New-York tribune., 1920-11-04
The Emperor jones'
By O. ell Gives
Chance for Cheers
Most Thrilling Play of Sea-
SON Is Produced by Prov.
incetown Players i'm Mac
dougal Street Theater
By Haywood Broun

visions. when all the missing districts
are in, Eugene O'Neill's "The Emperor
Jones" seems to us just about the most
interesting play which has yet come
from the most promising playwright in
America. Perhaps we ought to be a
little more courageous and say right
out the best of American playwrights,
out somehow or other a superlative
carries the implication of q certain
static quality. We never see a pay
by O'Neill without feeling that some
thing Of the sort will be done better
within season or so. and that O'Neill
will do it,
AS gorgeous piece as "The Emperor
Jones has loose ends huttering here
and there as they trail along with the
clouds Of glory. This is a play of high
trajectory and up above the country
stores and the lobby of the Palace Hotel,
"uppinger Falls, ten months later,
atmosphere which makes it difficult TO
avoid an occasional slip this way and
{ that.
The Emperor Jones" tells Of an
American negro, Pullman porter, who,
by some chance or other, comes to an
island in the West Indies, mot yet self
determined by white marines" In two
years Jones has made himself emperor
Luck has played part, but he has been
quick to take advantage Of it. Once a
native tried to shoot him at point blank
range. but the gun missed FIRE, where
upon Jones announced that he was pro-
tected by charm and that only silver
bullets could harm him. When the plav
begins he has been emperor long enough
to amass fortune by imposing heavy
taxes on the Islanders and carrying on
All sorts of largescale graft. Rebel
lion Is brewing. When Emperor Jones
rings the bell which should summon his
servants no one appears. The palace
is deserted, but from deep in the Jungle
there comes the sound of the steady
beat of big drum. The islanders are
whipping up their courage to the fight
ing point by calling on the local gods
and demons of the forest
Jones, realizing that his reign is
over, starts to make his escape to the
coast where French gunboat is an
TO travel through the jungle and as
time presses he must go through at
night. Back in the states he was a
good Baptist and he begins Inc Jour
ney through the dark places unafraid
But under the dim moonlight he can
not recognize any familiar landmarks
and. hard az he runs. the continuous
VI "i'"cn a., never grows any less IN his
ears. Then demons and appartons
begin to torment him. First it is the
figure of negro he killed back in the
states. He fires and the dim thing
Vanishes, but Immediately he re-
proaches himself, for in his revolver
now he has only five shots left Four
are lead bullets and the tifth is a silver
one which ne has reserved for himself,
II by any chance capture seems imm-
rent.
Other "little formlcss fears" creep in
UPON him. AS mis- panic increases the
fears become not things il his own
llfe, but old race fears He sees him
SELF berg sold in slave market and
then most horrible of all, Cong
witch DOCTOR tries to lurc him to dealt
IN a river where q crocodile god is
waiting 1t is at this point that he
fires his last bullet, the silver one.
During the night he has discard
MS big patent leather boots and most
OF his clothes in order to run faste
from the drum beat. But it is loude,
now than ever and in the last seen.
we find the natives sitting about in
circle weaving spells and moulding bu
lets. ana 1t IS to this spot that ths
defenseless and exhausted emperor
crawls, having made complete circle
IN the jungle as his panic whipped
him on
The play is of eight scenes and it is
largely a monologue by one character,
the Emperor Jones Unfortunately. pro
duct!on IN the tiny Prcvinco.o Thea
ter Is dlhcult and the waits between
these scenes are often several minutes
IN length. Each wait is a vulture which
preys upon the attention. With the
peglnnlng of each new scene, contact
must again be established and all this
rnquestionably hurts. Sti'l we have ne
olsposltlon to say, "If only the play had
Deen done IN the commercial theater'l"
ms IS not lnfrequert comment when-
ever little theatcr does fine piece
of work and it seems TO US to have in if
something OF the spirit OF a man stand
ing on the deck of a great liner who
should remark. "Wasn't Columbus a
tub!" NV
"The Emperor Jones" is 50 unusual in
lts technique that it might wait in vain
TOR production anywhere except in so
adventurous a playhouse IS the Prov.
lncetown Theater. As matter of fact
tne seftlng of the play on the little
stage IS flne and ina aginative and the
iighting effects uncommonly beautiful
ihere is nothing for complaint but the
delays. Also, if "The Emperor Jones"
| were taken elsewhere we have littl.
doubt that the manager would engage
| wv ''@iiA WIN d ptCCc OIL puTNl cork
to play Brutus Jones. They have done
better in Macdougal street The Emperor
is played by negro actor named
Charles 5. Gllpin, who gives the most
thrlIllng performance we have seen
any place this season. He sustains the
succession OF scenes in monologue not
only because his voice is one of a
gorgeous natural quality, but because
ne knows just what TO 90 with it, All
the notes are there and he has also
an extraordinary facility for being in
the right place at the right time Gen
orally he seems fairly painted into the
scenic design. One performance is not
enough to entitle player to the word
great even from a not too careful
critic, but there can be no question
whatever that in "The Emperor Jones"
Gl!pln is great. 1t is q performance
OF heroic stature. 1t is so good that
the fact that it is enormously skillful
seems only incidental.
Aside from difficulties of production
there are some faults in O'Neill's play.
He has almost completely missed the
opportunities of his last scene, which
should blaze with vast tinder spark of
irony. Instead. he rounds it off with a
snap of the fingers, little 0. Henry
dido. We cannot understand just why
he hes allowed the Emperor to die to
the sound Of off stage shots 1t is our
idea that he should come crawling to
the very spot where he meets his death