The New York herald., 1922-03-07
Tide of Talk Is
Still at Flood in
ShaW's 'MethuseIah'
The Thing Happens and
Tragedy of an Elderly Gen
tleman' Added to Cycle.
ny LAWRENCE REAMER.

The tide Of talk is still at flood in
West Thirty-fifth street. so the second
series in the Shaw cycle OF Back 10
Methuselah" was safely begun by the
Theater Guild last night. In its cour-
sgeous undertaking to extend over three
weeks In the performance of this stag
gering stretch OF dialogue the company
last night reached THE Thing Happens
and The Tragedy OF an Elderly Gentle
man.. The representations began at
1880 and not more than five hours is
occupied by the recitation of the two
episodes. Parts III. and ". are thus
behind the brave impresarlos and only
Fart ", AS Far as Thought Can
Reach" remains to be performed next
week
The Tragedy OF an Elderly Gentle
man" which is supposed TO pass in the
Year 5000 A. D., has three acts. The
hrst passes on the south shore OF Gal
way Bay, which is, according to the in
depreciation of Lee Simonson. altogether
cubistc in design.
Albert Bruning, IN a tall gray hat
lavender trousers and a blue frockcoat,
puzzled the audience when the curtains
parted. He looked exactly like some
body-but who was It? Slowly the re-
semblanoe was recognized. Mr. Bruning
was made up to look exactly like the
Great God of Cab. The pointed beard.
Ene white mustache, the somewhat
Nephisto9helean smile-all these traits
were Just as clear on the face Of the
actor as they are on the jacket of Ber-
nard Shaw's latest play in book form
he was made up to look like the author
Tine similarity was striking
OF course. it was more impressive
when he began to talk. 1t must have
pcen labor of love for Mr.. Bruning to
learn the almost endless part with
which he had taxed his memory. He
talked almost incessantly. Sometimes
woman interchanged rather sour ef-
forts at wit with him. Then ii was
man and finally young girl Of 50--for
ireland and England are now the ISL
ands of the blessed, that is to say. the
long livers.
Again Mr.. Shaw rides his hobbies.
rather spiritlessiy and ineffectlvely. it
must be said, during the unending
scenes. OF course somewhere is such
aa acreage Of language some thought
that is picturesque or entertaining or
truthful is bound TO appear when the
author is such a man as Bernard Shaw
has been in the past. But there Is
precious little in the whole three acts
that bites into the consciousness.
AHG ldlh slDOli LHG ITctOnC.idDllIF 0t
the Irish, and the flight OF the Jews from
Jerusalem when they claimed I because
they belonged tC the lost tribes of Israel
these passages were genuinely anus
Ing.
But the appearance oe Napoleon who
seems to obsess Mr.. Shaw quite as the
head of a certain English monarch did
Mr.. Dick, is really little more than child
jsh. even as a means of telling all over
"a % tlan s.tl.
Its childishness was indeed the note Of
most of the humor OF the Two plays.
What could have been more fatuous than
the shooting If the boasting emperor by
tnc' 7ythoness? All the hocuspocus
about the oracle had the same tone.
THE Thing Happens" which began
the program, has but one act. quite
we'll grown and lengthy one. to be sure,
still only. after all. one. The period Is
ruw three centuries in the future. The
official parlor OF the President OF the
British Islands Is the scene. A China
man is in charge of the affairs Of state.
A negro woman is the head Of the
Health Department. Here is. OF course,
G suggestion of the rising tide OF color.
There Is n telephone which simultane-
crsly shows the person TO wnom one
talks. after the manner OF the Follies
OF yesteryear. Once the black head or
tHe tiealtH department Is SHOWN IL
more or less undress.
The Domestic Minister was a parlor
maid in the preceding scene. which hap
pened three hundred years before. The
Vicar of those days is now an Arch
bishop. OF course there is endless talk
about Mr.. Shaw's longevity complex.
Yet there is endless talk about every
thing. II seemed at its nadir in point
cf view Of wit and conmonsense in
"Ihe Thing Happens"
Again was the performance most IN
tclligent. Again was the scenery strilS-
ingiy appropriate to the sense of the
scenes and the Theater Guild deserves
only credit for what it has overcome
In the mounting OF this drawn out work
The skilful players who deserve only
credit for their heroic efforts were a.
p. Kaye, Moffat Johnston. Claude King.
Stanley Hewlett. Albert Bruning. George
Caul. Mary Dawton. Margaret Wycherly.
Ernita Lascelles and Eleanor Woodruff.