New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-31
In the Play World
Injunction Needed for Poor
Production of Gloomy
Play by Wedekind
By REDWOOD BROUN

Years ago. when children studied
only the three "r's," there might have
been propagandistic pertinencs In a
production of "The Awakening Of
SPRING but the modern youngster
crammcd with the three "s's"-sex'
psychology and cinema pictures. such
as "Her Unborn Child"-would find
Wedekind's play old stuff. Neverthe-
less. the sponsors OF the production
made a determined effort 70 convey the
impression that the matinee at the
Thirty-ninth Street Theatre yesterday
was not so much a theatrical perform
ance as benefit for posterity.
Before the performance, and while
the audience was still credulous, Hen
rietta Rodmsn announced from, the
stage that the production Of The
Awakening OF Spring" in English was
an historical event second in impor-
lance only to the Russian revolution
Possibly she regarded the play as IN
the nature of spring offensive. a,
any rate, 10 was under the auspices OF
"Thc Medical Review OF Reviews
which specialiBes in second hand ana
damaged goods.
The performance was advertised TOT
2:30 O'Clock, but o'clock came. ana
presently half an hour more. and sun
there was no Wedekind. IL seemed as
+ spring had oversight. In the lobby
there was loud talk about Where are
the papers ," and presently 1T deveI-
cped that the curtain could not rise
until an injunction arrived. Commas
sioner Bell, who saw a dress rehearsal
of the play, refused to issue license
and it became necessary 20 procure
temporary writ from Justice Guy, IN
the Supreme Court.
The audience grew impatient, but the
chance to see a play under tho auspices,
of the Medical Review Of Reviews.
and an injunction was not TO be missed.
The fuss and fim-fam Of the whole
business made it difficult to give the
serious attention 20 Tho Awakening
of Spring" which any play by Frank
Wedekind demands. There seems to
be little justification for the belief that
the author intended his tragedy as a
mere bit of propaganda rather than
serious work of art. Yet it was not
serious Yesterday. because Godfrey
Stein gays ludicrously inadequate
performance in the important role OF
Melchior. It was easily the worst per-
Torrance we have ever seen on any
stage.
Supposedly a lad Of fourteen, Stein
costumed himself in low comedy pair
of short trousers, which weer much too
tight. and talked in a deep bass voice.
His performance gave the suggestion
that Simon Legree was attending a
masquerade in the character OF Little
Boy Blue. At such times as he was
not growing in deep gutterals, stem
was hopping about the stage somewhat
after the manner of Mike Debitesky
in tho Ballet Loose. All in all, it was
"A performance rich in unconscious
humor. Fania Marinoff played well as
Little Wendla and Sidney Carlyle was
effective az Moritz. The production as
Il whole suffered from undue bolster
BUSINESS. ,
1t is doubtful whether "The
Awakening of SPRING is well written
except in a scene or two, but certainly
the English version is bald and lnef-
fectiye throughout. A freer transla-
ton might be fairer. A literal render
ing of the German leaves the play in
terlarded with stilted phrases. which
convey no semblance of truth to an
American audience. Thus it is difficult
TO make us believe in the reality OF a
schoolboy Of fourteen years who uses
such words as phantom" limb and
propagation" in supposedly easy con-
versation with boy companion. More
over. the suggestion of Freud was SO
strong in some scenes that we half
expected the boy to talk of completes"
and Exhibitions" American liter
ature may not amount to much, but at
least our writer's have been successful
in portrayng the boy, and Melchior
Hans. Moritz and the rest will seem
ske, chy ard artificial TO a people which
knows p nrod. Tom and Huck.
The plot of "The Awakening OF
SPRING is OF no great interest or con-
sequence. which saves us the trouble
Of telling why one girl was ruined.
one boy committed suicide and an
other was arrested.
"The Medical Review Of Reviews" Is
to be congratulated on having bad such
a lovely afternoon for its production
Of "The Awakening Of Spring"
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HH Tt &c N,~oIoon