New-York tribune., 1915-03-27
By HECTOR TuRNBULL.

Nfipuie Ttuuefl Eva lfunatu bv9le
By HECTOR TuRNBULL.
One is forced to admire Granville
Barker for his happy faculty OF
writing favorable criticisms of the
plays ne presents and having the criti-
cisms printed upon the programmes
under the disarming title Of "prefaces.'
They are so correct, so comprehensive
so favorable. that they take the edge
at once from any tuppenny knife the
moor dramatic reporter might be
sharpening for his wild little fling AT
the author. IT, this particular instance
the presentation last night OF Sha"S
"The Doctors Dilemma the sltua-
ton is worse than ever, for Mr.. Barker
begins his preface by stating tha'
Shaw's play is mot only an nrtlstlc
study OF medical manners and mofalS'
but an exact record OF an actual DIS
coverv in serum therupeutics,' ana
then goes en- to describe the incident
which occurred IN st. Mary's Hospital
and furnished the theme OF the pay
And We have no knife prepared.
However. and while there is yet time
to reach the public before they reach
Mr. Bnrkers admirable prefaces, one
may pretend to disregard the 'actua!
instance involved in the construction
of the play and consider The Doctors
Dilemma" as one of the most interest
ing of Shaw's studies in dramatic form'
/ Shaw's peculiar criticsi genius, which
is. by the way, just as great as mo
difference between colo, dlspassloha'e
logic and warm, romantic human nat
uro. finds this field tthe medical pro
fcssion) one OF the most trultiul ne
has poughcd. Here he has his lifelong
enemies. romance, conventional letlSn'
illogical faith and all the ills tnat Hesh
is heir to, right by their many tnroats'
and he proceeds TO choke them before
ones eyes at once the curtain rises ana
very thoroughly thereafter.
Uo knows that il is utterly foreign
IN ,bn nature Of the average human 10
co,,sidor a doctor as a mere faulty man.
very much the same as an undertaker
or wholesale grocer, so he proceeds
to do inst that. lie takes I'VE OF tnem'
leaders Of their profession, and con.
fronts them with the problem OF
wbotbcr they shall save the lie o.
scoundrel who has artistic genus or
an honest man who has gwen ms ne
IA tho service OF others. 30 cuHhlHRil
does he show the weak human SIDE OF
,L.ee great hca!crs in their contact
Uitb each other and the patient ana
his beautiful wife. so shre"diy docs
bo introduce love interest that rem
ders the problem practically lnSoIuoIe'
tbat what begins as a frank DureSque
ends as a stirring, intensely dramatic
etudv Not only a study OF the meu,
cal nrofession as q whole, Dut an au-
mirable study Of two types III p"INVu-
lar. the cadging genius ana ms Ut
voted wife. who uses her husO"nu d
a neg upon which 10 hang her 'ueHlS
and can believe nothing 10 ms us
credit 10 o,or
more destructive than usual Ie "i'' ,
~ tear down the veil o. mystery lha'
s,,rro,nds doctors and medicine once
ond for all. and he sets TO his task "i'h
. vii Right and left go our pet the
orioe and faiths. until at last alter
oach doctor has touted his hooDy III an
aLsurdlv idiotic fashion, the aulhoI
icayeq ms with the hope that we nave
ioarrod our lesson and will be sane
a,ar aftcr Fortunately. shaw de,
etruction always results IN more EoV"
f,,, and entertainment than ncW-mAde
cha,,,ors 90 none may fear Inc DOC
tore, dilemma" on the grounds oI lls III
shifting a sacred profession. II Is genu-
inelv witty and genuinely lhterels ms
and II is also G.. b. ,. i one oI HIS
most intoierant moods. -.
To see the play produced a. ~
Rarker presented it last nlght AT az
iock's is 10 find its interest IHVl e"SS"
a hundred fold But for ma" j." '.'
LIGHTING Of the first act scene: 'he 81
sngs were admirably V deSlSHVu %'u
cast splendidiy selected ana SClCo,Tr. S,,y,.
II ;s dieicult to single out any paiuculdI
player for special mention ncy ,ar,, ma
become. since first the oH'P3Hs
a,,,oarod here. so well trained IN
i,iiL;nC tbeir desires for individual
rocognition into their work LOT my
niav as a whole that each seeHeu
ncrallv admirable IN dIleren1
fasLion The audience. when mas
becun 20 hail each familiar player aIteL
tbe fashion Of the steadyS at sIoe"
tLeatre. appeared to fairy reVel .n
n p Heggie's Characterization ol tne
,,J debonair snob SIR Ralph pro
SaI,,rcod Rafe) Bloomfield Bonning'on'
ia nerformance left nothing 10 De dt-
s;red Lionel Braham was ponGeTouS
and sage as the old Sir Patrieh h"I
arnoid Lucv Cocksure, and opinIonateu
as the distinguished surgeon C",lel
Valpole. Ian Maclaren played Or ~
lcnso with perhaps touch 700 ulnJm
nj stiffness. Nicholas hahneh "'au'
the artist engaging despite MS "eAn-
nosses. and Ernest Cossart ctea'eu'
with the help Of Shaw newspaper re-
porter that any selt-respecIihg CITY
editor would shoot on sight.
As Jennifer, the heroine or the play
Iillah McCarty refused TO unoehu Iro'n
the attitudes and mannerlsms "hlC"
sha has maintained throughout the sew
oral costume plays she has previously
enneared i'm. She is very lovely TO look
uppn however. and if her gowns are
TOO Iucilleish for a poor artists studio
tbev are effective. and that, we take
il i the chief idea involved IN wear
inc such gorgeous creations. EVa
ieonard- Bayne is quite as delightiuI
- Tho meagre part Of Minnie as she
vas iu the ShakeSpearean play. Il
seemed a pity she should be seen tor
so brief a period.
The play is the thing, however. de,
spite the excellencies OF the cast and
the production. and we regret that II -
impracticable to print here the iliumi-
mating preface of Mr.. Barker as an
added incentive TO visit WailackS. II
one does ,and one should II may be
found neatly folded in the programmes
ready to hand.