The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-03-05
M E N, w o M E N
 A ND T HIN G s

IT you nave seen only tne Cruoe Punch and Judy shows or the exhibi- tions given on the vaudeville stage of mechanical dolls, you were, no doubt. surprised at the performance of Tony sarg's marionettes last night at the Jefferson theatre.
 I have already called attention to the fact that puppet plays, or exhibi- tions In which the parts of different characters are taken by miniature figures worked by wires, while the dialogue is given by persons behind the scenes are of very ancient date, as evidenced in art and history.
 The performances, which were the delight of the. Chinese, Indians, Burmese and other Oriental children; which gave infinite delight to the boys and girls of Greece and Rome; which caused the little ones of Italy, France and Germany to be filled with joy; which took English lads and lassies by storm; and which for so many years has made it's appeal to our own juveniles have ended by improvement to be diversion for men and women.
 In another story I told how ma rionettes had in France, Italy, Eng land and Germany been carried to such considerable degree of artis- tic protection as to be worthy of the notice of some of the greatest of the literary lights; while it is well known that in recent days the literature for the marionette stage has had an inn portant literary recruit inA the person of the Belgian author Maurice Maeter- linck.
 In my study into the origin of the puppet shows was pleased to dis cover that even the Puritans, with all their hatred of the regular stage, were yet human enough not to interfere with the marionettes. I confess it rather tickles my imagination to think of the possibility of Oliver Cromwells stopping long enough to watch the fun of a Punch and Judy show. We know that in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, puppet plays were exhibited in Fleet street and Hol- born bridge, localities infested by Puritans at the period of the restora tion.
 The evolution of the Punch and Judy idea into a modern marionette perforyn- ance under the master had of an artist like Tony Sarg is really great me chanical triumph. I use the words advisedly as the ones designed and clad by him under the manipulation of his eight trained "puppeteers' are almost life like in their appearance and most human in their speech. It Is nothing short of wizardry the ef- fects which they produce on the spec tators.
 But as wonderful as are the me chanical difficulties which are over come the most striking thing about the whole performance is that pup pets can be pathetic. Yes, what is stranger still is the fact that they tic as was Anatole France who re- marked that he found marionettes in Paris showing more intelligence than the actresses of the Comedie Francaise. Evidently one of his plays had suf- fered at the hartis of some inept comedienne or tragedienne.
 I know that most of the old play goers who never missed a chance to see Joe Jefferson in Rip Van Wrinkle that marionettes could make the characters live before their eyes almost to the same degree as the famous actor. The characters intro duced are Rip, his scolding wife, little Judith. his daughter; Wolf, his dog: Nicholas Vedder, Van Brummel the schoolmaster, William, the legged soldier that marries Judith; a sailor that gives his parrot named Pro fanity,' to Rip in exchange for pig that should have been sold in the iildt hcl,e tHIGe r. SuTlSlndS WuSlc1anS, Hudson and his. crew, and ghosts of various kinds, not forgetting a skele- ton. Rip drinks, his wife scolds and turns him out in storm; he goes to the mountains, where he does the bidding of Hudson and the goblins.
 Just at this time when everyone who owns pet dog Is watching him close ly to see to it that it is not slaugh- tered because of the war being waged against stray canines, I am sure that Wolf. Rips famous dog (name evil dently changed from Schneider" on account of its being Germany was loved by all who saw him. Some have claimed that he is one of the best actors in the business. Ills tail is as eloquent as that of any dog who ever moved without wires in real life, and ke has ears that are as temperamental as John Barrymore and alert as Mrs. Fiske. His bark has much variety, and he talks back to Rip with an un- failing responsiveness.
 
 It would seem as if Tony Sarg had taken the several stage visions and op- cratic re-vampings of this quaint old American folk tale. and with quiet little laugh all his own has quaintly and attractively burlesqued them all Nick yedder puffed clouds of smoke from his pipe between his guffaws, and was the jolliest of landlords. And