The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1921-04-21
'Liliom,' Nep Play
on After Life, Is
Brilliant Cameo
Theatre Guild Reaches Acme
Of Career in Last Produc-
ton Of Season.

The Theatre Guild made its last pro-
duction OF the season at the Garrick
Theatre last night, and, like all swan
songs. il was the acme of its career.
"Liliom." announced as a legend In seven
scenes and a prologue by Franz Molnar.
was Barrie done in terms Of realism
instead of sentimentality. IL sur
mounted the curious mixture composing
it. threading It's way delicately between
daring and reverence, allegory and stark
realism, with glints of rude humor and
moments Of primitive emotion that took
fire from more than the red spotlight.
In the end it shaped itself as most
bizarre and brilliant cameo, true
adornment to the American stage
Moinar has revised the question that
Barrie put in MARY Rose The Scotch
playwright was concerned with the spec
ulation whether. II the dead could re-
turn. they would still find themselves
loved by changed world-that seemed
ID be as near as most persons could
get to his meaning. In 'Liliom." Mol
Iar has considered whether those who
depart this life. bringing misery on
others, could do anything to undo the
wrongs their characters had imposed.
AS the machinery for this inquiry he
has taken The legendary belief that sui
cides are allowed by heavenly powers TO
return to earth for one day, after years
of publication in purgatory. to see il
they can do one good deed that will
entitle them finally TO paradise.
Power of Personality.
The Hungarian dramatist's answer
would appear to be that such a soul
would be governed by the immuta BILE
laws of it's character, modified, but not
fundamentally altered, by a period OF
celestial probation. In other words
personality is more powerful than death.
leaving it's effects for years on those
remaining below.
For the chief protagonist of this theme
he has taken ''Liliom." the Hungarian
slang term for "a tough descrip-
ton well merited in this case for the
young man is q picturesque roughneck,
the barker and bouncer for a merry -go-
round in a Budapest amusement park.
Tor all his handsome looks and cava-
lier ways with the women he suddenly
falls in love with a simple girl OF in
nocent ways and marries her.
After being a ne'erdowell husband
constantly out OF work and even beating
his wife, he is caught in an attempted
holdup. and rather than 90 to prison his
passionate nature leads him to stab him
self Then begins the most interesting
fragment Of this rather episode play
the hearing before a sort Of lower mag
istrate's court In heaven. and the return
to earth fifteen years later TO assay the
good deed, only to slap his posthumous
child in Mt of petulance just after she
has charitably given him food.
The inference would be that one can
not escape ones destiny on the earth OF
off IL. but the playwright has himself
weakened his thesis. In the court scene
a character who has been through pur-
gatory and who was said to have been
just as stubborn as LiiioDt reports that
he did his good deed on earth and is
allowed within the pearly gates. IMAM
swered is the question why LiNoH. after
the same cleansing, could not reach the
same goal