New-York tribune., 1911-12-22
"THE IMAGE" GIVEN
Lady Gregory's Longest Play
Performed by Irish CompanY.

Lady Gregory Is usually referred to as
a director Of the Irish National Theatre
Company rather than as one of its lead
ing playwrights. The story goes that she
began to write plays to enliven the pro-
grammes OF the new National Theatre be-
cause the young men who were writing for
the company saw life I'm the light only OF a
problem or a tragedy. Until they should
become old enough TO see that life had
as strong a strain of comedy as Of dole,
as Lady Gregory puts It herself, she took
up the pen of the playwright. casual
thing i'm the telling. But when an actual
count is made of the plays she has spun
off and in what length of time sine has
done them, the figures stand out from the
page as an extraordinary record. For
since 1903, when her first play. Twenty
i've" was produced, i'm Dublin, she has
written seventeen plays, has colsborated
with others I'm the writing of two and has
translated seven or eight comedies and
satires from the German, French and
Italian. At a rough calculation she has
been writing and working over about four
plays q year. One of these she wrote on
the steamer coming here TO America last
fall
the first time last night, is one of Lady
Gregory's longer plays. She has written
others as long, but they have not been
brought TO America for production here
during the present tour. AS in all the
work OF the Irish Players there is an init
mate feeling about this play of Lady Greg
ory's 1t is like piece Of jewelry that Is
hand made in cOntradistinction to piece
cast i'm a mould. The scenery itself was
designed by the playwright and painted by
her son. Rife with poetry, comedy and
imaginings, this play is one of its versatile
authors finest pieces of work. The I'M
age" is cast In a village on the west coast
Of Ireland. a long coast so weird and lonely
and cut off from everywhere else that Irish
men call il the western world Two huge
dead whales are. by the grace OF God
washed up on the rocks one day, and the
villagers rush to the shore with buckets
and cauldrons TO take the oil from them,
thereby to become rich in a twinkling.
fine idea. surely.
They have barely started the work when
they stop to decide who shall get the
wealth and what shall he done with II. A
wordy battle follows, and before 1t is set
one knows how. that Thomas Coppnger.
the stone cutter. said that the returns from
the whale industry should be devoted to
raising Il monument To national hero
and that he himself would carve an image
for It out of stone The Idea is approved.
and 1t remains only TO choose the proper
hero. Dsagreeing on every one from Brian
Boru to Parnel, they decide on the name
of "A famous man OF whom they have all
heard vaguely but know nothing definite
He is the hero Of strange man from
the mountains and of an old woman in
whose memory generations are gathered
So as to decide on a proper costume in
which 10 represent the great man, the
villagers search out what records they
have and find that instead of belonging TO
"lSiS" as they supposed. he was myth
man of ancient legend whose name was
nothing but a sound IN the wind At The
same moment with this Disappointing dis
covcry "A watcher from the coast runs in
10 say that while they have been palaver-
ing over the Image, the sea has gone of
with the whales-"and they full Of oil"
Lady Gregory's plays are composed on no
so-called vital themes. They usually end
before the end IL expected but always at
the right time The dramatic mould We
are accustomed to they lack. but they are
dramatic In the sense In which life is ORA
matte and are acccntuated only enough TO
/ get them over the footlights.
The Image" although longer. has the
same lightness. the same play OF fancy
and rhythm of language that make nil
| her pllys distinctive. The character Of old
Peggy Mahon, who could remember nothins