New-York tribune., 1919-06-29
Harris to Produce
English Play
about Lincoln

1t il curious that INSTALLATION Of
the Great Emancipator Is to come to
us from an Englishman, and that Eng
land has been the first to see and
praise it. Few plays Of the last season
have been more widely discussed than
John Drinkwater's play, abraham Lin
coln," which has been running in Lon
don since February 20.
The play has been acquired by Will
lam Harris, jr., who plans to mount 1t
here in the fall. 1t is also to be pub
lished in July by the Houghton Mif-
fin Company, with an introduction by
Arnold Bennett. One Of the points Of
interest about the play is the manner
in which literary men Of Importance
have stepped forward to make 1t
known. Mr.. Bennett even took hand
in its production, and has sung its
praises with such gusto in the Lon
don press that it has aroused the keen
est anticipation here.
abraham Lincoln" was written dur
ing the summer of 1918 by Mr.. Drink
water, in Birmingham, where he had
been directing a most interesting roper
tory company for about twelve years.
He introduced the play through this
company on October IL. with much
doubling of parts" said an account in
"The Boston Transcript" "it was cast
from the company of the house and
framed in settings simple even to bare
ness and badness. The piece quickly
won attention, not only in Birmingham,
but also in London" It was transferred
to London in February, but gecause all
theatres in the West End were at &
premium in the midst of most re-
markable season, the Birmingham
company had to take refuge in what
ever house was available, and only the
Lyric Opera House of Hammersmith,
suburb, was available. Mr.. Drink
water put on two other plays first,
each having short runs, and then
mounted "Abraham Lincoln" as sim
ply as in Birmingham.
In an account of the play which ap-
peared in "The Review" William Arch
er writes: "The most remarkable sue
cess of recent years has been that of
John Drinkwater's Abraham Lin
coin The play was produced at the
Birmingham Repertory Theatre, of
which Mr.. Drinkwater is manager
Then it was brought to the Lyric
Opera House, Hammersmith, tawdry
little suburban theatre, in which, by
the way, Arnold Bennett is interested
or perhaps three weeks, and, behold, it
took the town by storm"
AS to the nature Of the play, that is
best revealed in a criticism written by
Henry Nevinson in "The Manche ster
Guardian" at the time of the original
performance: THE action is not di-
vided into acts, but displayed in six
successive scenes, covering, with inter
walls, the years from Lincoln's accept
ance Of nomination to the Presidency
up to the final tragedy of his assassi-
nation. Before each scene two stately
figures of women appear as kind Of
chorus, expounding in alternate pas
sages the purport of the next action.
They are perhaps more like the expo
nents in an old morality play than a
Greek chorus. Their absolute repose
and freedom from gesture was little
relief from the method of most recita
ton.
"a large number of characters ap-
pear in uccesson-Lincoln's wife, his
servant, some women friends or enc
mics, his ministers, generals, soldiers
a negro rescued from slavery. a young
sentry under sentence of death and
and substance of the play are centred
upon the personality of Lincoln him
self. AS the chronicler or chorus says
at the beginning of the play, it is q
drama of character. We are shown
Lincoln just as we should like to imag-
inc him, and as we believed he was
rugged, Indifferent to appearance, ten
hearted, hum orous, sensitive to the
feelings of others and sympathetic
with every noble passion, but firm in