The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-27
HaLbe'S German
Drama "YOuh"
Has a Revival
Drama Featuring an Imbecile
and UnlOvely Love Is Done
in English.

lahhuScnhh. .'...'.- MISS LOIS CnuIShlli
A4mendus. her brother; .,,...., Alan MeAteer
Father Gresor shigorski. :. Edward 3. Reese
ssstepneh. 80 .Heginsid sneiIlela
Another recruit was added last night
to the idiot drama. This does not mean
that Max Halbe's YOUTH" which Con-
roy and Meltzer presented at the Green
witch Village Theatre, was TO be con-
sidered an idiotic play-indeed. 1t was
mildly interesting, IL one cares for
pathology in a dramatic clinic. Simply.
it was one Of those compositions, like
The Treasure" Of recent date, In which
feeble-witted character is introduced
TO cause raptures over its artistic quail
ity apparently with Russian and allied
writer's the axiom is that theatregoers
with brains cannot really appreciate a
play unless one of the principal char
acters is brainless.
In this instance it is the mentally de-
formed stepbrother of Annuschka who
brings the piece to a tragic close by at
tempting to shoot the young student
cousin who has taken advantage OF his
sister and kills her instead, thus bolster
ing up the Nietzschean recommendation
for disposing OF the defective. The con-
viction persists at the end that art
would not die If all the half wits were
removed from the stage Also except for
private performances before the Amer
lean Academy of Medicine.
First Produced I'm German.
When this German drama was first
presented here twenty-seven years ago
in German by Heinrich Conried at the
Irving Place Theatre the impression
must have arisen, as It did last night
upon It's revival in English. that, after
all, Halbe had very little to say that
was original or attractive about the
kindling Of love in youth. except that
one had it but might get over it. His
thesis seemed to be that, given two
buoyantly healthy young specimens,
plenty of warm spring sunshine and
little privacy together. and kisses and
goodness knows whit might result.
Wedekind had tried more bluntly
similar biological dissection of love in
''The Awakening of YOUTH" but when
that was presented here some time ago
American audiences did not seem TO
care about appearing in the light of
small boys looking at naughty pictures.
Last night, lacking any new philoso-
phical enlightenment about the grand
passion, the spectators centered their
interest in the situation developed by
the short visit of a young university
student to the parsonage at Roszno on
the Polish border. which became vir-
tually study OF the effect of weather
on temperament.
While the emotion awakened IN the
girl meant life or death to her. but
meant little to the youth who wanted TO
go on and enjoy life unshackled. these
elements OF tragedy as handled never
struck q deeper chord than the "hush"
evoked over scandal There was an
ominous note of warning In that the girl
was the offspring of an affair similar
to that I'm which she INDUCED, and Ed
ward b. Reese. as Father Oregon ShiOor-
Ski, a curate with "A suppressed longing
for the girl, sounded that note sepul-
but after all the love represented
here seemed little more than a spring
fever. Even the COW caught the infec-
ton and had calf.
Bungiing I'm Love Making.
Perhaps the love making of the young !
couple seemed all the more bungling be- 1
cause the avoirdupois of passion ran |
high. Miss Lois Churchill and Reginald !
Az Naetd ho hpu ~ Oil afr