New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-10-06
'LONDON'S 'W|NTER'STALE'
Granville Barker Explains His
Production and Answers
Complaints.

London, Sept. 29.-Granville Barker
production of Shakespeare "A Winters
Tale at the Savoy Theatre has aroused
great amount of discussion and made 1t
necessary for the producer TO give good
deal ~ his time since the opening night
10 explaining and defending lils concep-
lions II is not strange that there should
have been discussion. for the production
IL quite different from anything London
has been accustomed to call Shakespeare
and In point of fact, on coming away
from the theatre It Is not easy 70 decide
whether one has seen Shakespeariaa
revival. a. spectacle play tina. has been
em!nently satisfying In parts aud an al
most pitiful failure In other parts, or
merely q manifestation OF neurotc deca-
6ence.
= II Is truly shakespearian revival
one !s inclined TO say rather hastily that
IL goes far TO prove tho contention or
those who say that Shakespeare mas
ceased to be an acting dramatist and De-
come a literary study. But before rush
ing TO this conclusion one should talk 10
Mr.. Barker and get his ideas. and one
should remember that Twelfth Night
and Macbeth ara TO come, and perhaps
they win throw q different light on the
producers methods end permit happier
Judgment. I, will be extremely interest
ing to see Macbeth under Mr.. BarkoTs
handling-even more interesting than
twelfth Night" which promises to be q
exceptional inteIeet.
New York can count herself fortunate
that she is TO see this revivai-lf that 10
what II is. For Mr.. Barker promises 70
take his production to America when the
run here IL finished. stage settings COM
pany and everything as II has been IN
London. IL win be interesting TO see
what New York will think Of a large and
somewhat horsey Antgonous with
strong North Country burr and q sort OK
modified plumed triptypch OF huge d'men-
s.ons waving above his helmet. And one
can imagine the pleasure OF New YORK
audience In seeing this large and power
ful gentleman struggling in the shaoo"s
with en- overgrown TEDDY bear wnlcn
has the task OF eating him Up.
This. however, Ia an incident perhaps
| the Unrest Judgment IN TO say that the
production Is the work Of q young man
with excellent ideas but rather hay
grasp Of fundamentals, and who nnds 'ne
study of details Just tribe iEEsofne
In his talk Mr. Barker PUSHES at Things
In a very large way and surmounts oo-
s,ac,.s by the plentiful use OF adtectives
and other words that certainly have a
very pleasing and satisfying effect on the
ear Ru, ono finds that he has rather
habit OF brushing aside mere details oy
Gazing. II am not concerned with TINS
that or the other thing. I don't know
ANYTHING about II and don't want 20
know. What am concerned with Is inc
effect on the audience" And one mas
/ on looking back that the things he is NOT
| concerned with are details that will have
; a very large part In the effect produced
| on the audience.
However, he has many things TO say
J that are excellent. and he has not
/ achieved his ideals, II Is not because lie
has not had them. In speaking or -
Winters Tale" he Immediately disclairns
the idea OF making spectacle o.
/ Shakespear,an drama.
Those who say that intended TO pro-
duce a nelnharit spectacle" he said TINS
afternoon. ARE silly asses. Why should
we 60 20 Germany TO learn how to pro-
ducc Shakespeare? Ny instructions have
been that the play was 70 be considered
first. Everything was TO be subordinateo
10 the idea Of the play.
! II don't Ike 20 use the word reform,
but Il is q fact that all reformers deal
ing with certain subject tend in the
same direction, and therefore thore would
be an approximation between my work
and Relnhardt's. But my purpose was to
produce Shakespeare's drama OF q kins
I distracted by Jealousy and the instruc-
tons were that everything was 10 give
way 10 the march OF the play. What !
sought 70 do was 20 give the play as II
would have been given by an Elizabethan
who had at his command the facilities OF
the modern stage
The men Of the Elizabethan period
we're o,g.heartsd, full FLOODED. big-scund-
ing. rushing, hurrying men. full OF color
and full OF the rush ana hurry Of hfe and
doing big things. fancy Oh. mcn Of the
frontier towns Of the Western Statee are
the nearest thing We have to-day to the
| men OF the IslLdbtlHtu ptlspu' h4sNN
them only from novels. and don't know
whether they have the poetry the novel
lists give them. and that the Elizabeth
ans had, but there Ia nothing in London
J life OF to-day that Is Elizabethan, and !
fancy that the frontier sees the last relics
Of II.
1 Things vere done In hurry In Shake
speare's time Hts plays were staged
with rush and a so. and To create the
atmosphere o; Shakespeare you have %
have speed and keep things moving. 80
We built the apron over tho orchestra
and did away With the footlishts, AZ they
6id In Shakespeare's day. and keep things
moving around In a circle. People didn't
have time to wait in those days, and We
don't let them wait now.
you have TO get rid OF the footlsghts
for tho sake OF the soliloduies, too.
Shakespeare is full OF soliloquies, and you
can't get the effect OF them with foot
lights. Footights are intended 70 throw
the PLAYERS back ana give perspective. In
soliloquy the player must be In !nti-
mate touch with his audience. 50 we
built the apron and did away With the
footights, and bring the player down
close 10 the audience.
The cuttunes ara Renaissance classic,
az they would have been In Shakespeares
time, and full Of color The play Is