The Washington herald., 1922-04-30

to capitalize the vogue of thriII-chasers
like THE Cat and the Canary" and The
Bat" yielded to urge freely
predicted a food of mystery drama
standing element in the theater next fall and
winter
Although smugly satisfied that the vogue for
mystery drama 1929 would rival the farce
carnival of ls1s-1s-20 II never occurred TO me for
instant that the theater would get into guam
tty production this mystery stun early
the current month Of April. At most the crest
of the not expected before next De-
cember
This idea all wrong There less
than five new mystery plays either current
Broadway or about to become current To this
number may be added another mystery that
Fred Jackson is grooming with the Smith stock
players at the Gsrrick.
Klaubers production Of The charlatan- and
another tingler The Night Call" booked
for openings in New York during the past week
Almost concurrently Atlantic City was shown
another called whispering Wires" A fourth
"on the Stairs" is already headed toward Man
haitian. while fifth. ''In the Dark" is said TO
be in rehearsal
At the present wave OF progress on mystery
drama it seems likely that every manager be-
tween Herald Square and Columbus Circle will
soon have a mystery drama blooming on his
front doorstep with more in the hothouse for the
Christmas trade BY that time the better part
Of New York will probably be talking in whi,-
pers and afraid to turn of the light in the hall
The New York stooe should Jeoin she6-
ding into the prorinces the least hardy specs-
mems Of this rype Of drama by JdHHoTy l.
UHder such circumstances the tendency tciu
probably not become apparent IN these parts
before the late tointer and spriHo, but by
that time prepare for just S0Tned
mystery after osotheT.
Ii. of which naturally brings to mind tho
~ atrocious failure Of this department sew
n eral months back to adduee any Piausi,
bic reason for the intense popularity OF
wood-Rinehart thriller was cavorting at capacity
for a two weeks engagement at Polls not only
the entire local populace besieging the boS
office for So seats. but roads leading into
from all directions clogged with Bat
bound trafhc that ruts in the macsdam
This tremendous and sngle-mnded determina-
tion The Bat" or bust was phenomena
so startling and unusual that all hands leaped
the task of isolating the motive behind the
movement. No real answer was forthcoming at
the time and the question has since remained
the following is respectfully submitted TO
account for the popularity Of mystery plays:
The average theatergoer seems largely
unable to properly grasp the nuances Of char
acter drama The hnely-drawn force of charac-
terization usually transcends his own understand
ing simply because it transcends his experience
play like The Bat" however. is sheerly a
succession Of incident and episode without any
psychic complications Of character. II affords a
marching procession Of incidents. all Of pre-
sumably high-tension quality. OF which
trsnscends the slightest the spectators limited
imaginative faculty.
Furthermore. such plays call for probably
the lowest output of mental energy, initiative
and enterprise of Any species of theater product
while literally supplying the other hand
illusion of danger, mystery and suspense
In brief 1t is the appeal Of Sherlock
Holmes and Nick Corter versus the appeal Of
Pendennis Lord jim The latter may
better literature, but the Thdckeroys ond Cow
y1uds ofS Sfdoe efeT TSN a
Dor office second the CondH Doyles ond
Fred Deys Of the footkohts.
THE fact that Fred Jackson the playwright
1. having new mystery play OF his
own tried out by the Gsrrick Players
next week should serve as an example
to potential theater-wrtters who have long
despaired Of any opportunity to bring forth thetr
manuscripts in acceptable fashion without pro-
hibitive cost.
Jackson who is quite familiar with the
various ethics and mannerisms Of the theater Is
providing the Players with a manuscript which
jackson hopes have produced in New York
either this spring summer fall His arrange
ment with the Garrick Players not only reacts
to the advantage of both, but to the advantage
of the public as well, which is thus afforded an
opportunity view in advance play that.
before another goes by, may be herslded
as one of the hits Of the season.
do not mean predict that the jackson
play will score box ONCE or literary success,
for i know next nothing about the play. but
jackson is a writer of established reputation
whose play has made sufficient appeal the
Garrick management 10 warrant the expense OF
production and to warrant its presentation at
this crucial point in the Garrick stock season.
The advantage to jackson lies in the Wis
ualization of his play under normal theatrical
conditions. Spread before the footlights he
make such additions revisions he At
and. perchance, bring It to the attention Of a
legitimate producer who thus better judge
of its merits than IN possible in manuscript.
TIE Garrick Players in turn enabled TO avoid
the tremendous royalty costs OF a new playa
burden too heavy for the popular prices OF
stock-while the public at the same stock prices
is given the first glimpse OF potential 81
attraction.
In this connection the production of The
Green Jade" at the Garrick during the past win
ter at 81 prices the result of a stock
pany in Cleveland last summer. while
George Marshalrs Baltimore stock company
scored profound with The Poprr