Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-02-21
THE PLAYGOER'S
WEEKLY TALK
Dissertations on Plays and
Photoplays of Interest to
PhiladelphidnS

Il taste of service revue when The
Rowing Marines pay two flying visits
TO this city Their production, while de-
signed as recruiting stunt, is extensive
aud interesting enough to divert theatre
goers. 1t constitutes an exposition, in
comic aud mclodjc form, of life in the
marine corps. which was searched. rank
and file for dancing. singing, boxing and
acting talent.
High lights of the performance are to
be the Jazz Band, which plays all sorts
of tunes; snappy boxing bouts between
ihe marine ring champions impression
istic scenes of marine life in foreign
services. such as Haiti aud the Philip
pines dancing by principals and chorus
(the latter including Il farcical but au-
thentic hula hula. with music by the
steel guitar triol, and various athletic
stunts.
There arc interesting veterans as well
rs recent talented recruits numbered
among the personnel, but the producers
have decided to forget the war; for
the, nonce and to concentrate on current
happenings amusing aud dramatic. Next
Friday nights performance will be at
Elks' Hall aud Saturday night 5 at the
Second Regiment ArmorS. There are
no admission charges for the affair. the
second for men aud women also.
TOHN DUNSMORE. the former basSo
- comedian of the Bostonians aud now
the gypsy chief of Somebody's Sweet
heart wishes loudly TO voice a squawk
in behalf of the bass singer. why is
it." he asks the Playgocr, that libret
lists never write hero ; role for basso?
Instead. the hero is most often a quaver-
ing. apologetic tenor And, according
to Dunsmore, the robust bassO's power
of voice is indicative of manly qualities,
yet the Broadway writer's for the stage
keep right along supplying bassos only
with such roles as unrequited lovers,
husbands who beat their wives, aged
parents, Jail keepers, ct al.
A MONG the numerous attacks that
"A have been made on Shakespeare
since Bernard Shaw set the fashion,
Robert 3. Mantell has read with inter
est one from a socialistic writer who
argues that Shakespeare had no sym
pathy with the common people Shakes
peare's heroes and heroines, this writer
maintains. are all of noble or at least
gentle birth Men and women OF
humble origin, he asserts. are held up to
ridicule and contempt. 1nuumerable
passages in support of this theory are
cited. Mr.. Mantel admitted the writer
has made a strong case.
But he is at sea as to the motive,
said Mr.. Mantcll Wednesday when he
took an afternoon off to watch Miss
Hamper and Mr.. Leiber as Romeo and
Juliet. 1T was not because Shakes
peare had no heart to feel for the man
of humble origin that he ridiculcs him.
1t is rather because he, like the other
stage people of his time, knew his friends
from his foes.
Shakespeare lived at a time when
there were ignorance and prejudice with
regard to the stage. Richard III first
and later Queen Elizabeth set them
selves against this spirit of intolerance.
which was too often active and savage.
Royalty and the court befriended the
players. Actors We're regarded in the
countryside as the devil missionaries,
and the parochial justices annoyed them
at every opportunity. Even the city
aldermen, in the very shadow of the
court, treated them with insolence and
prosecuted them as much as they dared.
"Now, Shakespeare was 4 player as
well as q dramatist, and, he must have
had personal encounters with such shin =
ing representatives of the masses. 1t is
undoubtedly to this state of affairs we
owe Dogberry. Shallow, Slender, Bot :
tom and the rest,
WANT to write a play?
w OF course you do. Everybody docs
But how to go about it, that's another
matter. Still it's easy if one is to be
lieve William Hodge. He writes hi,
own plays. His latest is The Guest o.
Honor"
Here 5 what Mr.. Hodge had to say thu
nfbor dov tn ar,brvnuin oluNurriuhts.
There is just one advice to give an!
one who wants to write for the stage
and that's Go to it. Never mind i
what you write is rotten. The world i,
(, full of wastebaskets. Help fill EN-.
Lots of people seem to be ASHAMED
TO put their thoughts to paper. They
have too much respect for writer
words. They seem to think if they
write a thing down it is there for eter.
nifty. That's silly. Write what you
think. even if you make fool of your
self You dou't have TO keep what you
have written. After you have read il
over and have seen how bad it is, teal
it up and try again. Do that for !
while and you II learn to write.
After you have learned the knacB
of writing. study good plays and par
ticularly dialogue. Then experiment Q
while. Don't expect to write a master.
piece at the first attempt. You vii
be surprised how quickly really gooc
play finds Il market.
TIME horse actors in Ben Hur' are
i said to be more jealous than their
brother and sister actors, although thai
might seem impossible. The four horse,
driven by Messala are never able to bca
their opponents driven by Hur in thu
exciting chariot race. try as hard a.
hey will. There is Il little mechanical
device that fixes the race Just as Genera
Wallace intended it. but they know
nothing about this and try every nigh
with all their might and main to get il
ahead.
lS$MLI1 s,s,:,S MsSS& co