Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-11-19

tain respect for the institution
with which ii suggests contrast.
the commercialized drama
After the week of one-act plays whose
,,,rrosa seems to be to concentrate in a
single scene the sorrows OF centuries To-
gether with longer compositions designed
81 stir the emotions without satisfying
tho mind. the commercialized drama, SUBJ
iact as II is to the rigorous though not
ALWAYS artistically sympathetic censor
shin of popular taste, seems discreet ana
conservative.
The elevation of art means necessarily
a departure from previous methods anu
standards, but departure whose tend
ency is consistently toward Detterment
of thought. The morbid play, fasclnat-
ing as it may be TO the student or teen
nfuue in writing or expression, Is not d
progression; only divergence An audi
ence is willing to grope into the SHADOWS
of human sorrow under the guidance OF
q literary master If the journey Is one
which leads to a better and helpful I'M
Outstanding of human needs, but to make
a playground of the scenes of misfortune
and TO jeer even with polished Wit at the
unhappiness into which mankind must
popuiarly accepted as the mission OF the
stage. To insist on the maintenance OF
the theater as means of the most idle
diversion would be to accord it higher
function.
The management of the Irish Players
was frank In stating that the perform
ances in Washington were handicapped
~ of he
principal actors. The manner of acting
the plays seemed irreproachable; greater
art in character portrayal could not have
been asked and might have accomplished
little more than to increase the vague
resentment expressed toward the reckless
trifing with thought and sentiment in
which this unique and brilliantly ire
sponsible enterprise INDUCES.
Were some of the plays less finished in
presentation they would be as humorously
shocking as the little jingle:
willie chopped his sister in two
thing no brother ought 10 do
SAID his mother, Now you'll catch 1t.
You've spoiled your fathers brank-new
hatchet!"
The Piayboy OF the Western World, -
dealing as it does with the efforts of a
youth TO cleave his father through the head
with a 10y, thereby gaining much femi-
nine admiration, is a glum excursion into
realm of parricidal horror merely for
the sake of conveying a rather common
place satire on the sentimentality bestowed
on a spectacular criminal. The Showing
Up of Blanco Posnet'' is an elaborate de-
nunciation of the hypocrisy that affects
either goodness or badness, by G. Ber-
nard Shaw. with a constant resort to the
inverted epigram as an example of wit.
A plea to Heaven by a horse thief on
trial, Make me wicked till de- is so
startling a contradiction of accepted prin-
ciples that il strikes for the instant like
a thought of dashing originality. Yet the
same effect could be attained by going
in systematic and mechanical negation
through the Ten Commandments, adding
little picturesque rhetoric to disguise
the cradeness of the attack Authors are
inevitably suspected as putting something
of themselves into their writings. If
Make me wicked till die is to be re-
garded rejecting Bernard Shaw's per-
sonal sentiment, it may be accepted as
an instance of answered prayer, for Blan-
co Posnet indicates man of neither
moral nor artistic conscience. Yet its
absurdity renders it amusing entertain
ment and constitutes redeeming fea-
ture
The talents of Miss Blanche Bates
are far beyond ordinary limitations in
their variance. She has thrilled in
the intensities of serious drama, and in
'Nobody's Widow has given a charm
ing study of buoyant moods. She is
one of the few actresses who have
gained the assurance of welcome with
out claiming herself to a definite line
of parts.
Miss Dudelsack,s'' visit gave Wash
ington a pleasant glimpse of the
operate comedienne Lulu Chaser For
her operate work some wonderfully
attractive music was provided AS a
coincidence she was left largely to her
own chic and abundant resources. The
presentation is an elaborate one and
its form does not prevent the intro
duction of new material such as will
enable every scene to score.
PHILANDER JOHNSON.
A NOTABLE TRIO.-The coming pres
entation in this city of an English op-
cratic version of The Girl of the Golden
uio-the author of the play, the brilliant
modern master of opera and the noted
producer, Beasco, Puccini and Savage
David Belasco occupies a position sin
gularly unique. Long recognized as a
genius IN stage construction and in the
art OF correct representation, he stands
today the lone American author who has
had two of his works converted into
opera 1t was the genius of Mr. Be
lasco that made Madame Butterfly the
success il was. Puccini made 1t into
opera. Now the great Italian composer
has utilized the story and scheme of The
Girl of the Golden West for another
opera that promises to live for a long
time in many lands.
The Girl of the Golden West describes
and fits an interesting epoch in national
history: II is an epic of the days 0<h9
and woven into its text Is a significant
story of the American people There is
nothing provincial about this stoTN 1t
is rather national and racial. II was
these qualities that appealed to Puccini
when he sought the theme for an Ameri-
can opera.
Giacomo Puccini supplies strong argu-
fnent in favor OF the theory that of all
gifts of artistic expression music is most
likely TO be hereditary. The musical gifts
of Puccinis forbears were so varied that
in the stream of melody of their present
day representative come ecclesiastical,
secular and operate currents we'll as
the skill OF player and interpreter.
For upward of two centuries Puccinf S
family occupied place of rank in Italian
music. His great-grandfather, Antonio,