Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-10-23
1|ENGLLSH DRAMA, PAST AND PRESENT
MODERN AMERICAN PLAYS
AND WHERE THEY FAIL
In Effort Be Realistic the Playorights Overlook That
Genuine Realism, Not Found in Mere Ac,uahties
BY FELIX E. sCHELLING


~ Che University Of Pennsyivsnia
cover up part Of 1t or refuse to accept
as veritable the images which it reflects
All the movies In Christcndom. and In
Heathendom besides, cannot kill the ca
sential drama In US. The musical com
edies have made a good try at It, as did
the. old heroic play In It's time and
melodranha and opera since. But the
essential drama will abide when oil
these sports" and offshoots are remem-
bercd only by the historians.
TN READING Prof. Bakers rep
L resentatives Of the accepted American
drama Of today, two or three things
occur to the---let us hope--none- too
biased reader. Let us be frank about 1t t;
all of these plays read more or less
badly, at least as compared with much
other former drama, also accepted for
the stage, both English and foreign.
Prof. Baker IL right when he says that
drama Is a collaborative art one In
which the author, the actor (and all
who help his impersonntlon) and be.
sides, the spectator as well. co. operate
to cumulative result. But I rather
suspect that these modern plays OF ours
depend somewhat more on this CO.
operation. somewhat more on the actor
and on the setting than did many OF
the plays which have gone before. They
are et the mercy OF their presentation
because they are wanting In distinction
Of manner and Of style; because their
dialogue Is 90 close a. replica Of our
daily speech; because their personages
are 30 obviously like everybody or any
body whom you or are likely to meet:
And now we arouse our "realist'
friends. those who object to blank verse
because they do not employ II habitually
in discussions with Margery. those who
resent soliloquy and the aside--like Mr..
Shaw--because they do not happen In
what they call real life" and the like.
But, my dear "rcalist." the stage Is not
the world and, even II Shakespeare did
say it, not all Of the worlds a stage.
NEITHER distinction Of manner nor
~ distinction in the subtle thing which
we call style Is wanting In actual life,
even in actual American life. But 70
catch tor anything else for that
mattcr--for the stage. you must trans
late Il out Of the language Of life--that
Is the manner in which IL Ia presented
to our senses In life---into the language
of the stage. And you cannot make the
language Of the drama more realistic by
! forgetting its essential basis in art.
These plays. excellent as they are and
| fully deserving Of their success. seem
to one who knows somewhat Of a wider
dramatic literature fiat In perspective.
wanting in color. unindividualizcd in
measure as to their personages and
unidiomatic. thcatrically speaking, not
withstanding their undoubted mastery
Of that technique Of the stage Of which
Prof. Baker has happily made so much
In his Workshop"
TT IS not altogether vision that we
L lack, or poetry even. But we seem in
these latter days to be a little afraid
Of seeing things---or at least OF putting
down what we see: while poetry
stampedes us with terror into an EFFORT
to get as far away from It as possible.
| Are we getting to be afraid Of our emo
tIons in art as Of display of our feel
ings In religion? Shall we arrive
shortly at a point in which the gentle
man will not only discuss either
politics or religion, but will recognize
| that any show of emotion for art or
anything else is taboo? Wit, humor,
sentiment, romance are az common in
/ every day life rs they were when the
old dramatists used them. There Is
scarcely n sparkle in the dialogue OF
any of these five representative plays
and Prof. Baker surprises us when he
tells US Of the success OF the only bit
of pathos in them all-and that iroui-
cal-which occurs in the extravaganza
plays and Playwrights." With all
our chatter about the freedom Of the
arts, our stage seems convcntionalized
all but to the point of stagnation. What
cod Is the stock husband whose past"
ia accepted as an essential part of any
husband and played off against the
wife's present or attempted future
And how delicately the neat distinctions
OF double code Of morals are drawn
And the heroines! Mr.. Massey Is right,
there IL more real drama In the rooms
Of New York lodging house than In
all the theatres Of the Great White
Way. Why not get some Of the poetry,
the color, the aroma Of actual life onto
the stage by an honest translation Of
oil these things into dramatic terms In
place OF all this ussyfooting repetition
Of mere actualities?
MODERN AMERICAN PLAYS. Edited with
| Introduction by George p, Baker New
! York: Harcourt. Brace Howe.