New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-03-10
Willis Steel Discusses
"Marie-Odile" as a Lit
erary Play.
HENRY ARTHUR JONES
ADVISES AUTHORS
Revival of "Trilby" Announced,
with Many of Orig
inal Cast.
BY HECTOR TURNBULL.

was chosen, so said Mr.. STEEL, because
the KnobIauch drama, Marie Odile,"
which is now being given at that play
house, was the best illustration Of his
theme. Mr.. Steel began his lecture
with a prophecy that the plays Of next
season would be more serious and pro-
found in tone and subject than the
plays OF to-day, because of the war and
its effect upon the mental attitude Of
the playwrights and playgoers.
While great portion of the lect-
urer's time was given to an analytical
discussion Of "Marie-0 dile," he took
occasion to fling out rather boldly at
all forms Of classic drama and pro-
nOunce them as utterly useless and in
consequential to the sincere student
Of the art of play writing as the So
called Broadway" realistic me.odrama.
The following extract from Mr.. SteelPs
talk will be interesting. because not
only does 1t come from one who de-
clares himself a partisan of the liter
ary play but one who chooses Marie
Odile" as an example:
THE drama in its very idea is poetry
in persons, and dramatic literature
which justifes itself is the literature
of the day in which il was written, the
author imaginatively depicting the SEN
timents, motives, thoughts and acts Of
a group of persons whom he knows.
do not believe there is a theatrical
producer so crazy as TO refuse TO go
with an author who is able TO convince
him that he has done this. Where the
manager parts company with the au-
thor. and wisely, is when the latter
adopts n thesis and strains speech and
situation 10 sustain it. The former
play may have nothing to do with lit
erature, as it is understood. and the
latter may have everything to do with
so-called Literary play" fails, as it de-
serves to fail, having heart of ashes,
we hear wall from the 'highbrow.'
us not the classification of these
plays formal and false? Since litera-
ture is the voice of nature, the play
that merely initiates this voice. in spite
Of its correct diction and verbal excel
lence, is not merely unliterary; il is
not play at all, and the other play.
while possibly technically deformed but
with human heart, is a literary play"
Henry Arthur Jones has Just pub
lished book Of three short plays and
a prose burlesque under the title, THE
Theatre of Ideals" in which appears a
preface that will come as blow to
the youthful playwrights who are
struggling TO retain their ideals and
at the same time make lasting repu-
tation in the theatre. Mr.. Jones, out
of his years of experience in both
rich success and dismal failure. tells
US bluntly that the playwright de-
serves the failure he is bound to meet
however lofty his aims, if he does
not study to please the general body
of playgoers." If he has something to
say that they will not accept, let him
bawl it in the pulpit or publish a
pamphlet, but on no account must he
induce a manager TO lose money on his
play merely to give an apathetic or
unappreciatiye public the opportunity
10 boo it.
Mr. Jones believes, and lives UP to
his theory, that the best method for
the playwright is first to write a sue
cess, and then try your luck with a
really lofty attempt. Keep on doing
this and you will drag your public up
with you as far as you can fy in such
n dot-and-carry-one fashion. This
method of the distinguished English
dramatic craftsman explains many
many things. including his present
success, "The Lie" but it fails to ex-
plain the position of such writer's as
lbsen or Shaw, for instance.
A group Of painters, poets, sculptors
,
studio on Sunday night and formed
themselves into a committee in support
of Miss Duncan's school This com
mittee will serve as a nucleus in sup
port of the work Of the school and OF
the dance recitals which will be given
at the Century Opera House commenc-
ing March %. and will endeavor to
spread the influence of the idea which
Miss Duncan has called the Dionysion.
Among those who signed to serve
upon the committee are John w. Alex
ander. George Grey Barnard, Herbert
Adams, Percy MacKaye, Robert Henri,
Mary Lawton. Charles Henry Meltzer,
". Carman Roberts, Mary Fanton Rob
erts, Randall Davey. John Sloan, Ernest
Peixotto. Walter Damrosch. Paul Man
ship. Witter Bynner, Isidore Konti.
Jacob T. Adler, AbastenIa st. Legeg
Fberle. Hiram K. Moderwell. Janet
Scudder. George Bellows, Max East
man. DR.. Harry Moskowitz, Alfred
Herr. Gertrude Atherton, Norman Hap
good. Lloyd Osborne and Charles Han
son Towne.
joseph Brooks, in association with
the Shuberts, and by arrangement with
William A. Brady. will present a re-
vival of Du Maurier's "Trilby" early
next month at the Shubert Theatre.
The cast will include Phyllis Nelson
Terry, Wilton Lackaye, Leo Ditrich-
stein, Burr Mcintosh and Brandon Ty-
mar. Wilton Lackaye will be seen as
Svengali. a character he created in
the original production in this country.
Mr.. Ditrichstein will again play Zou-
Zou. in which he was seen in the first
production here, and Mr.. Mcintosh will
be the Taffy, part he created. Mr..
lyman, who recently appeared as 10
seph in Joseph and His Brethren, "
will be the Little Billee.
Molly MacIntyre, late feature OF
"Bunty Pulls the Strings and Kitty
Mackay." will make her debut IN
vaudeville at the Palace Theatre Mon
day in a dramatic sketch, That Little
Devil"
Frank J. Cannon, Utah's first United
States Senator, will speak Friday night
between the acts Of "Polygamy," at the
Park Theatre.
Harry Hilliard and Norma Winslow
have succeeded Bert Lytell and Evelyn
Vaughan in the roles Of Mr.. and Mrs.
Robert Hickman in "A MiX-Up," at the
Thirty-ninth Street Theatre.
f. Ray Comstock yesterday engaged
Nollie King to appear in his new must
cal comedy offering at the Princes
Theatre beginning Easter Monday,