The Washington times., 1914-12-06
SOME LEFT-OVERS FOR THE
THEATER OILERS
By GARDNER MACK.

BY GSKDN
I, is reported that a ncwsboy who
once witnessed a performance 81
Romeo and Juliet because he made a
mistake in tho theaJsr he intended to
visit that evening. rushed from the
house after. the third act in which MeT-
cutie and TybaIt are both killed, call
ny other ncwshcys To go with MIN on
Inc ground that such brace OF muir
ders would undoubtedly cause the is
suancc Of an extra paper. The story is
an old ore in theatrical circles. and Is
generally told % show how real the act
ing OF the persons in that particular
cast had been. But the contemplation
N the calmness Of a few hours after of
. week Of ShaEespearean tragedy such
As Mr.. ManteIl presented al the BciasCo
Thcater brought the story 10 mind in
another sense. For some months past
come of the GOOD people whose oTpoJ-
unity for proving how good they arc
usually takes the form OF impreSsins
unnatural goodness on their nelghbors,
have been worrying themselves TO death
about the influence on the minds OF the
young .. murder and sudden death as
seen reflected en- the motion picture
.-creen and in nlclodrams. one CT the ar
zuments that has been constantly pre-
scented against the pictures-and against
Tneloirama So-called-is its sensation
alsm as manifested in the disregard OF
life and limb showed by the writer's OF
the plays.
Mr.. MantcH presented six plays by
Shakespeare at the Bclssco Theatcr
last week In only one Of which there
vas no death recorded. But in the
other five no less than twenty-three
persons were sent to their final ac-
Tho immortal love poem,
Romeo and Juliet" with five takings
OF Of A more or less sudden character.
has exactly the same record as the
VIGOROUSLY bloody Macbeth Ham
ct King John" and Lear each
contribute their quota of murder until
the total of twenty-three is reached
This does not take into consideration
the murder Of the player king in Ham
let which was only mabe-believe, but
was worked up in such genuine style
that IL was a very good counterfeit.
There is no one who is familiar with
playwritinE or acting who will con-
tend that the tragedies included in Mr..
IantellS repertoire are bad plays.
= here is no one who viii contend that the
i've plays that have been referred to
are unfit for persons of any age 10
see and study and profit by. The point
ve wish to emphasize is that murder
or violent death or a perfectly natural
s.cd peaceful end. cannot be included
ard the motion pictures. Shakespeare
'lsed such incidents as the bases OF
most Of his plays-or at least they were
essential to the working out of the
p!ots-and no human being can deny the
pre-emineneCe Of the great playwright
or suggest that he sought sensa-
ronslism. II isn't the murder that
should be made the basis Of objection.
" Is the way in which the story Of the
murder is told: However that is one
INT har h. -,TE .,Sv, I'll
critics overlook. They take the fraction
~ action Tor the entire act. There prob
bly, ism much point to all of this, eX-
apt that the remarkable mortality in the
I've plays we saw recalled the tone Of
"neral criticism against sensatiOnalism
nd | thought I'd mention it.
This mention Of murders and violent
'oaths and other scsndalous things
l:iGhly infsmmable TO the nerve finder
Ci p-osaic humanity, might suggest
".ue TO certain manifestations on Man
haitian island interpretive of a ques-
ton that has long bothered communi-
ties Of much wider natural breadth but
not quite such heights of their own
rearing. May II not be that recognizing
he necessity for murder to out. it is
'Eo desire Of good New Workers that il !
.rislt do its outing in the glare Of pub
rneut might be gained? Murder is here
sd simply as q term TO express gen.
'ral scandal. Must all amusement 10 be !
cal be tinged with contrivances Of this !
ont: It would certainly seem so from
She judgments that have So far been
PASSED by the metropolitan critics on
So Much For 30 Much" For fCer
Toneonc would complain that TOO much /
-pace has already been given 20 the
discussion of this play, let it be said
that there is consuming interest
among the several hundreds IL Wash /
inEton who send the plav On its way
with many good wishes after its first
production here. as to just now il would
b. received by the suavo and blase New
Workers. II was produced in that city /
Friday evening last Here are 'llGnli-
mating passages from the reviews two
% the leading reviewers wrote about il:
States Tho Times:
- for most Of what happens ia
the entraTpin- Of Mar happens Of
.he stage The first two acts in the
B-ensn living and sleeping room are de-
voted almost exclusively 10 discus
sion % what has happened. what might
~ happening. and what could J." 'N-
re~t'd 20 happen. That 5 too bad" @
And the Herald.
The PLAY could hardly be called real.
.r.arty maIoCraua. for there is little
,Iimax and il lacks thrills. In fact.
rn.. first two acts dragged languidly-'
lust what Tho Times wanted 10 hap
-,u in Tn" play had better be left 10 the
r9cination ~ those who saw it-ag Mr..
ok so carefully LEFT Il. As nobody
insinUaJeG that there was any Inelo-
ma about the pla- by word or deed
.r press agents chatter-thc mention Of
IN tho Herald review might he IN
-,atiyo Of a fixed habit Of mind. As
matter OF faCt-aUd who knows but
rEal this might be as illuminating or
90 question at hand a I was in the
a.ay2-all the reviews could be summed
- IN the Tag Villain Stcdman speaks:
- id pretty little thing"
The gentleman VINO Irst told Us the
'roD-at had 10 build a reputation Tor
Hlns"li among alien peoples before he
could expect u make much o. e swirl
%. tine atmosphere Of his native section
"rs probably a prehistoric newspaper
nan. who received much OF his intellI-
.TEre Of the fame Of his ncl-lbOrs
..ter II had become so great as TO over
a. the FAR corners Of the earth where I
was made. And this sort o. thing
aappens very often in our own OK
~erieuCo. For instance. our Ecrv charm Z