New-York tribune., 1921-10-30
NEW YORK, October 23, 1921.

day-"W nat becomes OIL the people III
play after the play is over?' seems
to me to appeal to the imagination Of
the playgoer. Life does not end with
i, marriage, nor does it begin with the
commencement day exercises. They are
each a sort Of starting point for an
other drama or comedy. A play that
has its beginning with certain prob
lem and ends with its solution is lack
ing in imagination and is void of The
human Characterization that is the very
essence Of good play.
II the play is over with the drop Of
tho curtain at IL o'clock, then indeed
is the labor OF the playwright and the
actor Of no avail. II the play has
failed in its mission, if it does not
set in motion the wheels Of imagination,
then it is Of no consequence, and 1t
will die Of inanition, ard there is just
as much imaginative quality in well
written comedy as there is in an equally
we'll written tragedy. PERI onally ]
prefer comedy. l think there is just
as good art in the happy ending as
there is in the final death scene, and
it is certainly more satisfying.
The author of tragedy and comedy
alike must wind up his story and let
the audience 60 about their business
Of appraising it's value. The author OF
tragedy kills his heroine-thc poor
man probably didn't know what else
to do with her, she's dead and there's
an end to it--and the audience can only
speculate al to whether she would have
died If she had chosen path other
than the one the author laid out for
her. In q comedy the heroine has, By
ingenious devices, threaded hey way
through the maze and traps set for her
by the author and emerges triumphant.
The Author Must
Have His Tricks
The latter formula, | know, smacks
Of trickery, but this may be said of all
plays. Every author must be allowed
his tricks, just as the magician is al
lowed his. Life as it really is would
be unintercsting on the stage; it must
be embellished by the fancy OF the
author,
The art depends upon the craftsman
ship Of the author to cover up his
tricks so that they take on the SEM
blance of life. If he fails in this then
1t is bad art, and this applies to either
comedy or tragedy.
In comedy we at least have the de-
lightful speculation Of your "What be-
comes of the people in play after the
play is overe" The most satisfying
thing to me in my play "Only Thirty
eight is the letters that l receive
"Why did you marry the old man in
the first place" "Do you really think
that you will be happy IN your mar
riage with the professor" "Do you
think your children will ever become
reconciled to your second marriage ?"
''Do you really believe that age is a
state Of rind?" as it possible to
change from gloom to happiness as
you change from the widows weeds to
q party dress?" One writer asks me If
| think that a man who processes to
think that Charles NJ. Schwab is the
greatest living poet is fit man TO
marry the widow Of a minister. The
most interesting letter, and the one
which brings me closest to the sub
jcct Of your article, is letter from Il
man connected with one of our large ct
banks. ] mention this because it rep
resents business mans query: How
will you and the professor steer your
course after you are married? He
doesn't strike me as being the caliber
Of man who will be content to spend
his life in minor league college. No
more do you strike me as being the
sort Of woman who, once having dis
covered the power OF renewed youth,
will calmly sit down and knit his
socks. What / want to know is, what
are you two going to do after mar
riage?"
And What OF Them
Before the PLAY Began,