The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-12-25
MIR. Otis Skinner
Still Seeks for
A Regular Play
Certain Aspects of BLOOD and
Sand" Indicate That the
Search May Be Long.
R EARLE DORSEY

enough even when considered in general
terms. but when one comes TO the ease Of
Otis Skinner and plays that have served rim a,
vehicles." for the past three years one concludes
that something must be very wrong indeed ana
that not all Of II may be charged TO the vriters
II 10 common TO associate Otis Skinner with
the more or less sturdy dramatic material Of "A
Celebrated Case" The Cock o. the Walk" .-rh.
Honor Of the Family" or. more l.tteriy ''Kismst"
and Mister Antonio" OF this quintet Of plays 81 IS
probable that SINNERS charscterizstson a, -,
Philippe Brfdeau in The Honor OF the Family
stands out head and shoulders above the re,t for
skinners unsuccessful attempt TO revive that nusty
triumph OF swashbucklng several years ago would
seem to Indicate that he feels that way about IL
For the last three years. however-in fact ever
since Mister Antonio" laid away in I.ven-
dsr-sfinner has been appearing at annual inter
walls in . dreary procession of shoddy confsctIon,
which, In the main were dsting uished SOLELY bv
ne shameless opportunity they afforded Mr. skin
ner to enact his plenteous and individual stsge
mannerfsms. which, after three or four repe-
rtons become BIT tiresome of and by them
selves
Mister Antonio" gave way to Horse. Ann.slev
Vachefs Huu1pty>Dumpty" There was q certain
Turing quality m 'Humpty-Dumpty" that deserved
more than the shabby reception Il received but
nevertheless IL was received. and the follow
ing year Mr. Skinner strutted forth in nj. revival
OF The Honor Of the Family
This play. magnincently popular In tn.
earlier days Of the Skinner career had little to
commend # to the public of today and # followed
Humpty- Dumpty~ into obscurity with shocking
haste whereupon there snsued such v.r-t,Y
snatcAers 'Pietro- and AT the villa Ro.,"
probably two of the plays In n. Who'll,
Skinner repertoire and be eclipsed in that
regard by even 80 msnifestly lacking an AFFAIR a,
Tom cushinrs adaptation of Ibsne1's Blood and
Sand
However. there is q teIl-tsle something about
FLOOD and Sand that causes . momentsry re-
taxation Of sympathy for Mr.. skinner in hi, lon.
long search for . decent play. That 8. nothing
more than the Pact that Blood and Sand orfs-
inaly . play and not a characterization-z play IN
10 auEth
lust and the cruelty Of his countrymen-hsd been
tufnsd nom play into . characterization that
enabled Mr. Skinner TO spend many gaudy minutes
before the fooaishts' donniRE his ring res.Iis.
flirting with . cold hearted Nmirer and otherwi,.
disportng himself In fashion that left little room
Of any sort for the Interpretation of a play that
business OF permitting Otis Skinner to act
In other u'o,ds, Blood and .Sas6" nos a-oEss6
the ssspioion-o rpspicon that tsl net dozpn--taxf
NJ. Skinners dise-IrHnating eye sees osly Sssa(s;
roles and rorely srorthuhde floys rsile TIE rs
is his eredtior of SHox gigonhe liiencSy otascsSs
that season otter season finds htm hHsfrf ~ sasfs
for ,rdferidL
The weeping and the wsilng that constantly
rises from the ranks of the producing fraternity
goes without q let-up. Ninety per cent Of the
gossip Of the show business" is freirhted v1th-s
pessmistic message Of bad theatrical conditions
in the country. Scarcely q producer before the
public {. not joining In the ascending chorus that
qufveringly vibrates up and down Broadway.
What is really the matter with the thester and
conditions governing the theater7
At FIRST glance one might heedlessy join in the
lament. II is a known fact, of course that out
side Of cities like Washington. Philadelphia New
York and Boston even great concert srtists like
John Mccormack are singing to audiences far from
capacity and in some concerts of this type
have been Cancelled owing poor attendance
On the other hand there is a small handful OF
discerning producers who are succeeding wonder
fully well in establishing a against the weep
and walters and gnsshers of teeth. One OF these
producers is David Beissco who. with very poor
year in 1880, has already brought Manhattan TO
his thsater with Andre Picsrd's "Kiki" and who
has made At least q partial Of ouitry's
The Grand Duke" ofset the iament.sle public
refusal to patroniss his production Of The wander
ing Jew
Then comes Max Pemserton with nj. ye.r-old
version OF Miss Lulu Bett" Playing the Gxrrick
in Washington he runs UP q very fair boJ-ofhce
total despits the hsndicaps under which the Gar
rick labors- Likewise, MT. Pemberton. as though
in total Ignorance Of conditions In the theater
throughout the country. launches tour with
Enter Madame There are others in the list
like Tyler, who. with q production OF Booth Tsrk-
ineton's The Intimate Strangers" has apparently
scored decided ht while GOOD Morning. Dearie"
the dainty Dillingham; musical AFFAIR, is sold out
clear next summer.
There 10 another suspicious side all this
eye-rolling and nose-wiping. It IL manifested by
the character OF so-calied Broadway productions"
which pass their theatrical homage In Washington
Washington has splendid opportunity
watch the character OF the output. chiefly by
son of the fact that the shuoerts. who control .
Eoodiy share of the country's thesters send o good
many new offerings through the Garrfck In the
course of the try-out period.
In less than three months there hs, passed
through the Garriok perhaps a dozen plays.
The names OF of them The Fair Cir
cassian" The Mans Name" The Mad DOG"
Everyday" "Bluebeard's Eighth Wife" In the
Mountains" and The Mountain Man" OF the
bunch 'Biuebeard's Eighth wife" and The Mans
Name" along showed promise and today. less than
three months afterward. you will ind TRlve-
boards Eighth Wife, In the Mountains" and the
two-weeks-old The Mountain Man" alone OF the
list Broadway.
There 10 very little mystery connected y N
such conditions The whole question siraply
pivots the refusal of the public, stsaAzly
turning the income normal 20 frittsr -
money away awninG-striped shty<a NofaD-
Royce touring and high school drama C--t1S
seat All told, present day conditions - sh'v
favorsole TO the production OF good dr-ra and
very fatal indeed to the prod On a., drama wat
O.. rood