New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-28
n, REDWOOD BRoUN

yt,HE FIRST play VIC ever saw was
"Sccret Service" II was back in
1905 or thcrcabouts. and VIC must have
hccn less than ten. but there is line
which has stuck in our memory ever
.incc though VIC have not seen the
rlav again nor read II. We're not
ouitc sure what the rebel said. II was
@no you know why you're not lying
with bullet through your hesdT or
some such disquieting query. but the
answer Of the Union man came back
"a clear that VIC can hear II still; BE
eausc you're such a damn bad shot
There wasn't much profanity about
our home then. and 1t may have been
,bc damn" which endesred the line
70 me-. but there's no explaining the
nsycholory OF the things you carry
away from the theatre. For instance,
the second plsy We saw was white
Heather" and all VIC can remember
about II is that ono act ended as
large woman exclaimed: They've gone
~ find the wreck Of the White Heath
~" VIC haven't an idea who they
were or what they wanted to find, so
the line isn't bit Of use, but still 1t
,tsvs or 10 clutter things up.
Send boy to sec Hamlet" for the
6rst time. and he will return TO tell
Won Something is rotten in the State
Of Denmark" rather than to repeat,
absent thee from felicity awhile 60
10 see any now play yourself. and you
will carry away not the funniest joke
or the most gripping line, but some
Et,le odd bit that has fingered after
much Of more charm and Importance is
forgotten.
We are inclined to believe that many
sounds in the theatre transcend the
spoken word. Long after every speech
in "The Gods of the Mountain" has been
foreotten the spectator will remember
the tramp. tramp. of the stony boots
a. The Green Things draw near the af-
frighted beggsrs. Even in play so
rich in wit as "The New York Idea" the
memory Of the rumble Of the early
milk wagons in the final scene will out
live epigrams. Certainly the swish of the
love boat oars seduces the attention as
poirnantly as anything else in The
Yellow Jacket" Consider also the in
srticulate cries Of the mother in the
first act of 1.-The Life of Man" Of
stage mob noises are not the least eff
fective feature OF Hauptmann's "Weav-
ers." and all we remember of Girls"
By Clyde Fitch. is the fact that in one
act the radiators clanked.
Almost any respectable modern
dranatist is ashamed to be seen with
a soliloquy. He regards it in some
what the same manner a reporter
looks At a notebook There is no de-
nying it's usefulness, but professional
pride bars il. This pose OF the play
wrights is preposterous. If the fourth
wall OF a room may be removed and
kept out of sight for an entire act 1t
would seem reasonable to lift a char
aeters forehead now and again and
find out what is going on inside. Or
course. the old constructive, explana-
tory soliloquy is poor device, but
it never had any standing even though
10 was used not infrequently. Sheri-
dan had his fun with it in "The
Critic
Thinking aloud is quite different
natter. VIC are convinced that the
abandonment of the soliloquy came en-
trely from the top, and not on &C
count Of any concerted demand by
audiences. There was striking proof
Of this at the Drama League matinee
when not a person walked out of the
theatre, booed, Kissed or gave any
other demonstration Of disapproval IN
spite Of several speeches spoken on
lonely stage. Most Of the ssides were
greeted with the laughter of derision,
and il is doubtful if this device will
regain its place on the stage in this
generation.
Shaw is not the only author Of Great