The Washington herald., 1921-12-04

4
n Rachel Crothers the playwright. that Il u
one thing 10 write a play that will entrsnc.
a society" audience in Washington and quite
other thing 10 write a play that will prove ac-
ceptable when viewed under more coIdl. critical
conditions in another city. where the social pres
tige Of the leading woman is not sufficient blind
all and sundrv TO certain shortcomings 81 work
manshp in the play itself
81 refer. Of course. to 'Everyday." the latest
weeks hack under MSn S SUCH exr ts
stances ON that occasion the Garrick was giv"r
audience that manifested grim, inneAtbl,. a'ter-
come, This was manifested by a storm 81 snpIau--
fh1t Erected the mTst %PPfasa nee =" T,a
role. and by prolonged and .nthgslas,.c a,G'iaus.
OF the PERFORMANCE. precisely a. one might cNrcr'
plaud the popular station agents intcrprots'f"u "r
the kfter Of two hours and tirty mfna,e~ Of ,..
peged 10 he %TmiTers NAV e1en below M
Crothers standard. number Of tho ncwsgarer 70
synonymSus with Won Pei Esil.Eea hak to ,hsrr
per cent plus. and freely discussed d. In turns 81
someone had 70 flo minority re9crt Of raur~e
so it was hled IN this SPOT, Th@ aI,'.I.'" - You
Of people who 10y the simple deyioe "r srrlaudiuE
themselves into that rarehed social sjras occupied
by Miss Bankhcad. and thus identified themselves
TheS Became BY this simple msnSuycT 'i adtldHsi.
little friend Tauah that the ncrc vshrl. Of b,.r
chariot just as the annual dramatic sketch T7,i-
ten, acted and ratronized by society take on
usually-charitabIe purpose.
,s Bssr's0 H. aq'esrsT Gt TIE r9e o, Snss
having qlTeody lived fbroSoi a fajr succession Of
CrotheTs plays in the past. suT Irhy the
raGs 70 %f play fhGt ,sas iiteD 5eoaHse pIag
hours and thirty minutes Of fheater tirne tT arTriag
at a conclusion that ,oas aroady patent to the Car
rick H'heTs before the chTtG," t.e"t up.
X/oU be sure that Miss Crothers was not
pleased with any such statement. and she
let it be known. The next week. however.
"Eyerydsy" moved on to Manhattan and 81 due
Of the World who proceeded to dissect Every
the mood in Witch IL a b hsa Ssp , NJ nro
the Bjou. But after such promising start. Every
come mixed and its story grows incoherent. You
peee through Which MSS cfothers G s ventiiatinE
SOM q her , own c pet IDEALS The doctrines s
but they are woefuS pattudnous and trit t. N9n
other plays by the same author. such reiterations
expected TO command your sympathy almost too
Thus opines Mr. Defoe in verdict impossible
to render in any other form II constitutes in all
theatergoer who. BY virtue OF much society
Gus thinkers Of the theater a woman Of profoundi,
among american pl2ywrights who occupies high
Without the slightest desire TO appesr IN
to the theory Of the Crothers emincncs as one OF
sifghtest fou3dation for fSe smaS S ana Who'll
fallacious superstition that Miss Crothers a pro-
found thinker, a thorough going loEician and in
in the most inEratiating verbal and dramatic EuiSe
Miss Crothers. do her Justice. is writer
who has been eminently successful in writing PLAY
that please certain class OF people, precisely as
Aaron Hoffman. Wilson Collision. the HattunS and
a Of other playwrightS successful. A. q
I have doubt she is possessed Of e.
her own ecclesiastical messahship. To admit thai
Miss Crothers. however is a playwr Eht Of the FRS
water is to admit that George '. Hobart IS
artist; to admit that Wilson Collision is a second
Molnar: admit that Robert Milton 4 RelaSCo
Miss Crothers. regardless OF her ability 10
please certain class in the thester. rs anything
conceivable rate her higher than the fourth
class native writer's FOR the thea'Cr. and. ~ the
truth must be told she is chiefly n1iall' a
merchant OF theatrical whose dcparturF
from a solid sense OF theateT craftsmanship is
plainly marked BY. her mountainous labor 10 prove
a self-evident facrSS evidenced in "EVeryday"
In the fire plays that Miss Crothcrs hoS produced
IN the last four years, ono obSeTros remarkable
absence Of dramatic logic, inooTrigible tendency
10 turn sophtSt. aud keen sense Of audience
track Of her story aud fetch her up ~ the nushU
ndses Of the happy ending.
n HISS CROTHERS is personally responsible Tor
NI the alienation OF critical sympathy with
AVA the plays which she periodically produces
1t is her fault that the legend for rhuosophic
study and deep-rooted thought is little while
the subject of impolite sconing.
II Miss CrotherS content TO along
year after wear. earnestly striving 70 reach def
sion frem a certain Of dramatic facts.
might readily condone and excuse the mistakes and
acerbites of her method OF treatment, but the
OF the matter is that Miss Crothers. Efforts
almost invariably directed toward panderIuE thu
superstitions Of an audience. and rarely. IL ever
directed toward the contamination OF an honest