New-York tribune., 1920-01-26
Books

1t was announced recently that Henry
L. Mencken and George Jean Nathan
had written play called "Hehogabalus,"
and that arrangements were being made
for the simultaneous production Of the
drama in Berlin, Paris and as we re-
member it, Cairo and Moscow. However.
the play is available now to q small por-
ton of the New York public in its
printed form. The publication is made
by Alfred Knopf, who announces on the
folder: This edition is limited to 1000
numbered copies, printed from type The
type has been distributed and any re-
issue in English Is most unlikely"
The implication seems to be that this
is a rare and magical stuff which
Mencken and Nathan have woven, fab
ric as beautiful and as elusive as the
cloth for the king in Hans Christian
Andersen's fairy tale. You may rcnem-
Der that the properties of this cloth were
such that anybody who could not see it
was unworthy of the job which he held.
1t is great temptation to emulate the
little boy in the fairy tale who finally
broke down tho conspiracy Of pretense
by shouting at the king: "He hasn't
got anything on" But it would hardly
be fair, for, though the fabric of Menckeu
and Nathan seems to us to fall far short
of the magical properties implied it is
good serviceabe stuff Dramatically
speaking, 1t Is as sure and substantial as
red flannel
In justice it should be admitted at the
outset that the play has one remarkable
quality. In the entire three acts the
word "pishposh' is used only once and
then not until late in the evening. The
authors have called their piece "a Buff
foonery," and it is in effect q burlesoue
of the bedroom farce. Just how New
York managers have been able to resist
it so far puzzles US. 1t seems to US that
A. H. Woods would undoubtedly sign a
contract on the scene description of the
second act alone:
Some time in the middle Of the wear
221 A. D.
"The scene is the cubicula nocturna.
or bedroom, Of the Emperor in the Pal
ace. Time: 10 p. m.
"A rather shallow and crowded apart
ment, with doors at the left and upper
right and a single window at the right.
The Romans, Of course, did not have
beds of the sort we sleep in to-day. The
thing they used was sort of chaise
longue-that is, 1t had no footboard.
Heliogabalus's bed is to the left of the
spectator, with its back against the
back wall and its foot facing the foot
lights. Beside it, separated by space
OF no more than two feet, is the huge
bed of his wives. 1t is, in design, ex-
actly like his own, but it is at least
twenty feet wide. The bcdclothing
stretches unbrokenly from side to side
OF It, but there are separate pillows
twelve of them, each embroidered with a
large monogram in purple"
The play tells of the manner in which
Hcliogabalus becomes cnamored of "a
Christian girl named Lucia, and how.
after their marriage, she induces him to
Danish the eleven other wives from his
sleeping apartment. And in the last act
we learn why Heliogabalus finally de-
cided to rid himself of the Christian wife
and restore to favor Dacia the beauti-
full pagan.
Mencken and Nathan have told their
story with great deal of gusto The
play has surprisingly small amount of
wit. but it is lively, good humored and
fro!icsomc. Compared to a burlcsoue Of
the first rank, such as Shaw's "Grcat
Catherine" it seems pale product, but
then there are few enough members of
tho first rank in any school Of drama
Good second rate stuff is not to be de-
spiscd. While Mcnckcn and Nathan are