New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-30
Prejudice Against Solitary
TaIker Seems To Be
Abating.
OF SORT
TO HARRY PILCER
Retribution Follows Attempt to
Treat Cock O. the Walk"
with Sophistication.
By HAYWOOD BROuN.

into modern drama Plsywrights have
been too long without this useful and
inoffensive device. Audiences never OBJ
jected 20 il. anyway. The soliloquy was
banished merely because a few lead
ing technicians felt that il impaired the
approach Of art TO ~ature. Il Is not
true 20 life. they argued, That man
should express his thoughts aloud when
no listener is present. But, after all,
the stage is at best a three-wslied ex-
istencs. and not life. and deserves in
dulgences OF it's own.
The motion picture playwright may
put upon the screen, whenever he so
desires. & aphic reproduction OF the
thoughts OF a character. The spoken
drama cannot afford TO spot its rival
art so great an advantage. The play
wright must be allowed TO make his
characters think aloud. or in time the
screen will become the only medium Of
reflective drama.
The soliloquy is effectively used in
both plays produced this week. No
body rose and left the theatre on Mon
day night because Otis skinner was
permitted to talk at length from a
stage from which all but he had fed.
II is true that the soliloquies were
carefully fitted into the character, and
that many consisted merely OF snatches
from Shakespeare, but so much IS be-
ginning.
"The Devil. Garden" on Tuesday
made ever greater use of the solitary
talker The most effective bit IN the
best scene Of the play is soliloquy.
William Dale, a postmaster, who has
been accused of misconduct. is await
ing q hearing before the authorities in
.he general postoffice and takes ad-
vantage of his solitude 70 rehearse the
plea which he intends to make in his
own behalf. The character OF the man
is brought out better in this soliloduy
than in any other speech in the play.
Much OF the last act is also soliloquy.
We confess that this act did not please
Va much. but since a number OF critics
have greeted il enthusiastically there
seems no reason to believe that the
solloquy cannot be used effectively.
The only objection 20 il is that il de-
mands a degree Of skill in elocution
which most modern actors do not pos
sess. Possibly il also demands a lit
erary tang which is not within the
power Of all plsywrights OF course
when we speak of the soliloquy we
mean the reflective soliloquy:
II the soliloquy does come back 70
the drama vaudeville will have per-
formed service TO the stage. Barred
for years from modern drama, the
soliloquy has lived on disguised as the
monolegue.
Since no play opened last night we
can devote little space 10 some Of
our most recent mistakes. In review
ing "Stop. Look! Listen" we spoke en-
Enthusiastically OF Ayres and Steele, and
we meant il, too, but The gentlemen in
question happen 10 be Doyle and Dixon
who create the roles OF Ayres and
Steele in the musical comedy. In the
review Of the same show We referred
sightlngly 70 Harry Pilzer. For that
we are sorry. We intended TO refer
slightingly 10 Harry Pileer
William Dale in "The Devils Gar
den" discovers why the men of rank
speak with more authority and convie-
ton than those of the lower classes.
cts because they know how 20 hold
in" he says. Lyn Harding who play.
the part of Dale might take the les
son 20 heart in one or two moments IN
the play.
We have always believed in method
as opposed to inspiration in acting. So
does a dancer in a certain musical
comedy. A cocktail was offered him
during the progress OF performance
and he refused Z with haste and hor-
ror 81 don't dare" he said. "You
know / nave to be cold sober for my
drunken dance in the next sct.'
Retribution has been this way On
Monday night We attempted TO spool
sophisticatedly al Henry Arthur Jones
because he built play of intrigue
upon a couple Of kisses. The next
night We sat through The Devil. Gar
den" and heard all the better part OF
a number Of seductions as we'll as
being treated 10 the spectacle of the
morbid passion Of scarce grown girl
for an old man
Fred Nblo and Otis Skinner should
meet 10 debate the liquor problem.
Billy Holiday breaches temperance al
he Aston every night, while one Of
Antony Bellchamber's best speeches is
defence OF rum.
Otis Skinner is a fine actor and his
audience was very glad 10 see him
when he made mis- first entrance in
Cock o. the Walk" Monday night. but
neither fact should excuse him from
stepping forward. as be did. and kiss
ing his hand to the folk who applsuded