The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-11
'Galsworthy War
Drama The Mob,'
Produced Here
Play With PacifiSt Hero Opens
Neighborhood Playhouse
Season.

| With the first American performance
Of John Galsworthy's political drama,
THE NIB" the Neighborhood Playhouse
began on Saturday q dramatic season
to continue for several months It's start
was highly successful. The little thea
| ire was crowded by an interested
audience which had plainly travelled
| from the north for the purpose OF wit
Messing this famous drama.
''The Mob" was given first in March,
1914. at Miss Horniman's theatre in
Manchester. Sir Beerbohm Tree planned
| to act the drama in London and both
Otis Skinner and Winthrop Amee were
discussed as possible sponsors OF 1t
here. But the great war came and there
was no impresario and probably no pub
| lie for play with a pacifist hero. SO
until the artistic powers OF the Grand
| Street institution undertook to give New
| York an opportunity to know the work,
| 1t was accessible to the Galsworthy
admirers only in book form. 1t seems
| to have found on the monumental
stage of this downtown theatre its ap-
propriate place in this city.
1.-The Mob" Is essentially a war play.
| It's hero who, on every occasion, speaks
and writes against popular war I'M
dertaken by England might have car
ried on successfully in public life the
martial traditions Of his family but for
| the decision of his great country to
discipline to the last degree the little
one that had offended it. Although
| there Is no definite mention Of the strug-
gle, the Boer war is plainly meant.
This hero is uncompromsing in his OPP
position. He is driven from the house,
! he is Kissed and even stoned by the mob
and still breaches the crime of his coun-
| try's course. He is even forsaken by
| his family and in the end murdered by
n woman who has lost her son in the
war he contemns.
| Mr. Galsworthy shas added an AFTER
math" to these scenes of struggle 1t
| Is monument erected to the memory
Of this hero. on it are the words
Faithful to His Ideals"
There are signs of the Galsworthy de-
| cline in this work, fine as its denuncia-
ton of the rule Of the senseless mob may
be, in the speeches of the determined
| man of peace. There Is occasional power
! in them, although power is not the note
of the piece. It's effect is indeed rather
vague Nobody gets the impression of
| life from its scenes, however eloquestly
the characters may speak at times.
| Whether the hero is addressing the hos
| tile mob or warding off its missiles. the
| impression is vague. the print is pale.
|
| which has been observable in the au-
! thor's recent writings weakens the eff
| feet of this play, which should begin and
end and always sound the note of
| strength and force. None of the au-
thors plays to reach the American stage
is feebler in its impression as drama
! than this one. 1t is interesting because
It is the work of one OF the foremost
English men Of letters who has under
| taken to write for the stage, but 1t is
| not enSrossing it itself Then. it's lack
of humor is all but unforgivable. even
| in view Of its theme.
Ian Maclaren played well the mar
! tyred hero, and II he were not more
| forcefil. IL Is because that trait does not
reside in the man as the author has
| drawn him. Miss Deirdre Doyle was APP
| pealing as the sympathetic but finally
| homeless wife The long list Of brief APP
| partitions was in the main admirably
| played: none certainly was better than
| Whtford Kane or Miss Helen Reimer in
/ its performance. Warren Dahler's scenes
were most artistic and suggestive of the
spirit of the drama.