The sun., 1916-12-06
ARNOLD DAILY IN
A SATIRIC COMEDY
Actor Appears in THE Master,'
an Old Play by Herman
Bahr.
SUGGESTS IBSEN SCHOOL
Acted for the First Time Here
in English-Written
Years Ago.

That small part OF the theatregoing
public which interests itself in the
authorship OF the plays offered for its
amusement probably remembers Her
man Bahr, the Austrian playwright. only
by means OF THE Concert" which may
be more easier recognizable from the
fact that Leo Ditrichstein acted in 1t
and David Belasco produced It at
his theatre. No other play from his
pen has been acted here In English. al.
thought students OF the programmes Of
the Irving Place Theatre may find sew
eral represented there. Among these
plays Is the original OF THE Master" In
which Arnold DAILY acted at tho Fulton
Theatre last night. Bahr 10 a prolific
writer. although no play acted last
night IL only the second which managers
have thought we'll enough suited to the
American stage to adapt.
The scene Laid in This Country.
Benjamin F. Glazer. adapter Of the
play. has laid its scenes In this country.
although II can scarcely be said that he
has impaired to the three acts OF the
drama An American spirit sufficiently
strong to conceal It's Teutonic origin.
lNueeu IIe play IL tSstIllldllN herman,
since the attitude OF the hero toward
women is its most essential Characters
tic.
When THE Concert" was acted here
Its cynicism was in a large degree re-
placed by a more obvious. kin OF humor
than Americans can appreciate. THE
Master" which dates from 1908. Is
largely In the manner Of 1bsen-the
tbsen of AN Enemy OF the People and
..IygNla,- - To 4. tha On ,lsy ~
an egoist-a physician who with a hos
pital in a small American town has
gained fame after rebuffs nat nav en-
FILTERED him. 1t is after he has treated
with success the child of a millionaire
that the people who at first scorned him
are ready to acclaim him. He Is a sort
OF 1bsen superman who Is n law unto
himself and Is consequently left alone
when the play is at an end. He has
made no pretence OF fidelity to his wife.
lie tries TO marry his secretary. once his
mistress. 10 his assistant. having per-
suaded the girl that she should not at
tempt the career OF n pianist and con-
WINGED the man that he should not prac-
tise medicine but write as a theorist.
wearying OF his s~elhshness. hts wife
takes n lover. She is detected in a
visit to him. But her husband refuses to
divorce her. In the end, however. she
leaves him. Nobody indeed remains to
talk with tho old egotist excepting the
japanese pupil. whose ideas OF life are
used to bring out those of the physician.
just as one Is essentially Oriental so is
the physician foreign and he cannot he
fitted into an American atmosphere.
however playwright or actor may try.
Arnold DAILY found OF course In the
role OF the egotistical physician a fine
opportunity for his talents as an actor
Of marked character parts. His artistic
achievement In the part was admirable,
As his japanese antagonist in argument
and friend in life Edward Abeles was
second only to him in specious and eff
fective rebuttal. The Master vii!
probably have the effect of making fu-
ture audiences think. Perhaps they
would have been melted 10 much more
discussion a decade ago. for such PLAYS
date rapidly. But az II stands The
Master" Is "A play 70 provoke discussion.