New-York tribune., 1911-11-26
THE PLAYGOER
Bernard ShaW'S american"
Play, Its Fun, Its Satire, and
Other Things.


the effect that the play is crude is melo-
drama and, to an extent, sermonizing.
There was critic in one of the cities
visited by the Irish Players before they
came TO New York who declared that
the "BlancO" play is not sermon is not
crude and is not melodrama The pub
lie NAV make its choice. and probably
viii do so. While the lions rage over the
thought that Bernard Shaw sits in Lon
don and-audacious man,-writes play
about a country the sight Of which has
never blessed his outward, physical
vision. the author chuckles contentedly.
lie has achieved his purpose; he has
made the lions roar Why should he
visit the scene Of his slaughter? He has
q long-range eye. If he does not care
for The trouble Of an excursion into Ari-
zona. or New Mexico, or wherever II
may be, he can at least read their news
papers and can receive the press clip
pings Of the indefatigabe bureaus
Even from these he can make a play, as
American writer's have done. Anc foik
in America can, If they take the trouble,
truly the Irish plays given by the Irish
Players at Maxine Elliotts Theatre de-
nict certain scenes Of Irish life whose
fidelity is hotly contested by Jealous
spirits outside Of Ireland.
Shaw's "Blanco Posnet' play. some or
the wise declare, IS not American-not
even, remotely American. But American
is a larger word than they realize in
Broadway The fact is, Shaw's play is
more like the life it undertakes to depict
than are many Western plays by
American writer's. There was a play
that came TO Broadway recently. and IN
nlcted suffering there. Ii was West
ern" play. But. in truth, it was not
Western. nor Etruscan, nor anything
that resemblcd life anywhere. But lts
origin was American, the more'5 the pity
An American author was the rank Of
fender That Western" play was COM
pounded Of newspaper clippings ana
SUNDAY supplements. 1t was as nauNe
as YOU like. and as naive. It's words
were of the soil. Some Of Bernard
Sha,v's words in "Blanco Posnet' are
not of the soil But a little judlclous
editing could put that matter right; ana
something i'm that line may have peeh
done already. Even in Broadway and
Konnebunk We know that Western
sbori0. unless he comes from South /
Africa. will not commander a horse'
but Il would be interesting TO know now
many of the guilty or the innocent SIT
ii at the play would be able to tell the
rnan,eemeut the right word TO use in the
case.
But these triaes are TO the Jealous con-
frmation strong as proofs Of holy shaw
The audacity of the man writing
Western" play. 1t is true that Ger
tain particular, or unparticuar phase OF
Westernism has vanished, or is vanish
ing: but what of that? 1t is effective
nevertheless. for play, and Shaw makes
il effective enough Judge Lynch may
no longer reign in the Southwest. II
the newspapers can be relied on MS
Jurisdiction has been shifted easterly
and northward, much nearer Broadway
Many allowances have 10 be made for
Shaw. even when he writes OF ms own
country and countrymen. The allow
ances are not to spare his feelings out
t. spare theirs No one need eNpec@
that the allowances may be dispensed
with when the Shawlke scene shifts TO
this side of the sea. Perhaps no Elder
I'm Arizona. Colorado or New Mexico
ever talked like Elder Daniels in THE
Shelving Up Of Blanco Posnet,' but the
probability is that many elders have
.f. ba al 4
if some of the characters in the "Blaneo'
play are Irish i'm accent, is it to be be-
lieved that the irish never got so far
along the western edge Of the Seogra-
ply? II there had been a little German,
too. and a kind OF Spanish from MeXi-
can angle. and a dash of scandinavian
and two or three more ingredients, per-
haps the dramatis persona would come
little nearer the truth in their outward
visible signs but for all that the play
is veracious in its human nature, even
as 10 the Southwestern phase of that
amazing thing. Some one says that cow
bows DO not smoke cigarettes, denial
which viii surprise their shades, for the
objection is valid only in case there are
no cowboys. And chroniclers in the
most assiduous magazines assure the
world that the cowboy has left this
earthly scene So be it.
Not an the Irish Players were in their
proper places in the "Blanco' play-the
jury. for instance-but the rest of them
could turn up any morning in the sort
OF town in which Blanco and his canting
brother lived. and they would pass mus
ter although Air. Sinclairs notions Of a
national. or sectional. drawl would have
Il be redrilled. There is still the puzzle,
Why did the Censor in London forbid
the performance of The Shelving Up Of
bcred among those other puzzles OF the
centuries. the age OF Ann and the riddle
OF the Sphinx? The Censor read into
the play things that are not there, just
as other persons equally worthy may
read things into other Shaw plays But
this play remains funny and strong
candid, satirical human. And even IN
the Southwest, where they used 10 know
something about The kind Of life de-
picted in the "Posnet" piece, they would
acknowledge that shaw delivers the !
goods" They are not 50 afraid out there
Of acknowledging their pleasure They
arc not so sqgeamish under satire, if you
give them the kind Of ending that Shaw
cleverly gives. In spite Of its slight !
,,.,1h-ovic,oe fbie uiay of ChaAV's 10 tb, /