Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-03-17
EMPEROR JONES SHAKES HIS JOB
Of Being Emperor When He Pulls Fates Trigger
By WALTER d. HICKMAN.

''Inls mere Emper0rS JOB is sure hard
to shake"
When Brutus Jones, emperor of a spot
on a West Indian island, which is pep
pied by negroes, utters the confession
that it is sure hard to "shake off" his
job Of being a bogus ruler, l think we
have the keynote to Eugene O'Neills
THE Emperor Jones'"
That line uttered in the negros vernac-
ular contains the pathos of failure, the
abandoned hopes Of a brightly painted
future, the admission Of defeat and, above
all, the implied satire on justice.
1t is the natural expression Of a negro
who rose from the position Of a Pullman
porter after "pullin' off, two murderin'
jobs and then becoming the bogus en-
peror over his own people on an island.
1t implies the grim tpagedy-the trag
edy which comes to the owner of
troubled conscience. 1t predicts that
only by death can the emperor shake of
his job of being an emperor. 1t tells in
one sweeping line the grim tragedy
which 'O'Neil has painted in the con-
science Of the black emperor. think
that that line, although it sounds like m
alley joke, is the browning thought gem
Of this discussed tragedy.
Last night at the Masonic Temple, an
Indianapolis audience witnessed for the
Emperor Jones" We have the Little
Theater Society Of Indiana and the splen-
did dictatorship of Mr.. George Somnes to
thank. No legitimate theater in Indi-
annapolis would ever think Of presenting
this play and New York would never
have seen it unless it was first produced
by the Provincetown Players.
Last night the title role was played by
a local negro educator Mr.. Arthur T.
IL srrg.- 4
by Charles s. Gipin, a noted negro
actor. Mr.. Long dominated every scene
last night and gave to the role the great
beauty OF expressive infection which the
part demands I forgot last night that
a local man was playing the role and I
surrendered myself to the grim tragedy
which was unfolded on the Masonic
stage.
The cast which presented "The En-
peror Jones" as part Of the nth per-
formance of the sixth season Of the Little
Theater is as follows:
Brutus Jones, emperor Arthur T. Long
Harry Snithers, cockney trader.
Lem. a native chief IN. L. stevenson
An Old Native Woman Mrs. w. E. Brown
JeH. =. ..--. ............M NJ. l.. stevenson
Prison Guard. Observation-Disclosures.
.-.....G Glenn Campbell, Henry willis
Plaq William HacKene1er T6omo:
" AillAAi AAaCSAtLii0g 4 LOAA4tio
Gallagher
Spectators Observation-Disclosures.
MRS J. D. PIERCE Marjorie Chiles
AucUoDeer. ..--... Laurence NefdhnSer
Soldiers, Negro COnylcts and Slaves
L Ruther A Porter Alonzo Fields,
Bert Boyd. Wilbert Holloway.
Congo Witch Doctor. sam Trotcky
Crocodile Cod.
The play tells the story Of Brutus
Jones, who was Pullman porter in the
States, escaping from this country after
he had killed a man In a craps game
and later Draining a prison guard with
g shovel. The play opens in the throne
room of Emperor Jones. Harry Smith
ers, a cockney trader is feeling out the
emperor concerning what steps he would
take If the natives would rise against
him. II is here where the author gets
In some natural touches Emperor Jones
IS a wise "guy'-wasn't he a Pullman
porter1 He got the "coin' in the States
and he grabbed Off the long green"
from the treasury OF the empire. He
stole everything that was loose. He
planted the .'coin" in a foreign bank and
buried food In the forest in case of sud
den night.
He tells the white man" that he is
wiser than the fools he rules over.
He boasts that only a silver bullet could