Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-01-05
THE HASKIN LETTER
ART TRIUMPHS IN THE THE
ATRE.


NEW YORK CITY. Jan. 2-As
night after night the New York
Theatre Guild continues to place
above its box Office window a sign
reading, sold Out" a surprising
truth is becoming more and more
self-evident: Nameiy.that the aver
age threatregoer is just as eager to
spend his money to see a good play
as q bad one
The play which the guild Is now
presenting to such crowded houses
is Bernard Shaw's "Heartbreak
House." II Is unouestionably of the
'highbrow' type. believed in Broad
way theatrical circles to be so fatal
to the. success of the box office.
Furthermore. 1t is not the only play
Of high artistic merit which is
drawing capacity houses here this
season. There are at least six 9TH
ers, including THE Mob" and THE
Skin Came" both by John Gals
worthy; Samson and Delilah," by
the Danish playwright, Sven LANCE:
'"The Woman of Bronze" by Henri
Kistemaeckers; Thy Name is Wo-
man." which is Karl Schonherr's
Der Weibsteufel' and MIXED Mar
riage." st. John Ervine's latest con-
trubution.
Incredible as IL may seem, the
public is clearly and regularly reg
istering a loud Hurrah for Art.
Either 1t had suddenly changed its
mind about what it likes on the
stage, or all along the big theatrical
producers have been wrong. For
years. they have been perfectly sure
of what the people wanted to, see in
the theatre. I'VE know what you
want" they told us firmly. you
want to be entertained, soothed,
tickled shocked. uplifted, and ex-
cited, but you do not want to be
made to think. Most of the plays
we give you are bad, but that's why
they succeed"
The fact that on an average of
sixty per cent Of these sure-fire hits
have failed miserably a month or so
after their production has had no
effect on this theory concerning the
tastes of the public. The fact that
literally millions of Americans are
now enrolled in community dra-
matte clubs, where they learn to
distinguish good plays from bad
ones, has likewise made no impress
sion in commercial theatrical circles
still, there is hope. The men at tine
head of the theatre industry have
not much faith in the intelligence of
the public. but they have infinite
faith in the cash receipts of the
b~oxofhce. And this season is con-
c~lusively demonstrating that art is
triumphing over twin beds, lin
gerie, spirit raps, Let-X-Equal-
Murderer Equations, and the
usual quota of feeble musical come
dies.
The Theatre Guild.
In great measure, it is believed,
this sudden rise and popularity or
we'll written dramas is due to the
work of the New York Theatre
Guild. For in producing Ervine's
John Ferguson" the guild first
proved to the New York theatrical
world that a play might be good
and at the same time a commercial
success In other words, they show
ed the public that 1t really was ca
pable of approaching something
good If it got the chance.
The immediate result was that
several Broadway producers were
compelled to go hastily through
their desks and bring forth n or
two of the hundred or more excel
lent plays that had been lying there
unnoticed for months. and to con-
slider producing them. 1t was a
risky venture, however, SO when
THE Jest" was put on to compete
with artist cfame of John Fergu-
son." it contained the two safely
popular Barrymores' Lionel and
John-enough to carry almost any
play An New Worthwhile Ethel
Barrymore was put in Zoe At
kins' play, "Declasse," because 1t
too, was considered risky on account
of its unhappy ending. Later Lilo
mel Barrymore was transferred to
the Brieux play, THE Red Robe"
given the American title of THE
Letter of the Law" and Elsie Fer
guson was temporarily snatched
from the movies to appear in Ar
mold Bennett's dfamatization of his
Book of C~arlotta."
All of these plays proving sue
cessful. the producers are taking
bigger chances this season. which
accounts for the unusually large
number of good plays to be seen.
The big producers, you see, cannot
afford to have the Theatre Guild
get away with All the dramatic art
laurels, because the guild is the one
small but important competitor of
the organized labor industry.
Since the actors strike. it is no
secret that the theatre industry is
completely controlled by an asso-
citation OF producers and managers
who W all the principal theatres
throughout the country and hence
virtually control all of the players.
For while you may be an extremely
popular star, you cannot get peo-
pie to come and see you unless you
hire a theatre. and the only way
you al hire a theatre in a good To-
cation in any fair-sized city is
through the managers and produc-
ers' association.
Fighting the Trust.
Years ago, when these associated
producers first began buying up all
of the available theatres. a few well
known actors and actresses. includ-
ing Francis Wilson, Joseph Jeffer-
son and Mrs. Fiske attempted to