The Washington herald., 1921-02-20
Last Years Hit
Growing Popular
With Stage Stars
Doris keane, Warfield and Post
In No Hurry to Shift
Their Roles.
By EARLE DORSEY.

themselves the tender mercies of newer
crop Of theater cobblers.
Miss Doris Keane. revivins her major success,
Edward sheldons Romance" has placed herself
definitely within the ranks OF those artists who prefer
a but comfortable dramatic vestmcnt to some
thing that draws under the arms and fails to
meet in the back. Guy Bates Post, with four-year
service in The Masquerade" is another who seems
losth find a new tailor. while David Warheld has
already revamped several well-made stage hts Of
earlier years. Otis Skinner in even worse predica-
xment. has apparently outworn his old clothes and
drama called AT the Villa Rose"
The list. I expect. could be prolonged indefinitely
but four examples will serve. That brings one to
the point Of inquiring-now that everyone is blaming
the movies with something-what part the pictures
have played in the ghastly shortage OF new stage ma
terisI that confronts the theatcr.
It may be wild to that the pictures,
quite without malice and apparently unable to help
themselves have contributed, in no small to
this condition Primarily. they have corralled, in an
effort similar screen shortage, what seems
90 per of the worthwhile available output
list Of the colony at Hollywood reads like
a who's Who in English Stage Fiction and even the
Avery Hopwood, reputed to have made al
ready his first million in stage writing. has sue
cumbed in at least. to the same golden cinema
lure
The pictures seemingly. have created another
condition that must moi be overlooked They have
given the American people the theater-going habit
in a thcy have contributed to the pros
pcrtty Of the stage by yearly graduating into the
ranks OF stage patrons an increasing numoer OF
hitherto placid American citizens.
Ills class Of theater- goers. accustomed for the
most part the hectic and dazzling mania of
= the fIm field for newer and freshcr pictures has
brought into the staid footight realm new
notc Of haste and fashion a rapid off with
tendency that has been distinctly in
fIuentiaI in limiting a lesureIy enjoyment Of
fOotIfght success that formerly enabled stage
writer's to keep abreast of the demand.
However, that time seems to have psssed-for
how long, hesitates to predict. While keying
the stage faster production tempo. the pictures
have, at the time, vastly foreshortened the
available supply material by annexng a heavy
percentage of the American writing output. The re-
sTF is the ephemeral elevation to prominence Of play
wriEhts stun will not stand but who retain
In commanding position solely by the operation of
an artihcialIy created demand.
Personally inclined to believe that the stage
is coming to speak, and dropping
arbitrarily and Of necessity, into lesurely
mace There is particular reason. apparently, why
star should feel that single season is the whole
snan Of a good plays life. David Warneld probably
scored almost heavily in his revvaIs of The Auc-
tioneer' and Peter Grimm he did in his FIRST
sppearances vehicles Posts takings in The
Masuuerader' continue to the mark and one has
heard nothing date of his intention to abandon it
Immediately.
The fugiting Of tempus is another factor
contributing the force of the slowingdown move
ment Each passing year brings into the theater
now crop sophs and froshes to whom the stage
trumphs of ten years .unwritten
chapter. Yearly this fresh legion of theatergoers
makes up a greater and greater percentage of the
pa
has with his Way Down East" revival the
time may not far distant when the more
fortunate Beasco may hnd himself turning back to
"Zaza." Tho Heart OF Maryland" likely
stn. "DuBarry."
WHILE the movies are under consideration-theyI
w have a sly habit of impregnating most theater
comment nowadays-one hastens give tongue
to D. Grfhths latest announcement to the effect
that Goethes profound dimfnortaI Faust" be
pletion Of Street" the Thomas Burke adapta
tion.
1t is not a long step from Goethe Flaubert and
apparsntIy hewing closely. if accidently.
line in referring recently to version of
-saIammbo."
Griffith announces incidentally, that he will fol-
low the original Goethe text Of Faust" closely
than it has been observed in either opeEatic or dra
matte versions of the past And by way of added
snp he says that the musical accompaniment will
be synchronized to Gounods and will have,
tberein probably closest approach to screen
opera yet seen.
however, speaking as a Griffith enthusiast there
seems little to doubt of the outcome of the Grf
6tb impulse sent him to Browning for story in
the diaper=days Of the industry when superspecial
-sn for 500 feet Of hlm Furthermore, it me
,L.t C;ririth's production Of Faust" Successful
av become Of a list of brilliant Griffith
classic adaptations, though do not believe that
c-ini,hs greatest and final efforts will be accomplish
ed In this ned Whatever ne may 90 Oh an unusual
nature the classic field is likely to resolve itself
into a of postgraduate production course in
1xbich the Griffith mastery Of camera dramatic
,banies will be smoothed polished, preparatory to
the hnal and probably the greatest of his
. Because Griffith is Inherently American and be-
cause his success represents such glittering
faeet of the romantic panorama call America, 1t
has always seemed that Griffith, in the end, must
turn his finished attention to. fuIl-length screen
dramas that will paint in gorgeous, flaming colors
the epic drama OF America-the drama Of by
Americans Of which Emerson and Walt Whitman az
Iong-ago visions and which has been skinned only
by men like Frank Norris.
vSn be interesting. however, to watch the out
come Of GraRith's newest turn OF manner.