New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-31
American Theatres Must
Still Keep an Eye Across
the Water
ENGLAND RULES
BY DIVINE RIGHT
Product from Britain Is
More Important than
Our Own
BY HAYWOOD BROUN

George C. Tyler is frankly pessimis-
TIC" says "The Dramatic Mirror IN
an article on the managerial views OF
the season. "The Mirror" must be mis-
taken. George c. Tyler is the sponsor
Of "Pollyanna," and always finds some
thing TO be glad about.
But we started to write about Don
MARQUIS and the American drama. Mr..
Marquis says that we will never amount
to much in drama until 1--WE have the
nerve TO kick in the eye the carefully
fostered notion that English writer's
are better simply because they are
English"
Yet. after all, they are better. Ihs'
il, the dramstists are. There Is no
carefully fostered favoritism for the
English in New York theatres. In tac''
plsys from London have Jared oaoiy
this year. Many have Jared worse than
they deserved. The short-lived faro
line" for instance, was lar peter
sstiric comedy than the successful up
stairs and Down" =,
Chambers All" was at least as goou
as Fixing Sister" and THE Logger
NOT far behind Cheating CheAters'
These. of ccrrse, we're minor Eng
,;sh products. In spite Of the amount
of praise bestowed upon Dunsany, we
think chat on the whole New York was
singulsrly calm in its reception OF a
new master. The magnificent GODS
of the Mountain" didn't begin to at
tract half the attention OF dozen
American plays ever so much slighter
in worth. Appreciation Of Shaw's
Great Catherine" is just beginning.
In fact, of all the plays from England
only Barrie's "a Kiss for Cinderella
and Shaw's Getting Married" have
been big successes.
Although one has the best wishes in
the world for the future OF the Amer
lean drama, he can serve no good pur-
! pose by pretending that it Is OF any
great significance as yet. There is
announcement in the fact that oil the
best native plays have been written IN
the last twenty years. selected
reportory of American drama would
be modern. The producer might go as
far back as Gillette's "Secret Service"
If he cared TO put on melodrama, but
certainly he would go no further. In
our opinion. he would do just as well
to remain up to the minute and choose
THE 18th Clair" as an excellent ex-
I ample of one type Of drama in which
American playwrights have consider
able facility.
Beyond musical comedy and melo-
drama there is not so much 20 be said
for us. A list of significant dramatic
work by Americans might read some
thing like this: Fair and Warmer"
The Faith Healer" "Seven Keys TO
( Baldpate," The Scarecrow," "Kismet,"
"The New York Idea" "The Girl of the
/ Golden West" Potash and Perlmut-
ter in Society" "The College Widow
The Unchastened Woman" "The
Great Divide" "A Thousand Years
Ago" "The Poor Little Rich Girl"
The Easiest Way" "Trihes," "The
Full" Romance" Secret Service"
"Get-Rich- Quick Wallingford," THE
Witching Hour" "0ld Lady 81" and
The County Chairman"
This list is hurried and at random,
but il covers the ground roughly. We
| didn't forget "Kindling" or Children
Of Earth" or "Shore Acres" but
omitted them deliberately and with
! pleasure. We stretched our conscience
! in putting "The Great Divide" in the
/ list, because we think it is a grossly
overratod play. However. the point is
! that our drama is not significant The
whole list is hardly worth Caesar and
Cleopatra" or "Androces and, the
| Lion"
Granted that American drama is
/ not important up TO date land you
must grant that or our time is vast
| ed, the question is what are we 60
! ing to do about it? The answer is to
| keep our heads and our taste up by
importing the best foreign plays avail
! able. The Drama League, like that
older body, the National, should en-
: ploy scouts to travel through the tall
sticks of America and all the world
seeking plays of the 800 class or bet
{ ter That's the way the Germans 90.
{ Though they possess splendid native
/ drama, no country has been so eager
/ to hear the dramatic works Of other
nations.
The theatrical sightedness of the
/ Germans is amazing Synge was re-
viewed in Munich before London knew
/ him. Shaw won early triumphs be-
yond the Rhine. There "The Yellow
/ Jacket" found welcome when New
York had scorned il. Yiddish play
wrights hitherto recognized only by
/ Jewries of the world are drafted for
the German stage. But perhaps the
/ climax was reached less than a year
ago at time when the English were
not popular and Americans hardly more
so. This was the moment chosen for
me production Of "The New York
| Idea" written b. Langdon Mitchell, Of
/ Philadelphia, and featuring as one OF
] its most important personages a char
acter blatantly British.
II will be time enough for us 20 be
inhosptable 10 foreign playwrights
when we have few more Of our own.
] -e--------