New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-02-12
By HAYWOOD BROUN

have! Pick up your hat, watch your
step and come homel"
Speaking solely in a fgurative
sense, "The Morris Dance" is a spree.
AS the programme has IL, Winthrop
Ames allows an outrageous farce in
three acts and nine scenes but the
new production at the Little Theatre
is moro than that It is drama on
the loose. And "The Morris Dance"
has the virtues and vices of all
sprees.
No man can put paper cap on his
head and join in the chorus without
good deal Of arduous preparation. 1t
may always be urged against drunk
enness that it necessitates drinking.
Just so, before THE Morris Dance"
is able to achieve hilarity there must
be much conscious effort and confu-
sion and a rather obvious mixing Of
ingredients. Although the play IS
based on "Ihe Wrong Box" Granville
Barker is not signally indebted to the
somewhat mechanical novel of Ste
venson and Lloyd Osbourne. He fol-
lows the plot closely enough. but the
dialogue is all his own.
This dialogue at it's best is rich
and inspired nonsense, and no form
of literature, unless it be prophecy,
depends so much on inspiration as
nonsense. Some day the relation be
tween Isaiah and Lewis Carroll and
the influence of Zephaniah on Clare
hummer may be pointed out.
However at its best the personages
OF The Morris Dance talk freely,
richly and imaginatively. Each IS
veritable Houdini, TO whom the tet-
tors of fact mean nothing. 1t Is IN
this art that Richard Bennett excels.
The scene in which he tells little
and suggests more concerning the
racv and miraculous adventures OF
his friend in Paris is delightful The
fuu is heightened by the rarely anus
inc performance of Herbert Iost as
he meek little artist who is forced
TO shoulder the fictitious shame.
So well is the extrayagant humor
IMPRESSED upon the audience during
the food period Of the play that even
the device Of hiding corpse IN
Grand piano seems pleaslngly quaint
Ne are particularly sensitive 70
scenes of torture, alarums, broken
heads. murder and all the more grew
come paraphernalia of the drama, ouJ
the corpse of The Morris Dance not
only keeps out of sight, but out OF
mind The dead man IS used WIN
the utmost discretion.
Not only author and actors, but the
scene painter as well, Is responslo!e
for gaining the irrational atutudc
which makes the loosest and most
extrxvagant moments OF the play Ihe
best. Tony Sarg has designed scenes
which are humorous as well az pleas
ing TO the eye.
In every spree there comes mo-
ment when the waiter SPEAKS uh-
kindly or an unbldden polIcenl4l
,,iaras or in some way or other there
is a sudden recrudeScehee o. tne -
eciousness that this is mean ana
abominable world in which people
are oppreSing the poor, presenting
LilIs SAYING daylight and doing all
scrfs OF uumannerly things. FROM
tbat ooment the decline is rapid. I'm
fortunately. The Morris Dance mas I
~ moment. and IL comes some
IittIa time before the end OF the play.
Tbe Iet-down was stressed last night
- tho fact that the actors seemed
nnfamiliar with the latter portions OF
~ farce Dull material sounds
dpller when the prompter mas the
first word. - .oh.-Iv
orouob but this may be corrected
with a good deal Of cutting and sun
80 shedding UP. There is also
rientr az provocation for the pruning
tr{fo IN the first act A large cast
I, needed for the Interpretation OF
,.Tbe Morris Dance" and Rlchard
Rennert and Herbert Yost were the
most amusing members Jonn l..
shine was diverting also as an eldery
and not too retired lecturer. ferul-
nand Gottschalk was not over-IlchIy
lowered with opportunities, ana was
onlv spnsm odically amusing. James
Morrison spoke the whimsical pro-
logue with charm. ut. 49,
There is no necessity OF telilng Eho
plot. si7ce everybody Knows
Wrong Box" and, anyway IL Is IS
f,iIv complicated and not particular
ly important.
aThs Karin Of Koridwen,' dance
drama. was performed at the Neighoor-
hood Playhouse last night. II IS
rather striking but somewhat monoto-
nous ballet. to which Charles l. Grnes
has written interesting music; Inc pal
let sets forth a Druid legend co1 GeiIi.
ing a priestess who loves HhIliS S
,,.asr-ior in defiance Of her vow and pays
blanche Talmud danced we'll as
Ayana the high priestess, and Alice
Iswisohn. who was hastily called upon
70 Substitute for her sister, displayed
her pantomimic skill as Carmelis' the
RatbFr better fun than the chief bal
lot was series Of dance procession
ais by the Junior Festival Dancers ono
need not be from fetr0s tso cSilSrsn
seemed 70 have the best kind Of time
- .Lo;- graceful dances. A little