The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-11
Imagery EnfoldS
Tho Tagore Plays
Presented Here
Author Sees His post Office
and Sacrifice Produced at
Garrick Theatre.

II is difficult to apply to Sir Rabindra-
nath Tagore's one act play. The Post
Office the first offering yesterday at
the initial matinee of the special series
being given at the Garrick Theatre by
the Union of East and West. the ordi-
nary standards of criticismIif there are
any such. This work is primarily a
product of the Orient. mystic and woven
OF a procession of fancies. so the be-
holder feels he has no right to judge IT
by the rough and ready standards OF
the hurly- burly in Broadway theatre.
One feels that it is to be regarded
chiefly as a curiosity. no more to be
condemned or admired by lay West
erner than Buddhist idol. 1t moves
not, and yet it holds the mind OF the
spectator by keeping to high level
of beauty There Is something OF the
usefulness on which Barrie is supposed
to have a copyright In the dream OF
the aillns beggar boy that an Indian
King will establish a post office In his
small town and give him the coveted
office of postmaster, with power to wan
der where he will. In spite of the scott
ing OF the rabble about him he holds
10 his dream. and in the end truly enough
receives his hoped for letter from the
King and falls asleep" lie viii
awaken, the kings own physician says
when the King comes"
subtle I'm Its Symbolism.
Imagery often too involved and subtle
in it's symbolism for the average Occi-
dental mind to appreciate enfolds the
piece. Lines that often caught the
CLEANS of a penetrating beauty were
spoken eloquently by Lillian Jago, who
according to the custom popular nova
days in the "art" as well as the com
mercial theatre. played the boy without
suggesting one. Lionel Hogarth. Will
lam Franklin and George CasselberrJ
caught the spirit of the text.
Curiously enough, in the second play,
Sacrifice" Tagore, who watched the
performance yesterday from box
seems to have challenged Occidental
criticism by investing 1t with just the
dramatic qualities absent from the first
1t deals with a king who. touched by
4 girl whose pet goat has been offered
up on the altar of the goddess, for
bids blood sacrifices in the temple
thereby clashing with the high priest
The conflict between church and state
is only of academic interest to those
living under a constitution preventing
such strife but the customary parallel
ing symbolism of the piece lifted II
above the status of Brieux polemic
Between Bitter Forces.
Jaistvg, servant of the temple. waver.
Ing between the bitter forces of blind
prejudice and the new and mercifu
enlightenment that has come to the
King, finally kills himself that mems
spirits may be freed, and the high
priest, his foster-father, who has de-
manded that the King himself shall be
a blood sacrifice, in a stricken moment
overlhrows the image of the goddess.
Paul Leyssac gave a vivid portrayal
of JdiSinO, making him something of a
Hamlet in his doubts George Cassel-
berry was compellingly vindictive as
the priest, but Lionel Hogarth was a
rotentate. Edith Messer played the
Queen who tried to bend him back to
the old cruel superstitions in n way
that made one doubt the advisablity OF
woman suffrage.
The plays. which have been presented
in London. will probably have theii
interest limited to the circles Of thos'
who read them in book form before Their
first American production by X. Dal
Gupta yesterday. Sacrifice" seemed
/ much too long-but then, apparently
! IN Indn one takes ones lunch TO tn,
/ play The pieces will be repeated ir
/ their simple settings the first three af
| ternoons of next week