The New York herald., 1922-11-12
GORGE BERNARD SHAW and
r the vogue OF published plays
- account for the fact that the

day often includes much material
more interesting than that spoken on
the stage. Ten years ago directions
for action were meager and not es-
pecially stimulating The average
printed play Of that period confines
its "bus"-the old technical phrase for
description Of action-to unalluring
statements that Jones rs L. c. and
exits r. L. e." These rather alge-
braic symbols meant all that was
necessary to the stage manager, but
they weren't the sort of thing that
caused the average layman to start
chuckling beside his study lamp.
With Shaw and the vogue already
mentioned all this changed. The
problem Of how to make stage direc-
tions intelligible to the layman was
solved in conjunction with how to
make them interesting. Everybody
who ever held blue bound volume
with a white label in his hand knows
that the very best of Shaw frequently
is Incorporated IN lines that are, not
intended to be spoken. The literary
dramatist soon learned that this ef-
fort was valuable not only when his
play was to be published, but when it
was TO be understood by the actors
whose Characterization depended
upon suggestions of this type. From
that the inclination to wit, to
little private chuckles, was but
step. One finds in the underlined
portions OF manuscripts never to be
printed such quiet jokes. as Mrs.
Smith has hair of the brilliant red
more often given by Hepner than by
God"
Charming Pollock's new play. THE
Fool" at the Times Square Theater. is
case in point "The Fool" is almost
ready for publication, and. in published
form. will have greatly amplified stage
directions, as we'll as q preface by Basil
King. But the manuscript now in actual
service has passages that might interest
an audience quite as much as the
speeches delivered from the stage. Mr..
Pollock begins by saying "If you were
n member OF the Century Club you
would feel quite at home In the Church
of the Nativity There is the same rich
simplicity In both the same warm COM
fort, and above all. the same exclusive
ress. But a shabby man would be as
self-conscious in one building as in the
! ether" Here at once the scene painter
! and the director have the prevailing
note for the first act OF "rhe Fool"
Going on to describe the three per-
sons disclosed when the curtain rises,
! Mr.. Pollock gives a short sketch of the
mn .t,11
her, daughter DdGodil, commonly
called 'DiIly.' perched upon the ladder
Is a fiapper. As regards her mind, this
means that az 20 she is wise and witty,
cynical and confident, worldly and ma
terial beyond her elders. Physically, she
is pretty and, of course, has not hesi-
tated TO help out nature wherever she
has thought it advisable. Considering
what has been spent on her education
she is surprisingly ignorant and dis
courteous, particularly to her mother.
who bores her dreadfully. Leila Thorn
bury is a divorcee. 80, smart. good look
ing. with something feverish In her
face. in her eyes. in her movements. De-
liberately attractive to men, she is dis
liked In proportion by women All three
are extensively dressed. MrS. Thorn
bury has laid aside n fur coat on the
cost Of which twenty families might
have lived another year She is at the
end of the stage. concerned with n
number OF dolls and other toys"
This is more exhaustive than the
description of MT. Borndbn, who Is out
lined merely at "the sexton, and OF the
age and manner peculiar to sextons."
Mrs. Tico, another rich woman of the
Church of the Nativity, has just entered
middle age. and refused to shut the door
after her Mrs Gillian has said of her
uncharitably that she dressed like n
chicken and looked like n goose The
truth is that she is cinging to youth
| in an ever lessening hope of keeping
her husband. Beneath her sartorial
bravado is something cowed and worried
nj unhappy. She has been hurt so
often herself that she wounds other
people almost instinctively, as dog
used 10 kicSe snaps at the ankles pass
I ing HIM. The sense cf shame survives
and makes her quickly sorry for little
! failings due to this instinct" The au-
/ thor continues about Jerry G0odkind,
/ the smiling villain played by Lowell
/ sherman. that beneath the careless
surface OF the man lies iron. He can
be very ugly when he wishes and he Is
always sufficiently determined to get
what he wants, though he gets Il gen
orally by showing this urbane side.
Jerry would describe himself as n kid
der He is s5, sleek, well groomed and
perfectly well satisfied with himself
His most engaging point is. perpetual
! smile"
Jerrp's father, George Goodkind, oc-
cupies n paragraph, devoted 10 revealing
/ the traits inherited by the son. Mr..
Pollock thinks that "the elder Good
kind also Is bidder though his kid
/ ding Is more serious. Youth and enimal
spirits and the influence of Broadway.
| where n Joke is ample cloak for any
cruelty or vulgarity.' have given JeTrV's
I 'palaver' a conscious trend toward hui
NOR. The old man kids without hu- ,
! NOR. He has discovered that he can
talk people out OF almost anything. He
can come pretty close 10 working the
spell on himself. lie IS about the Doc
tors age-60--but he has had vast ex-
perlence with life, and he enjoys com
fort now because he has been very uu-
comfortable. Goodkiad Is much like
any other successful business man you
might meet--and like--at dinner He
is brisk and economical OF time but
pleasant, and unless his interests are
involved. extremely amable. lie does
what he conceives 20 be his duty by his
family, his community and his God, and
feels that all three should appreciate IT,
see the road called upon TO carry such
The Doctor referred 20 IL the Rev.
Everett Wadhdpi. According TO Mr.. Pol
lock- "he is not stage clergyman. on
the contrary he Is n very pleasant and
plausible person--plausibe because he
believes implicitly In himself. He is