Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-05-17
THE PLAYCOER'S
WEEKLY TALK
Dissertations on Plays and
Photoplays Of Interest
to Philadelphians
vIyILToN LACKAYE and Father

WILTON LACKAYE and Father
w John Talbot Smith recently de .
hated on rs the Modern Stage Worth
\ WhileT' Father Smith asserted that
the modern drama makes a joke of sin
and Is therefore hopeless. Mr.. Lackaye
said that If plays which do that draw
packed houses il is because vice is in
fhe hearts OF the people. OF course. vice
Is not in the hearts Of the majority Of
the people, and the modern staRe is not
hopeless. though these are often the
external aspects. Plenty of pieces minus
vice play to large audiences. and do not
affront the moral sense. even though
they do not add durable pages to the
history OF the drama.
The reason is that even the vicious
do not want to feed on vice all the
time. They turn to ligb. amusing play
in order to get away from the sOrdid-
ness of their own sin. The majority Of
the people arc not vicious. and for them
there is an appeal charming. fun
filed play, which il merely an enter
tainmcnt. Such plays. for instance. as
''Seventeen.' THE Cave Girl. ''Thc
Lantern" "Fricndly Enemies, ''The
Tailor Made Man" The Voice Of Me
Connell. The Little Teacher, Turn
to the Right" current now or seen here
this season. carry little or no message.
Although they do not touch the popular
heart deeply or cause the publ" to
think. they satisfy tho distinctive crav-
ing of the people for amusement. Their
function may not be n very lofty one.
but it is legitimate.
Every real lover Of the theatre would
like to see larger proportion OF serious
plays of stimulating quality. but II tn"
stage has Oct us hope temporarily di-
verged from the path of substantial
drama of thought poetry and moral
catharsis. and if gossamcry. lightweight
pieces for laughing purposes only
are to be the vogue. managers and
public should take care that they arc at
least wholesome.
TT is undoubtedly true that many
i managers do think that the public Is
urclean at heart. The basic substance
Of many of the farccS of late seasons
and the so called wit IF much recent
musical comedy dialogue can have no
other Interpretation. One Of tho things
that the average person rcsents is this
insult to his intelligence and dccen"r.
He or she feels very definitely that some
productions arc ono large nasty lccr,
obviously purposcd 10 titivate the most
iznoble instincts df humanity. Many
persons do not find it feasible to send
scout ahead of them to discover the
morals-or lack of thcm-in an enter
tainment. anG consequently have given
up playgoing. The bulletins of the
Drama League serve as monitory
guide for it's members. though, of
course, the work of the league is essen
tally grounded on dramatic rather than
moral values.
1t must not be supposed that the stage
is totally unregencratc. AS n matter of
= Satt. many, very many managers realize
that the public is decent in its atti
tudes. and either from ethics or pure
commerce refrain from having the off
color taint malodoring their entertain
ments. But there is a large enough
proportion of the other type of theatre
goer to justify to some extent what
Father Smith said-and unhappily there
is enough demand for dollar catching
salacity to give warrant to Mr.. Lack
ayes charge against certain portion
of the public.
One form of entertainment which
was formerly somewhat ostentatiously
and scrupulously clean has been touched
by the contamination That is vaude