The New York herald., 1921-10-23
Broadway Is Just
a Big Main Street,
Says sMcKayM1rrs
Actor Thinks Human Nature
Here Is Same as in Small
Communities.

Broadway Il Just an owe. grown Main
Street after all and New York is moth.
ing more than Gopher Prairie, Mimi,
magnified thousand timos, and that L.
why the Sinclair Lewis story Is even
more popular in ths big CT y than in the
rural districts"
Such Is the opinion Of Mckay Morris,
who Is playing the village physician, Dr.
WtH Kennlcott. in the dramatization Of
Main Street" You often kear It said
that New York is only an overgrown VIII
lage and that there are just as many
rubes and come ons' born between the
Battery and K'ngsbridge as ever floated
srto the metropolis from tie tall tim
ter." he continued. In q talk about the
play the other day.
While that may be BIT Of an ex-
aggeration the fact Is that human ma
ture he eaborts doesn't differ much
from what II Is In the small communi-
test merely manifests Itself differ
entity. There's not a character in Main
street that mas not its counterpart In
New YORK. although the biz city environ
nient reveals II from another angle.
Take the character play, for in
stance-Dr. KcMnicott. He Is satisfied
with his surroundings and satisfied with
his friends. He sees no reason why the
routine OF their lives should be revolu-
tionized: what has been good enough In
the past Is good enough now and for the
future. even though 1t Is his beautiful
young wife from the city. Carol, who
wishes to do the upsetting. He believes
that Gopher Prairie and tn, surrounding
territory are Gods country and the in
habitants His chosen people.
us that attitude any different from
that OF the average middle class New
Yorker who Is pretty well satisfied with
conditions as they are-so long as he
gets his and who objects TO being re-
formed. whether It Is with regard to his
disteste for poetry. art and other high
Grow accomplishments. or his taste for
strorg drink Practically not. The
fundamental man Is the sane.
VI course the physical aspects are
oiilerent-the streets, the houses. tho
manner OF dress and speech, the way
In which business Is conducted. IN
New York storekeepers don't sit On
Kegs OF nails or bundles OF wire IN the
sidewalk In front of their shops and
iaze away the day talking inanities
about how warm Ii Ia, although their
conversation often is just as banal In
its own way; nor do the leading mer-
chants here wait on their customers IN
shirt sleeves and galluses. All this
helps create the small town atmosphere.
and produces the background against
which the play Of eternal human ma
ture is projected"
Mr.. Morriss portrayal of the pro-
v:ncial medico has been something of
surprise to those who have known
him in the past In the fanciful and
symbolic roles in the Dunsany plays
produced by Stuart Walker. Very d.f-
ferent in Dr. Kennicott in his hand
me-down suit and his midwestern
d:awl from King Argamenes and from
the aesthetic King In 1.-THE Laughter
OF the Gods" and likewise the anti
thesis Of Dcnsctrtos, the sculptor hero
CT "Aph-odite" which Mr.. Morris
played at the Century.
II was Stuart Walker who developed,
or discovered. Mr.. Morris's versatility
and cast him for this role when Main
Street" was tried out by Mr.. Walkers
stuck company In indianapolis several
weeks ago. The Shuberts Immediately
engaged him for the New York produc-
tion to be featured with Miss Alma
Tell, who interprets the role Of Carol
Kennicott.