South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-12-23
ACTORS STAGE WAR
; ON INDECENT PLAY
Sirangest Theatrical Strike is
Revolt Against Sensual
on Stage.

|.--r"a o.. .Ie Lyric STOCK 10
have refused 10 play in Avery Hop
woods -Our Little wife" charging
a lts Ines and situations are
s-rassv indecent and that 20 appear
.r -.e production would lnjure their
rer-ta-.ers ir me community
IT. this dcadeg ~ AL places. a
summer res1r. iu December, has be-
gun the .1.-aI qulverirEs OF an
earthquake which threatens the
foundations OF all theatrical tradi-
ions FROM the days OF Eur.pldes
90 The present regime % Al Woods,
t.esDlals have repeated the words
placed iu .her mouths By the
dramat.s.s lnconcerned about the
nioraLs or ethics OF the characters
portrayed. 30 one ia a Broadway
show ever revealed squeamlsh ten
dency about the subject matter Of
the piece.
True. the fippant Mr.. Hopwood
ard his dear, dirty plays nave been
under FIRE in New York as attested
Dy the recent tempes- brewed by his
latest production. THE Demi Virgin,
bu- the complaints have come from
beyond the footIghts. not behind
them.
When The strike" Began.
The Lyric players. recently organ
lied by Sell a. Benzie at Ashury
Park. obtained It's repertoire OF plays
from "a Broadway broker The com
Danv had ended its week OF Turn
TO the Right" and had completed it's
10Th rehearsal OF "Our Little wife, q"
when Bcrze returned from a shO-t
bus ness trip out Of town.
Local newspapers had advertised
"Our Little Wife" as the next at
tractiou. autographs had been posted
and the programs printed when
Beuzie returned 10 Asbury Park.
Before he had removed his overcoat
he was waited on by n delegation
OF three women members Of his COM
pauv.
They are Nina Tempest. Edna
Peckbam and Florence Rowan. In
few words they made it plain that
they would leave the company be-
fore consentiug TO interpret the roles
IN the Hopwood play. At first Benzie
was furious. He had paid out
q considerable sum for royalties and
advertising. and had gone TO the
trouble Of obtaining special scenery
for the production
But when the men I'm the company.
which is composed entirely of Equity
members threatened TO walk out
with the women. the manager capt.
ulated Ee was compelled 10 an
nounce the play was not up TO the
standard Of his company and con-
,nue the Old bill.
Had 40 Been Censored Before?
There was no strike Of actors four
or five years ago when "Our Little
wife" made it's first appearance in
New York and subsequently, was
presented on the road. Stiu. some
discretion and much censorship by
producing managers must have at
tended the earlier productions of
the farce. for it is Avery Hopwood
lu HE most u1s8vOry mood
The action deals with the intimate
relations of D0Go Warren, a young
wife. her husband and a desirable
bachelor. Bobo. In the second act
the wife makes Open pointed, even
abandoned advances TO the desirable
youth Reclining ON q couch she
attempts 20 arouse the affections OF
Bobo.
"Tm cold B0bo." she says.
shall 1 put another log on the
FIRE he asks.
us that necessary" she replies
with a world Of scorn.
The scene progresses until "risque"
IL q word no longer descriptive of
it's tendencies
In still ane-her scene the young
wife IS warned away from a door
20 mans bedroom.
"I love mems bedrooms" she an
uounces. "thevre so practical"
These lines themselves do not en-
tireIy convey the obvious intentions
of The play. But the stage business
and the authors stage directions
leave nothing iu doubt.
Couldn't Tame II"
have appeared in tights said
Miss Edna Peckham who came from
the Alcazar in san Francisco to Join
the Lyric players. 'I am willing 10
do SO agaln If the production de-
mands 90. and I never have been ac-
cused Of being "a prude. But when
g. comes to d thing like this I de-
cline. We studied cr:r parts. hoping
,ye could tame this wild Hopwood-
ism aut the second act was worse
than the first and the third-weII.
here's rre scrip. See for Yourself"
cas- members OF a permanent
stock company" said Miss Florence
Rowan the irEenue. I'VE are more
or less permanently Identified with
Che Ifa of the community. People
are coming 90 know us personally.
find -hey tl5re es largely by the
parts we play The company has
been taken up hy very pleasant fam
lies ir Astu-y TarE
$40 longer ago chan yesterday one
of mas r.w friends said she knew
naH charming disposition beca use
do pleasant parts so naturally.
wonder wha, she would say III she
saw we in the Eopw00i r0'e?"
So far as The Lyric players are
concerned the AFFAIR i1 Asbury Park
theatrical circles subsidized with the
surrender az che management It's
effect on Broadway. however. IS not
vet concluded ard The case of the
Lyric players ts expected 20 be cited
i1 court before the affair Of the
Dem. Nire-n" has been decided.
XMAS CANDIES.
Large Quantities 81 Xmas candies
ar reduced prices az the Diana. III
S. Washington az. 357
GRAPE CRVVT