New-York tribune., 1918-11-10
Taking ''7he Big Chance''
AS a Starting Point

ASi III WC AA0hdSC W SSG u JOuCu Ol uu-
manity into such Of our plays as claim
consideration at all, which puts them
elbow to elbow with their audiences"
Our impression of the last few seasons
is exactly opposite to that of Mr.. De
Foe.
1t seems to us that American plays
are almost invariably better in form
than in content. George Cohan, Roi
Cooper Megrue, Eugene Walter and
Samuel Shipman all know good deal
about putting a play together, but of
them only Cohan and Walter have the
faculty of observation. Moreover, the
observation of Cohan and Walter is
limited. Like all American dramatists
the one type which they can make
plausible is person who lives some
where in New York City below Fifty
ninth Street and above Thirty fourth.
If he or she is engaged in a non-essen-
tial occupation the sketch will be all
the better. But even the character por-
trayals of New York gamblers and
FOUNDERS and chorus girls are super
fetal. They are plausible because the
people portrayed have no great depths.
We are willing to accept them without
plumbing. With the exception of this
small group Of New Workers., there is
almost no first hand study of American
life in our theatre. Just at this second
we remember and make exceptions in
favor of "Penrod," "Old Lady Thir-
teen" and "Young America" among
the plays of the last few seasons. Prob
ably we could think Of some few others,
but not very many. Perhaps Light
MIN" should go in the list, for the
central figure is a study from life, but
the rest Of the folk in the play are all
standard theatrical types.
Now and again these familiar figures
have breath or two of life and often
if they are provided with good dialogue
and we'll played they may pass for real.
Our experience in the theatre is not
very long, but already we are beginning
to accept certain stage types because
we have seen them so often in plays.
They have been advertised until accept
ance is inevitable. Take the improvi-
dent, sentimental Irishman whose SYM
pathy and good nature are unstinted.
Although we never met such an Irish
man we are almost as much convinced
who cry for Castoria. When we stay
away from the theatre a bit and meet
teetotal Irishmen and grouchy Irish
men and thrifty Irishmen and cynical
Irishmen we aren OF so sure of the par
ticular type which the stage always
gives US.
And speaking Of Irishmen, we wonder
whether MIR. Louis De Foe really be-
lieves upon mature deliberaton that
our playwrights excel those of any
other nation just now in "the knack of
representing homely life on the stage
and making it seem lifelike." Synge
and Houghton are dead only these few
years, and Galsworthy and Lady Greg
ory never felt better.
John Barrymore, in an interview the
other day, said Of Arthur Hopkins: ~
don't believe Hopkins thinks there's
fool in the world" Maybe not, but it
seems bit hard to reconcile the theory
with the fact that this is world
largely made up of men who draw to
inside straights, think that DR.. Crane
is stimulating writer, and ask the
waiter "Is this mutton to-day good?"
But perhaps they are not fools, but
idealists. After all, once i'm twelve
times the man fills his inside straight:
some day the waiter is going to saw.
mo, it's rotten" and that may be the
very afternoon that DR.. Crane will
come through.
The small child in our building
chewed piece out of "The Times"yes-
terday and swallowed it. Fortunately
we found that the fragment came from
the editorial page, and the doctor says
there is no danger. He says that in all
probability "The Times" will take it
back tomorrow or the next day.