The Washington herald., 1922-02-05
Mr.. Nathan Airs
His Opinion of
Miss Zoe Atkins
Other Gossip of the Theater and
Its People Here, There
and Elsewhere.
By EARLE DORSEY.

II hal fayo tv for
the study Of a pl.yyrtrhrs WORK as th.
Il Washinrton thester has offered this season
for the study of Zoe Akins' stage rrttings Only
a month or so ago Miss Ethel Barrymore brought
to the National Mis-, Akins, .rDecla,see" ana
during IN. mas, week Polls offered Mar,ori.
R.nb,.p in Ms, hLinx. ansasv,, CON. a-Hunt-
ing" while the National announced Elsie Fergu-
son in third Atkins, nlsv The VARYING shore"
A ,.r. onnoytunitv indeed % enec, a critical
shor, en-, ,Spourb m. nroduc,, Of mi, vrit.r as
we'll a, an onnortunItv 20 dIg.st almost stimuli
taneously three plsy. that seem vitality importan,
~ ni.. Itgn.s .,rn, ,urnoxe.
abilities artistry and taste For one reason or
other 1 have seen none of the three. A jGmmed
thester prevented an inspection Of ~Declassee"
while a mid winter malsise intervenet during the
past week. At this point however. George Jean
Nathan enters appropriately enough. with .
study Of the Atkins technique in the current
Smart Set. II is offered herewith one OF the
most searching discussions OF the subject yet
The trouble with the playwright In oues-
uon' asserts Mr Natnan, tn.t she pro
BressNeY "ri'ihg iess eho Iess Oh human OeihhS
ana more ana more OF Nsno ior ne might nave
saidD Broadway star actors me result u con-
fusion worse e0ni0unoeo' Tor MISS Akihs Is 700
Hnue" 'he ~ in'inuS'c @itis' sH~-esois 10 iet NJ
sen 20 iuii uIt AZ the oO1othee tho us SheAp
broadway plaudits ana yet too ltue the un-
oeViating artist 70 forget them 2tosetner; Tnos
her ia'er piSSs nave become neioner the one
.nihs nol .ne ONE n.'neI III 'ne nc se AZ %
'eF ~
hshiy prosperous suo-sr' oi her nro1oNS con-
ferees' tne oee % "1F 1t''nP' 70 0
promise win herseI--he oesinnihks OF tne
zoe Aklns VINO "0peo s'e11hIs 10 sHsooie Ine
Two STOOLS Oh FesPee'Aoie oiani@ anu ooA-9ihoe
reward "'heut iaIhs oe'"eeh mem mem WIN 700
Iuen ~ ~se .'"oe,, an DC
80 - 80 %
sooo ana oao. me a'IemPt 10 turn tne same
prick M IN D-oS Sn S vs. us Iess sue
eei ,' . N | 80 .. - ~ =. W .. % t
sooe', O nv ~, % ' Ps :, " " ~ N tISN
, I'm "e e. ~. h.S
N t - -. -. " INV
e ~
~ oTfe' MI NdtHon oorcetOes ASs AHiS
10 De so~no drtst nhom CONSCIENCE ~oHid
lead dozen the oNeH pam but an oTft"
Whose longing for the fteshpots IS turning
her iHto george ,. hoooTt. AZ Mf. "oHo"
himself sums Il, GLORY lies NOT that tcdy nor
Uoohh. Either Mss Atkins must conclude Ior
and all tirre TO Tc"oi" an artist or 10
become a hack"
S THOUGH suddenly wcared of the strn
n ing and trumpeting of tho drsmatists in
"A ,bct- eternal and bogus search after
Truth the Washington thcater has sharp
IN reacted 10 the girl form Of diversion
Miss Ferguson and The Varying Shore" cleared
the National last night to make room for wash
inEton's FIRST visit OF the Zcgfeld Midnight
Frolic' (The ziegfeId Frolic in road guiseD while
Miss Rambcau and her associates in Daddy
Gone A-Hunting" vacated Pdis with The Passing
Show of 1921" on their heels.
A merry week. indeed, seems in store.
Papa ziegfeId shows signs Of relentng from
the aIl-is-over" attitude struck when the union
labor element in his "Foles" organization aroused
his ire 50 tremendously by academic de-
mand in Chicago a few weeks bsck-a dems nd
that was issued. by the way. just before curtain
time and which held up the show until IL was
granted.
Mr. ziegfeld announced tragicaly at that time
that he was done with producing in America.
The wear 1924 was to his swan-song the
and-music confectons definitely associated with
his name. Cohan was right. he inferred: could
not make music-shows under union labor -eondi
tions and for his part, retirement imminent.
ZiegfeId presumably Disguised and ready 10
retire follows up that sentiment by making two
ZieCfeld shows grow where but one grew before
on the road! Casually enough, is led he
lieye that the Frolic even more so than the Fol
lies" embodes to a degree the essence Of bur
lesoue and travesty Of current events that so
de6nitely marked his early appearance as a pro-
ducer II is hard indeed to discuss retirement
when I "Frolic," "Folies" and great musical