The Washington herald., 1921-10-16
IN THE GLARE OF THE FOOTIGHTs OF MDOCTOBER q
The Comedy Craze
BY EARLE DORSEY.

-
yxTITHoUT seeking hnoy deluxe. of
w piest of badgered existence will be the moment
that uhers in the undertaken and his fOradyde perform
the last gladstone for comedy that nfests
the American thester
quite thing pedestal
trospeeon sheer away at the frenzy for patos that
81. T,.r.,r tbi, "a .Si &c -. ~ y,i.n -. -
mssqueraded decline" and when hero
inc allotted at least one big death scene per drama Very
ish and highly ld let at but classic and dged
by comparison with the low for that mOvaies the
dueon tendencies of Of all popular drama of the day.
Fortunately, last much longer
There already evidences that dying of malnuOn that the
okesmhs reaching the end of their long they
actors taun their audiences with cynical references the S origin
of that convs the orchestra Each passing day the
standard huor the hour wearing and tradbae while
the supply steadily dwnd under the demand OF the
duesrs for something to make EN- aughF'
interesting mighty change of theatrical that
people followed
days weBconditioned audience
brook included death Il
was foreordained conclusion that someone somehow
exceptionally insurance risk
The happy ending less de there had be
thing emoonay convince audience of that
getting moneys worth
Those days herones beset by
Odds spcer haassng them from
side the of heroes and beeebowd villains in the
matter of insenue The byay Of circumstances that we
milk the audience of Centennial times
opera ia Boheme" with Mimi gasping her death
with lover holding her hand distinctly the su fat
sentiment of the period
Az
w stalked comedy motif grim and
perhaps and seduOus of Benjamin
day cachnnate in meed unison jokes that
were stale when We learned se the
theatrical unes response Irrelevant and inter-
pated wm, and in place of humor carefully developed BY &C
ton md situation, obedienty gigge at Toe Miller
Some may the solution lies the necessity for
laugh he not Some will contend that the nation
having Of thirty back now turning
to of laughter But why asks should civilized
humanity forced the other emotional etremef
possible further from neothe savasey that man
must y to himself unpleasant opposite
Is humanity where find pleasure and Theatre
profit in a we'll etched picture Of our puny affairs?
Personally suspect humanity this republic has not yet
reached conempave Of appreciation
the arts obsed with the desire from itself and
its presumably appreciate tragedy with
attaching tragedy and by the token riots hay
of whatever quality becomes part of that hary The
faculty detached logical appreciation missing The eater
appeals, 10 the a purely emotional way.
am thinking sadly enough, Miss Lulu Beu and its first
night audience Monday night Here book
tremendously advertised As play its excellence had
but when opened Washington
the audience resembed stock matinee with the leading man m
definitely down with the In other words there was practically
no outpourng noticing what probably the best play
Washington will see this season
Miss Lulu Bett" play of course, which advr
sed as the years laughing fleeing but definite
impress hghbrow therefore be lacking
in "comedv clearly contained when
one considers matter nothing in the play
cept of that Main Street stuff that lot OF people read
because it fashionable
Under such circumstances probably only natural that miss
Bet from the financial side did an unnviabe week at the
Despite this fact it of the outstanding funny
oil
developed aurey that fingers with for days
Much the timely, incisive but wholly mPOe
observations thoroughly impossible granddan with respect
for nothing And Miss Lulu Bett
causes nsn delight and hence becomes outside the
j popular pale.
finds the damaging results Of the craze for comedy
which, for the happyendng, kills OF the
noteworthy teater projects period The under
something that will stand forth shining example
of literary good that quickly forty heater
dagnoscians leap couch with loud ys for Joe Miller
As matter of fact thing would be supPortable it
wanted The trouble lies the TACT
that in place humor only desired and the Of
getting them questioned Profanity in form has long
The humorous qualities OF the word
damn" instance conceivable situations but m
results from agtated visibility but purely
from psychologist shock The Of the gteen
amendment has been thoroughly thin by lsRhge,es
barring it. So rabid IS the demand oF