The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-04-04
Observation-Disclosures
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the modern method or pseudo-scholarly
bunko, SO it has its effect with the
counterfeit highbrows who know no
better.
The dancing Of Isadora Duncan and
her pupils, all female and ranging
from something like or 10 years to
20, or Whereabouts, Is not dancing In
any of the usual acceptances Of the
term. 1t is largely posturing. relieved
by skipping about in delightfully."- free
and rhythmical movement. All the
dancers are barefooted. barelegged
and scantily clad otherwise. SO there
is nothing in the way of confinement
to hamper action. Although there is an
evident intent to convey something In
| the way of symbolism, the charm OF
the entertainment lies in its entire
abandon when that is permitted to oc-
cur. Isadora Duncan herself is pretty
mature for the important position she
assigns to herself in the dancing. and
makes one wish that there could be
less of her and more of her youthful
aids in constant view. AS she Is not
versatile, and as there is little variety
| in the movements. costumes or setting,
one soon wearies of the repetitions
and monotony and finds the evening
all too long. She is booked at the
Century for a four weeks season; but
even WIFI the TeQuCco scdiihS >oPeS
ity of that house it is difficult to be-
lieve that she can find audiences.
Curfou. Undertaking with Promise.
The venture of the Washington
Square Players. as they call them
selves. is interesting in more ways
than one. They started little over
a month ago giving Friday and Satur-
day evening performances over In
LIZ Eiffv-SAVanfh street. DevOn0
Third avenue. very far away from the
regular theater district. No one out
side their own circle of acquaintance
had ever heard of them. and they did
no newspaper advertising. They sent
seats to the critics who. there being
not much else to do. went in per-
functory way or sent their assistants
to see the amateur efforts. They were
surprised into giving some space to
the entertainments on account Of their
unusual quality, and it became limited
about by word of mouth that there was
something worth seeing at the Band
box The result was that the little
house could not hold those who want
ed to buy seats. and extra perform
ances had to be given. The four
weeks allotted to the original bill of
playlets having expired. a new assort-
ment was put on last week and with
even greater success.
Before describing the plays ii is
quite worth noting just how they came
to be done. The Washington Square
neigh borhood and old Greenwich Viii
lage, which lies just to the west of it.
form a residence district which has
retained its residential qualities in
spite of the sweep of business and
fashion to the uptown part of Manhat-
tan Island. Values and rents have not
gone up as they have everywhere else.
and the charm of old New York in
atmosphere and surroundings has not
departed. 1t is is a favorite dwelling
place of artists, writer's and persons of
moderate means. Two or three years
ago some of the younger members of
this community gave some unpreten-
tious little plays of their own writing.
staging and acting with considerable
amusement to themselves and their
friends. Out of those attempts has
grown tho voluntary association call
ed Washington Square Players. adopt
ing that name, although the present
scene of their activities is about three
miles away from the neiEhborhood
where most of the members live.
Included in the present organization
arc young people of both sexes from
varied caIlings and different walks of
life. Most of them arc workers in
som" line, and what they do for the or
CaniZation is done at hours when they
are not regularly employed Among
them are artists. writers, stcnograph
ers. students, decorators and repre-
SentativeS of other pursuits. At their
head is Mr.. Edward Goodman. who has
had some experience in connection
with the professional stage. All these
in whatever way they can be useful.
They work through a set of commit
tees covering stage management, pro-
ducing. play reading, house and bust
ness management, decoration and pub
licity. Each one works in his or her
own way, be it as actor. musician,
scene painter. stage mechanic, type
writer. costume maker. or what not.
The beauty of what they do in accom-
plishment and in promise is that they
do it for love of the work and not for
pay. One of the young women ex-
planned it well when she said that the
whole thing was done in the spirit of
play.
Their Accomplishment.
Their present bill consists of four
playletS, fifth being ready but post
poned on account of the illness of the
leading actress. The first number on
the program is called Moon Down."
which is simply an expression of the
life of two shop girls in a boarding
house room, with the thread of ro-
nance supplied by the disappointment
of one of them when the acquaintance
she had made in the park fails to ap-
pear below her window at moon
down." as he had promised. Just a bit
of commonplace pathos. The next is
Love of Ones Neighbor." showing
the heartlessness of a crowd of ridicu-
lous. holiday trippers interested. more
or less. in the fate of a man who is
about to fall from a rock 200 feet
above them. Then comes Two Blind
Beggars and One Less Blind" This is
men picking rags in a cellar, friendly
in a sullen way until at the same mo-
ment they grasp a piece of money
among the rags and fight to the death
over its ownership. This fight. which
would be perfunctory on the profess
sional stage, is a masterpiece Of young
and muscular energy. The final offer
ing is a grotesaue and vastly amusing
pantomime of Oriental life called The
Shepherd in the Distance" It is some
thing of a satire on the 'mpressionism
of the "Sumurum'' school. and is ex-
cellently acted.
There is naturally considerable anna
teurism about these performances. but
also a facility that comes from en-
thusiasm. earnestness and thorough
preparation. The playlets are written
by the members and are-with the ex-
ception of the pantomime-a little
above the appreciation of the vaude-