The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-05-18
DRESSING THE PLAY
Nv DAVID BEI44ASCO.


In thesMay issue OF Harper's Bazaar
David B4lasco has some interesting
wings to say on the Importance Of
h clothes ID tire expression. OF lifo both
on and OFT the stage. Following Is an
H excerpt from the article:
The importance which women Mt
zach to clothes has afforded the world
Y subject tor yarted discussion through
4 many ages. It is the belief of many
FOLK that dress holds too important
place I'm feminine thought. But
this Isn't true. It couldn't be true be-
cause there IS no mode of expressing
The varying moods Of life. the char
Acteristics Of race; tho traits OF IN
dividuals. and the manner Of their en-
yironmeut that is 50 potent 90 dress
Because this Is the case In HE It Is
the case IN the theatre where the pro.
Queer uses every means at his dis
rnsal to give faithful rcproduction
OF this lie. In doing this have found
no meditm so valuable ~ clothes.
Neither have found any medium Of
1ering so many dangers and difficult
ITO an .audI1hce seeing a finished
the matter or dressing II
ymay seem minor detail suggesting
Z little Of the time and attention given
10 It. In fact when a play is SO cos
TUNED that an onlooker leaves the
theater. without any dominating
thought .of clothes that have been
worn by.thn characters In the story
Il IL reasonably sure that the producer
has succeeded In giving them just the
right value. 70 do otherwise is one
OF the grea,csr dangers which mana
ger confrpnta He realizes that the
clothes worn by the people In play
must INDICATE their characters, their
nationalities, their MOODS. their vo-
cations. white they must also express
the spiritof the story and the ideals
ItEhich thf author intends conveyed to.
tho public. He II much in the posi-
tion OF d lovely woman who Is con-
scious other good points and uses her
utmost skin to accentuate them. The
producer faces lust her danger Of
over -acctntuation; her danger Of los
ing hersaif--lter individuality-tn her
| trappings H~- fsssss..Ner az attracting
attention.. ,.tr euibeNishment rather
than ~. her Inherent charm, ---for
whea 4 ,ilav is overdressed so that the
attention.. of an audience IS rive'ed by
clothes rather than hy character, ther
that play IL over-drcssed.
"A play In It's completion must pre-
NAntsa perfect picture. Nothing in that
picture niust he cut nf focus. Tho
costumes are just one mosaic nccex-
sary to thc pa tern. They must ut
into their own place hArmoniously. A
very important point to be considered
by producer with respect to Dress
ing his blay IL the nationality, of the
people who go into the making OF its
story. Che ssseSis the trasafsias.s,f the
temperament, the chief occupation
OF a rakc Is inevitably reflected in
what that race wears. II is. therefore
necessary to have complete under
standing: of racial characteristics as
the frassin a premise frem-Mhtch
work.
TT is usually the plays that look tho
Emplest that are the hardest to dress.
A society play is not difficult. Good
form and GOOD taste arc the main re-
6uuircments In The clothes for such
play But the drama OF atrnospheres
and mooas, All, that is another mat
ter. :.
'swhe4 produced Madam Du
Barry with Mrs Leslie Carter In the
title part 7 had sketches for the cos
tunes made by the artists Of the Cos
demie Ffancias hut when RECEIVED
thcm sai i sttws1 safzridr-t s1stf
thought BY having them made IN Paris
would BE sure OF their embodving
The spirit Of the play. But they did
nothing nf the sort. And when pu
| Barry w.ss produced 1t Was with cos
tunes Ynads by an American designer
with some ~ the good points of the
French iketches utilized
'The.GirI TaI.eft Behind Me- IN
which Miss blanche Bates appeared
In another striking example OF APP
parently. simplc costumes that had
| Ia tell So much that they were most
difficult n, achieve, but nowhere in my
sexperiense have \ met with greater
cbStacsest than in clothing Sally. the
heroine df-.Eawaxn. .Knohlock's Tiger,
Nlgnr. In Which Miss Frances StSrr
IL now paaying. In no play OF which
know have dresses been Called upon
10 tell Sd graphic and SO pathetic n
tale They reveal tho soul of Sally as
Il could ne revealed In no other way.
They ten. .ha. which No ven could
possibly write into a play. They are
ffe very, essence ef woman, and be-
cause of s.,hs I went through some
dlscouraxing experiences in obtaining
them. .
I'm otder to explain just what /
mean 1t. will he necessary FOR the
reader who has not seen the play to
know bit of its story. Mr.. Knoblock
has taken for his theme lore at first
sseht. He calls II .T.ge-s Tigert be-
eouse 1t h 30 like Jungle creature
springinG out unawnres upon its vic
tims. and because II 10 no resrecter Of
persons. = In the first act Of the play
fondon 36oms with Evelyn Greer and
riaxe between Evelyn and the bril-
liant member OF parliament IL talked
~ the gta's father and By Coupsf and
4 -. Il ssE