The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-11
'Heartbreak House,
Shan Play, Denied
London, Seen Here
Some Diverting Scenes and
Occasional Hearty Laughter,
but Slight Interest.

GARRIcK THEATRE = 'HEARrBREAK
HOuSE'-A fantasia in the Russian man
ner on English theme. BY Bernard shaw.
Ellie Dunn. ............s... Elizabeth Isisdon
Nurse Guinness ......--.-....H Heller Westiey
Lady Utterword. ............ Lucille Watson
iiesione inshabye. ........... Effie Shannon
Mazlini Dunn .............. Erskine Sanford
iieStoI iuaHhoye.. ........-... .fred Eric
ross Mansan. ................ Dudley Digges
Handah Utterword. .......... Ralph Roeder
he Burglar Observation-Disclosures. Henry Travers
The ambitious Theatre Guild last
night presented Bernard Shaw's latest
play "Heartbreak House" at the Gar
rick. Not only Is II new to New York
bat il never was acted anywhere before
So the occasion was in the jargon Of
Punch and Judy, word premier"
The author has prohibited previous per-
Torrance in London on the ground that
the theatre during war was in no condi-
ton to attempt such a play. No such
encouraging description OF the London
stage when It became a means of frivol-
Gus distraction from war time worries
has been heard before. Any theatre
that Is unfit for "Heartbreak House" Ia
by no means hopeless. Mr.. Shaw is said
to have compared the play to THE
Cherry Orchard" and inferentially him
self to Tchekov. which Is in this work at
least cruelty unjust criticism OF the
Russian and his drama.
1t was encouraging to learn from one
Of the authorities OF the Theatre Guild
that "Heartbreak House represented
the leIsured and cultured life OF Eu-
rope before the war" Had not this
streak OF enlightenment trckled into the
knowledge OF the recorder there might
have been no relief from the deep con-
fusion into which the drama plunged the
most alert listeners. There are three
acts. two passing in living room built
to suggest a ship, and the last in a gar
den.
There ought to be some aid to the
understanding OF n play in descrip-
ton of the characters. Those who peo-
pied this one were battling lot There
was to begin with a retired sea cap
tain. Everybody else in the play said
he was crazy and all his words and ac-
ton seemed directed toward proving the
truth of this opinion. He had two
daughters, one married to colonial
governor and the other to an incorrigi-
BILE lady killer. The governors wife APP
peared to be pursued by her brother-tn-
law. while the other seemed ready to
fasten her fitting affections on any man
who would stop near her long enough
for the purpose. An impoverished ideal
list and his daughter who had planned
to marry the captain of industry who
ruined her father until she discovered
his fortune to be apochryphal; a burg
lar. nurse who acted as the only
servant to the family-these were the
important figures.
No Trace of Fable.
OF conventional action, there is none
and, of course, no trace of fable. The
calculating suggestion that the play
meant Europe before the. war helped in
its power to free the spectators from the
necessity of looking for recognizable
human beings in what one of the char
! acters called this menagerie." Plainly
| these loquacious men and women who
talked In pairs, in threes and sometimes
| in groups were intended as symbolica
| figures of some kind But OF wha
kind? There was only the refuge sug'
! gested by the programme. Mr. Shaw
was playing a fantasia on society as 4
! existed There were only mannikins I,
! fill the picture, which he had loosely de
! signed.
With this conception of "Heartbreal
House" in mind. il was possible to in'
| occasional diversion in IL. OF the oil
|
| At times his talent invented phras
that spit and fuzzled and was even II
that inferior state, 50 much better thai
the average stage talk that the audienc
was moved to laughter. That impuls
was usually checked the next minute b,
some extravaganza too great for tn
! intelligence or by some arid stretch Q
! dulness that threatened never TO end
The broadly farcical episode of tn
burglar, played with irresistible hume
hy Henry Travers. amused the addienc
Pre- badly more than any other scene II
the play. But II was, after all, yer.
second rate Shaw. The dramatisi'a phi
csophy. especially in his views as to tn
relations between the sexes, was famil
lar although there were evidences IN !
tie sex complex Is occupying more tina
ever OF his thoughts. assuming in hi
case the same character that M Nor
dat found to be true OF Wagner Nom
Of the characters seemed to find any
thing but the merciless yoke OF love II
d cir affairs.
Master of His Language.