements were given out on all sides.
George c. Tyler Of Liebler & Co, said:
The play will be produced again to-
morrow night with twice as many police
on guard as were here tonight. We will
not be forced to take the play off"
Lee Shubert spoke for the managers Of
the house. Il would not have booked the
play If had known there was any or
ganized objection 10 it," he said. Il do
not want to offend any nationality or
any section Of the playgoing public"
Lady Gregory Urges Actors On.
Lady Gregory. the director Of the Irish
Players, held a reception in Maxine Ell
liott's dressing room at the end of the
second scene of the first act She
was serving tea to the actors with one
hand and patting them on the back with
the other, nerving them up to continue
the performance
Il wish they had taken better ain,"
she said, with her arm around Miss Ma
Gee, for ! am sure they did not mean
to hit girl We have had trouble be-
fore in producing the 'Playboy,' but
never anything like this Our first pro-
duction was in Dublin on January -
1907. There was riot then. something
like this, but nothing 10 compare with
it. A man had to be thrown out Of the
gallery, and after the performance L
asked what he had said.
MAY the Lord have mercy on
synges soul, was told he had said.
This is the first audience that has
encored us. They have made US play the
first act twice"
Lady Gregory was not at all fright
ened. but she was a good deal excited
and talked rather disconnectedly. on
the whole, she seemed TO be enjoying the
row. After the players got started on
the first act for the second time she went
back to the front of the house to enjoy
the fight
the interrupters," she said I'VE Irish
are a truculent people. l might have
done the same thing if l had been
brought up in the same way.
Says Play Will Continue.
"I am not responsible for what is GO
ing on tonight. had done my part
when I had brought the company up
to the highest state of efficiency. The
rest is entirely a matter between the
management and the audience There
is no danger Of the plays eing taken
off or stop being put to It, because
we have the whole OF intellectual
America behind us. The Irish plays
have been made a particular study at
Harvard and Yale, and we had a splen-
did reception in Boston and New Haven.
1t is not for me to say whether the play
is good or bad, right or wrong that is
for the university professors, who ad-
wise their young men 10 see it and
study it,"
Statements from the other side came
I'm abundance. They were in the shape
of eggs, potatoes. yells and howls. and
cries of Shame, shame. Take IL on.
Let down the curtain. It's against hui
manity." and groans. boos and Kisses
until at hardly any time during the per-
Torrance were a dozen successive words
by the players to be distinguished by
the audience. For a large part OF the
time the entire audience was on it's feet.
and orchestra. balcony and top gallery
all had their backs to the stage and
were shouting: Throw him out" while
women were pointing and crying to the
police. That's him. Throw him out.
Take all three of them"
Women Elected by tho Police.
one group OF three women and two
men came down the stairs from the bal
cony To the first floor screaming
shame" at the tops of their voices.
while four policemen pushed them along
down the stairs. They got away from
the police long enough at the bottom OF
the stairs to rush 10 the head of the
aisle and yell:
IF you are men you will get up on
the stage and throw them out What's
the matter with you? Are you Irishmen
or are you towards? Down with them.
Down with them They are
Their voices died away TO those within
the theatre. but on the street they con-
tinued to shout eXecrations. One OF the
women got out the first part of a yard
and half of curses that included all the