Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-05-06
A NEW THOUGHT FOR
WASHINGTON SQUARE
PLAYERS B AN D B o. X
New Book BY Jennette Lee Gives
an Idea For the Little
Playhouse
pY wALTER PR1cHARp EATON

BY WALTER PRICHARD EATON
We were just sitting down to write
this notice of the final bill of the Wash
ington Square Players at the Bandbox
Theatre (they are going 20 move 10 the
| comedy this spring.. when the mail
| brought us Jennette Lees latest book.
and, opening II. we FOUND IL called "A
symphony Play" which piqued our
| curiosity. and we lookeu further. In the
preface Mrs. Lee explains that the great
idea came to her while she was looking
| at her Jerusalem cherry tree. While the
fugue was reaching It's perfection with
| Bach, the long drawn development of
! single idea, a new musical form was evolv-
ing out OF collections of dance tunes, the
| symphony. The three four or flve-act
| play Is the fugue, and Mrs Lee suggests
that perhaps the collection of certain one
! act plays may be the symphony. Here.
! In her new book, at any rate, she prints
| four one-act plays (which would just
| make bill at the Bandbox, he II noted),
| labelling them Prelude. Allegro. Andante,
| Allegro. We haven't delayed to read the
| plays but there is suggestion enough in
the mere preface to alter the introduction
! of the notice we were about to write
concerning the Washington Square players.
In word. isn't there a fertile hint to
them In this book of Mrs. Lee's2' Doesn't
II suggest how they might give 20 certain
of their bills. at any rate, n spiritual as
well as artistic unity. which hitherto the
bills have lacked. as almost all programs
of one-act plays always do lack7 Why
not four plays showing four phases of
life In this metropolis possibly dealing
with the same situation? Why not four
plays by four different authors each as
signed the same set of circumstances the
symphony being the synthesis OF their
differing points of view? It is easy TO see
that the idea Mrs. Lee has hit upon IN
worth serious consideration, and Is cap
able Of much expansion.
The last biTifo the season at the Band
box consists. as usual. OF four plays. three
of them original. the fourth an ancient
French farce, "Pierre Patelin." long IA
nous in the history OF the modern drama
that Is. drama since the Middle Ages
The first play. Children" by Guy Bolton
and Tom Carlton. is like h brief tale by
de Maupassant. narrating how a negro
mother In the south shot her own son dead
rather than hare him taken out and
lynched by mob. 1t is terse and pun
gent, though lacking in the deeper luipii-
cations Of The Clod," which led the pre-
vious bill.
The second play is fantastic AFFAIR
called The Age of Reason" written by
Cecil Dorian. The leading characters are
two small girls. one the daughter Of
parents about to be divorced the other her
chum These two infants talk in the most
ridiculous fashion, as sophisticated as a
putting the mother and father on trial.
ard selecting new set of parents for the
suffering infant who dislikes having her
home life broken up. The whole affair
reminds you of that ancient nursery
rhyme about "Lilliput Land" rewritten
for the stage. say. by G. b. Shaw. 1t il
most amusing fooling.
The third play is called "The Magical
City" and is written in free verae--so
free that you'd scarcely know II wasn't
prose--by Zoe Atkins. The best thing
about this play is the stage set, which
shows a room of great bare walls. pierced
at the back by one huge window, though
which Is seen the deep night sky and the
tower of the Madison Square Garden.
Two statues, done by the man who plays
the leading part Il, j. Ballantne flank
this window. and In the centre OF the
room Is couch, flooded with yellow
light, on which reposes the heroine, after
she has undressed, disclosing charming
orange silk underwear. She is Petronelle,
in the language of free prose a kept
lady" She has been loved by Wall
street magnate. Now she is loved by \
poor poet. The Wall street magnate
comes back, and she has to choose be-
tween him and the poet She chooses
him, and the poet, being a poor sport
shoots the magnate dead. However, II
would not do to upset the market by let
ling the truth leak out. so his brother
ships the poet off to foreign parts, the
scahual Is nusneu up, ana presumably
becomes either a great actress
Jr ballroom dancer There are probably
subtle poetic meanings in this work which
We have not indicated by this synopsis
We felt there were while we were under
he spell OF the play. But now we have
'orgotten them. All we remember is the
beautiful set and Miss Mowers extra
attractive underclothes. That's
he honest fact.
The version of pierre Patelin." a
French farce Of the fifteenth century