The Washington herald., 1921-04-17
Melody AND MERRhENT DOMINATE THE MID-APRl TFIEAT
What About Stock?.
By EARLE DORSEY.

When Sixteenth street lines itself with green
foliage from waiter Reed Hispitsl to the WHIT.
House. Il is time to put up shutters ana call Il
season Things a little different Of course a
year or so back but regardless acts of consress
the war Is over and the Washington theater faces
normal conditions again
The close Of the regular dramatic season nat.
uraily arouses ones curiosity prospect tor
stage entertainment during the coming hot month";
and the moment thinks Of stock one thinks of
Monte Bell
Bell 10 the youthful impresario who has given
Washington summer stock two seasons in sue
cession at the Garrick whose venture in 1920
was 80 unfortunately marred by the sudden depart
ure of Earle Foxe the leading man. just when thou
sands Of fair young things in Congress
heights TO Cleveland Park were alH expectant
Mr.. Bell has just returned to Washington from a
trip to California and. while his
| toward West Coast weather than toward stock ven
lures in 1921. Mr. Bell admitted discussed
terms with one Of the prominent Of all motion
picture actors. Bell. however. made statement
as to his plans and so far be ascertained he
is not considering another stock venture here this
summer.
There are two definite elements linked up with
successful stock enterprises Washington One must
either OF extraordinary popularity or
lacking the asset. must locate a thester near
possible to Fourteenth street and keep prices
For some peculiar reason the Garrick. where two
summer seasons Of stock have been given recently.
is not favorable location for stock unless the
pressro nnds himself able present actor over
| whom the girls demented
| 1t seems rather silly 1 admit to lay any partie-
ular stress upon the abilities Of sleek haired
young with soulful eyes fascinste an admir-
ing feminine encourage. but that my masters is the
thing that makes or breaks stock company in this
| neck the woods.
When Bell opened his Gsrrick Players season last
/ with Earl
enjoyed a patronage that spproxmated capacity for
| nearly six weeks. Almost overnight Mr. Foxes de-
| parture met by a sudden popular
favor which took the form of hundreds cancelIa-
| tions Of season reservations. 1t FOXe
| nulIus.
Just when the majority Of the Washington thea
will close for the i still a matter Of in
| definite knowledge. One of the burlesqUe theaters
has already announced its intention closing
seems likely that the will delay long. The
| quality Of play material as have already pointed
out, is withsl extremely poor extremely familiar
| and there is every sign evident that The
simply Iimping along on the last Zap OF its
is Of the low but irrefutsble facts Of exist
| II that. while many of a social and a
| il cultural urge to sssmilste bit Of Shakespeare
| often few OF US can frankly enjoy the
| Bard with anything like the abandon with which
embrace zegfeld efusiOn a bit Of Eugene
| o'NeiIl.
A bold statement. verify. will doubt
less the righteous and official damnst tion Of
the Drama League and the Lords Day Alliance. but
nevertheless, that Shakespeare, either read
Visualized. wholly satisfactory
Perhaps o the whole it is satisfactory 10
read Shakespeare assimate him any other
form When reads Shakespeare there is always
opportunity slow the play, speak while
one leisurely sssimilstes reresds this and that
passage of ar unfamiliar English style. The whole
with reading Shakespeare is the fact that
extraordinary Of imaginative INSTALLATION is
necessary form proper approximation OF the char
| scters-
It is this almost universal inability OF the read
lic IN tain ear
INSTALLATION of Hamlet. Romeo. Macbeth any Of
the immortal Shskespearean figures that makes par
uculsry valuable the frequent repertoire offerings.
such MI. Hsmpden has just given US at POlis and
as Mr.. Manten will shortly orer at the National
| Each of these other their
own particular INSTALLATION the character they
seek to portray. The character may be less
great depending solely the creator but It
always the Characterization. never the incidental
situation. the play 8 associated dialogue the devel-
| opment Of q story. that fascinstes US.
Take for instance. Twelfth Night" Deprived IN
the beginning a chance to portray and WITTY any
particular vivid character. Twelfth Night" usually
trails of into a tiresome, unfamiliar flow Ian
, | gusge out Of which. at infrequent intervals,
catch some familiar phrase that of itself is hardly
Smsay TO h sSstin Night with Il. Utilization Sf
-asides" and stage whispers and other conventions
equally obsolete frequently becomes in its foot
light form. nothing less than azesome evening In
the theater At home course. Twelfth Night" is
| vastly different AFFAIR." play which one read
at leisure and assmilste without haste or without
/ | being denied repetition.
| This probably more than anything else underlies
the fact that Shakespeare not a popular dramatic
| medium. One must be nveterate lover. pas
sionate devotee Of subscribe wholeheart-
edly to Shakespeare the theater. unless-and here
is the factorthe creation OF outsts nding
character Is sufficiently vivid, sufficiently command
ing IN purely thespian sense, to make amends for
these intervals when the steady,
entess flow unfamiliar language tires the and
! | dulls the attention.
Mr., ,Hampden. Of course has long since made NJ,
own creation Of Hamlet famous It is varied, subtle
Iscarefully devised characterization But for
| a moment that Instead OF Hampden's Hamlet sees
| q plain everyday Hamlet That moment all interest
: | In Hamlet q play flies out Of the wiudow.
II will probably be necessary at this point run
into pisttude and dilate upon intense cultural