New-York tribune., 1918-06-09
Descent of the War Pzay
The Martial Rash Thot Attacks Play
urights Results in Smoke, Submarines,
.Sibilant Spies and Sensitiue Souls
By Solita Solano

Some war plays are mostly noise and
smoke. Others make a point Of con-
cealed wireless, carrier pigeons, a
submarine in the offing ard the sibilart
"His-s-s-st" OF spies who are coi.ed in
the flag. Also there are those war
plays which are in reality peace
propaganda-lile War Brides" and
"Moloch''-that paint the horror Of
bloodshed and the shock sustained by
the gentle souls of drafted plumbers
and poets sent into the shambles to
bleed for the masters"
In ancient and lustier days the
drama glorified the strength Of bat
tie and sang less of love than of the
exultation achieved by driving a short
sword into the enemy's midrif and
departing with his wife thrown across
horses rump. The chief theme of
Greek tragedy was conhict-of matter
rather than mind-and the manner in
which it made the blood to sing and
the heart to leap.
The declaration of war is always a
signal for playwrights, who have been
waiting for an idea at once to break
out in martial rash. Thereafter un-
fortunate playgoers suffer from the ef
tects of this disease as severely as do
magazine readers forced to peruse war
stories, poems, expert analyses of this
months change in sslients and "My
Experiences on the Eighteen Fronts" :"
George Arliss once said: "There is
tradition among old actors that war
plays, unless they are spectacular or
amusing, fail" BY amusing he doubt
less meant the mannuvring of spies,
for a stage spy would be a very bad
actor indeed if he failed to amuse. Or
else he must be as clever as William
Gillette. Yet Mrs. Fiske's Service"
was a success in Paris when as "Ser-
vir" it was we'll done by Guitry and
his associates. And San American
Ace" spectacular to degree by rea-
son of a battle in the clouds and q
shot minute, only lasted about week
this season on Broadway.
While Shakespeare has immortalizcd
the warfare of Rome and Egypt, mod
ern Anglo-Indian disturbances have
been but slightly retarded from the
dust Of oblivion by Drury Lane spec
tacles such as "The Story of AS" pro-
duced in 1860, and Dion Boucicaults
The Relief of Lucknow" of two years
later. THE Soudan," also done at
Drury Lane, marked the vent Of the
African campaign.
The only plays that come to mind as
having resulted from the American
Revolution are major Andre" and the
dramatization Of Janice Meredith" the
novel that was responsible for the cpl
demic of coquettish curls worn by pro-
vincial maidens from Maine to Cali
fornia through ten editions of the book
and two seasons of Mary Mannering.
Undoubtedly there were other plays.
That more were not produced need not
be wondered at if George Washington
or the Revolution" by Ethan Allen, is
sample. Aliens play was in five acts
and torty-one scenes, and would have
made unreasonable demands on half a
dozen theatres. The scenes of the first
act, for instance, were as dissoei.
ated as:
Scene boston military headquarters
Scene 2-Boston Harbor tea party.
Scene a-Buckingham Palace, England
Scene 4--Richmond, Va.
Scene "a suburb of Boston.
Scene e-The Battle of Lexington.
Scene THE Bunker Hni scr;,,
The Civil War was more productive
OF dramatic fruit. William Gille,ta
was inspired to write his exce,,on.
plays Secret Service" and aHeld nv