The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-03

KIND OF actors l had enjoyed then and
attempt. indeed. to find favor with a
new generation by doing more or
less exactly what I had done twenty
years before. So I realized that my
time had come. I shut up shop at
once and am having rather a pleasant
time now watching the young fellows
20 through their careers as mana
gers
When Maurice Grau was too III to
continue Mt the head of the Metropoli-
tan Opera House-which was a much
more exacting duty in his day as no
amiable directors laid down for his use
an unlimited subsidy and the struggle
for a profit was on his overladen shout
ders-he took a period of rest hoping,
In vSn OF course, for recovery that
never came. 1t was no secret that he
intended TO resume his duties as an i'm
presario by organizing a French opera
bouffe company. It was in this way
that he began his work as q manager
nearly thirty years before.
In the meantime opera bouffe had all
but passed cut OF existence. There were
no more dive.tes OF the school of Aimee.
Paola Marie, Thee or the rest OF that
brilliant Gallo coterie. There were,
moreover, no works such as Offenbach
Lecocq and Audran had contributed to
the French stage. NJ. Grau never re-
covered his health sufficiently to put
into practice a plan destined to COM
plete failure. He had in the minute of
falling powers planned TO do something
once more that he had successfully ac-
complished in the past.
What was Mr.. Conan about on Mon
day night? Was he searching in the
air for another Seven Keys to Bald
pate"7 Was he engaged in trying to
repeat brilliant success of his earlier
days? He is too young a man to have
reached a stage that compels him 10
look back for Inspiration. lie is, more
over, the most beloved figure on the
American stage. He is the idol OF the
theatregoing public that has come under
the spell of his personality as actor or
singer or dancer. When he kicked up
his feet Sideways in the old Cohanesque
season the delight OF the audiencc~knew
manner at the opening of his present
no bounds. So there will be regret In
many quarters IL Mr.. Cohan, now that
he IL an impresario all on his own. sets
out to wander backward along the path
that has carried MIN so far into the
hearts OF the American people.
Dramatic laws are not deeply re-
spected In these days. They appear 10
be overruled too often nowadays 20 APP
peal TO the younger generation. As a
matter of fact what seems to be an
evasion of one of the laws OF drama
turgy is nothing OF the kind II may not
DO as obvious as the most usual hokum,
but familiar law may nevertheless con-
troll q situation. whether the unprofes-
sional spectator Is aware of it's use or
not. But every law of intelligent stage
craft built up by the experience OF gen.
erations was ruthlessly violated in THE
Tavern" Can any reasonable marr-er
expect that the public shall be interested
IN men and women about which II Is In
entire ignorance7 What does II matter
II they shoot pistols or shrek or make
accusations against one another 20 the
accompaniment OF thunder and light
ming? After n while the inevitable ennui
will assert itself. During the first act
or the play last Monday at the Conan
Theatre the audience all but passed out
with boredom.
Conditions were not improved by the
scenes In which tho vaeabond comments
on the stage action. To say that this Is
the great scene, or that the comic relief,
or this the real drama, has but one ef-
fect. 10 kills Illusion. Then what Is
ieft7 What Is the spectator seated in