Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-07-24
ENGLISH DRAMA
MAKES BIG HIT
Miss Chatterton and 0. p.
Heggie Starred in "A Bit
of Love-.

VI producing center Tor theatrlCal man
ayers? asks John ID. Barry in the San
Francisco Bulletin. asked myself
tho question the other night as |
watched the first performance in this
country of John Galsworthy's drama.
"a Bit of Love" If many plays of
such artistic quality were first dis
closed here to the American public,
San Francisco would speedily Outshine
New York But many such plays are
not produced anywhere. 1t was rare
experience for the theatergoer tn
watch the unfolding of this little mas
terpiece. developing out of character,
presenting n conflict between narrow
minded social convention and a gen
erous spirit, trying to meet "A hideous
situation with Christian forbearance.
each scene beautifully written and all
the scenes reflecting thru the mind of
one who observed with eyes of a poet ,
the life in the rural English com
munity. And the experience was all
the more beautifully written and all
! the scenes were given by actors who
interpreted its spirit with perfect sym
pathy. Again Henry Miller demon
strated his right to be considered
producer OF distinction. In the little
speech that he made at the close. evil
IDENTITY spontaneous, he expressed his
gratitude to his players. II they had
spoken they probably would have eX-
pressed their gratitude for his guild
ance.
Galsworthy takes n very simple
! theme. He introduces to us young
| English curate with fondness for
playing a flute, a lonely figure whose
wife has been separated from him for
long interval Already there are
7 n Nyff ha Ia, ,aIx
seen in the neighborhood Soon she
presents herself. she is in love with
another man. a doctor. After resist
ing she has, as she says. fallen. She
/ takes all the blame on herself. She
must protect the man she loves from
scandal so that he may not be hurt in
his profession. She knows that she
can appeal to her sanity husband for
~ Hu' sanity as he Is ne is hu-
man. He loves his wife. He has a
= ruggle all the more poignant because
~ is kept within the bounds of reserve.
AS he let's her go the little village girl
who has been covertly listening runs
out to spread the news.
The Gossiplng Hypocritcs.
Now Galsworthy gives us a study In
the morals OF this Christian commune
ty. rather bitter in spite of its seeming
gentleness. The wife OF the rector.
who is the curate's superior. takes an
attitude very like that of the village
men who gather for drink and gossip
at the inn. They all have a worldli-
ness that bears no relation whatsoever
~ tho Christianity they profess and
that they put aside whenever II gets
in the way of their gossiping and
Judging Galsworthy has made one of
his keenest studies in that English
woman. He is too great an artist to
deny her excellent qualities of heart.
She is never more human than when
she expresses her worldliness thru her
natural sympathy for the curates an
guish of mind. AS for the men at the
inn, their rustic humanity. with its
mixture of stupidity. kindliness malice
and coarseness, has a Shakespearean
quality.
There is a dramatic moment when
the clergyman, now the butt OF scan
dal. on his way to church, walks In
among them ard faces the insults OF
the father who has been offended be-
cause the clergyman has released his
little girls pet bird from its cage. Here
humanity is a little too much for
) Christianity. In a moment OF fury
i the clergyman hurls the father thru
| the window. The indignation meeting
of the rustics, where they get tangled
! up in their dispute over methods of
procedure, is a brilliant bit of satire,
coming directly out of the play of
\ character.
There was some question In my mind
while ! followed the scene where the
rustics and the village girls gathered
outside the church while the curate
was finishing service and. on his APP
pearance, subjected him to taunts and
Kisses. 1t was very pitful. but IL
seemed to me overdrawn. was prob
ably wrong. however. At any rate,
was assured that 1t was true picture
by the English lady happened to sit
near. Far better than | did she know
how ruthless and cruel a small COM
munity in England could be. But per-
haps real Christian would be ridicu-
lous and contemplate in any COM
munity.
Play Is Unconventional.
When the curate, in his despair.
doubts the very existence of God. going
so far as to scandalize the rector's
wife by betraying his doubt. and gives
up his church, he wanders at night
into a barn where some of the younger
people have been having a festivity.
He does not notice the little child that
has ldllen tSlttp tnc ne
moves about slowly in the dim light.
He reaches up for the rope that is
hanging from one Of the beams. Then
the child wakes, frightened. and starts
to make an outcry. She rouses him
from the thot OF his woe and he de-
votes himself to comforting her. Then
comes the heavy, middle-aged villager
that we have already met, grieving
over the death of his wife. She has
Just been buried and he Is going to
spend the night walking. The curate
joins him. In the company of this
stricken figure he finds companionship
for his own sorrow.
Those who like conventional plays
will be disappointed in this play. 1t is
not at all conventional. 1t does not
begin at the beginning and so on to a
definite conclusion. 1t is inconclu
sive as life Itself. And tho It is writ
ten for the stage. It is so Indifferent
Il.