The Washington herald., 1920-05-30
Rx EARLE DORSEY.

All things being equal any old dramatic season may
be relied upon to yield crop Of plays that group
roughly into distinct classes.
In the first class-and 1t is always the smaller
cIass-may be found plays with story to tell, a
moral to advance, a philosophy to propounds play
in this group may advance its Argument as skill
fully as a Dear Brutus" as indinerently "The
Unwanted One" or as poorly as an All Souls Eve"
but each is predicated some definite thought,
particular theme, some specific phiosophc note.
In the second classand in this class the plays of
the 1880 have attained healthy batting
sverage-may be found those plays which substitute
an episode for idea and laboriously work back
wards in attaining minutes Of dialogue. char
acterzation extraneous comedy artificial pathos and
acknowledgements thrill They consume an en-
tire evening recount occurrence that might be
told in nve minutes and they leave the confused
spectator just where they found him at s15 o'clock
In common with the first class such plays are
more often than otherwise without any more tech
nca art craft than Three Live Ghosts or Buck
ing the Tiger" The Blue Flame" host OF
others this Occasionally one hnds play
of this type done with certain to characteriza-
don- stage-settings dialogue and grease paint IKE
for instance. Not So Long Ago., Eve and the Man.
The Unknown Woman" and others
Very infrequently however, does one come across
example of themeless play writing that manages
by dint Of artful dialogue skilfu Characterization
and Elusive atmosphere to eneetually conceal the
fact that il has no story in eecting such
a concealment it contrives. skillfully enough, to
purvey a type drama that pleases, entertains and
succeeds without aiming at a moral In this
latter class places such plays as Hopwoods The
Gold-Diggers" Holbrook Blinn's Man and Woman"
Willard Macks Poker Ranch" the latter at
Polls last week.
Willard Mack a playwright; not a dramatist. His
work is and visible symbol of the of
the thester the art of the drama. He writes
a play to entertain and for other purpose. In him
springs none the OF the propagandst; none of
the fire of the zealot; he is man of the theater,
theatrical. But how we'll he knows the millon-and-
twists of the theater, the logical effect
of a given speech. a given movement given situs-
ton!
poker Ranch" which will almost undoubtedly
prove a theater success, is a play remarkably
lacking theme that one marvels at the successful
effects Of Mack treatment. At most, 1t is mere
study California ranch life Its very climax Is a
theatrical juggling of artificial cause and
artificial effect that eliminates in an old-fashioned
shooting affair with three four characters under
suspicion thrill inherent in the confession of
the county sheriff.
sense. that's all there Is to Poker Ranch"
yet in another sense altogether interesting
study n of those dramatic elements which
make for and interest in stage composition
nrst place Mack has rendered his production
atmospherically generically sound by his South
California settings Secondarily he breathes
the breath deep knowledge into the frequent al
lusions to the Klondike made by bachelor friend
of family. The ranch-Owner. a youngster
with the gambling fever is visualized to the very
the dialogue that the whole is dialogue
that never departs the atmosphere of the play;
steps of character, so to speak; never ex-
UNDERWRITERS the subject of which 1t
r As a sound technical work of the theater,
% t--l2atic shallowness and want OF point.
Ear g." nded to the interested student
80 --z-. .- visit.