The New York herald., 1922-06-04

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woman rather than by an actress int
the years of the finished artist who
first presented the play here. This
woman happened, by the way, to be
one of the really distinguished ac-
tresses OF the American theater
Naturally such a degree OF skill as
she possesses did not come over
night.
1t took time to acquire such fin
ished and facile control of the me-
dium of her art. SO it was with
some interest that the actress who
succeeded her was awaited by the
public. 1t was merely urged in her
behalf that she was just as young as
the authors intended she should be
and not as mature as the actress who
first presented the part.
It was soon seen that this new in
terpreter of the role was capable only
of a kind of acting that is already
outmoded. Her skill was of the earliest
Billie Burke period, which that skill
abandoned. But she was boldly an
nounced as just as young as the hero
ine should be.
Even If youth were there--and 1t
was not necessary even this time to
call in the S. p. c. C.--there was so
little else that the innate triviality
and shallowness of the little play were
quite mercilessly revealed. The COM
manding skill of the original actress
in New York. her rare sense Of humor
and her unfailing technique had given
to the piece an appearance of merit
which 1t did not in reality contain.
She had in other words proved her.
self so superior to the work Of the
dramatist that an altogether fictitious
value was bestowed on the play by
her high talent and her technical skill.
But the other actress was young and
that should not be forgotten even If
she seemed to make the comedy totter
with senile decay.
Mr.. O'NeiII at Home.
Those admirers of Eugene ONeill
who have felt In the past that he, per-
haps, confined his dramatic output too
much to the little theater of the
Provincetown Players in Macdougal
street, are probably beginning to feel
that this literary organization is after
all the most favorable of his producers
Surely "The Hairy Ape" would never
have been subjected to police censor
ship had the play kept in it's original
frame. Any dramatist is lucky to have
T. nf
Theater with the watchful and artistic
eye OF Arthur Hopkins always on 1t.
But "The Hairy Ape" revealed in it's
original environment few IL any of the
traits which attracted the attention
of censors. amateur and otherwise,
after it had been brought up into the |
theater zone.
Probably the profanity did more |
than any other quality to offend |
theatergoers who made its acquaint-
ance on Mr.. Hopkinss stage. 1t was
the incomprehensible iteration OF the |
words as we'll as the phrases that |
baIIied uptown theatergoers. 1t will |
be interesting once the text is avail |
able IN book form to count the num-
ber of times Christ" is used as an |
oath. AS If there were not enough |
of this. the cockney guide Of the sea-
man when he takes him to see Fifth |
avenue. must invoke the name of |
Jesus" to make his point. Already |
the air Is growing pretty thick with |
blasphemy before this note is added. |
other words that appear from time to |
time in the text are less startling, but |
1t will nevertheless be interesting to |
learn their actual number when the |
text Is in hand
Now all these characteristics Of the
play which do SO much TO repel many
theatergoers who would be admirers
OF the dramatist existed OF course
when "The Hairy Ape" was first acted
south OF Washington Square. But
they did not for some reason seem