New-York tribune., 1921-11-15
The Terge' Is on Edge
OF Dramatic Cree. : ..
Miss GiaspeT's York Full oJ
Fine Points, DetHy Handled
BY PrOpincetosrn Players

While in more than ono noteworthy
respect an extraordinary play. "The
Verge" by Susan Glaspell, which the
Provincetown Players presented last
night in their playhouse, at 1873 Mac
dougar Street, does not quite pierce
the bull's-eye of good art. With all Its
fine sensitiveness and moments of IL
Illuminating intuition, 1.-THE Verge" is
not = great piece of writing.
The play is good. but not great. Yet,
1t must be added. most Of our Ameri-
can dramatists would be proud Of such
a default of greatness; indeed. only
two or three OF them could SO fail.
The external story is not important.
set down it would seem to be the COM
monplace triangular advertisement.
Weman Rival Of Burbank
What Miss Glaspell sets out to do is
to depict the inner conflict Of the
woman Claire, who is q sort of Luther
Burbank. Claire's effort is to make
different. not better, but new flower
forms, and her work with the blossoms
things, it is symbolical of her desire
to discover new spiritual world. And
Miss Glaspell does suggest, often too
obviously, the aloofness or rather the
"awayness" of this odd, creative botan-
ist from Outside" things.
Now by "outside" things the botanist
means. definitely, the practical, un-
imaginative and conventional husband; !;
relatives and ancestors like to her
bourgeois sister; her own daughter,
"fnished' in q finishing school; and
the community group. OF course, some
of the "outside" things are intangible
even to Claire.
All these she is opposed to because
forms Of life. They are, it is her
opposed to becoming" Her creations
in the flower world, for example, are
resented by her husband. sister and
neutrality-suspicious. Of the COM
,munity group-as being we'll, sacri-
leRious. a usurpation Of Gods work.
There is that remarkable love scene
in the second act, when Claire tries to
hold Tom Edgeworthy, the only person
who understands her-so Miss Glaspell
says; her admission that she has not
found complete escape through her
Horticulture, but needs him. This scene,
fine as it is, is nevertheless slightly
involved and incoherent, and one can
not always follow. Nevertheless, it
kiVeS MatkHIcC WyCHefly an excep-
tional opportunity, and she takes more
than full advantage of it. One wonders
what would have happened t& the play
without the really marvellous acting Of
Miss Wycherly.
Suggests Character Only
Now, Miss Glaspell makes a pretty
good argument throughout, but it is
not the way in which Chekhov or a
lesser artist, Andreyey, would have
done it.
Miss Glaspell fails because her char
acter Claire is not detached being,
nor is she self-supporting; that is,
should the author withdraw her SEN
tences, 80 to speak, there would be no
Claire. The argument here is not that
there is no such woman as Claire, but
that Miss Glaspell has failed to create
that woman and has contented herself
merely with suggesting one.
OF the presentation side Of this play
one can wax greatly enthusiastic. The
other players, especially Miss Blanche
Hays and Henry O'Neill, are good, and
Cleon Throckmorton is to be con-
graduated on his remarkable tower
room set. George Cram Cook has really
made splendid production "The
Verge" is play every one interested
in good drama should see.