The Washington times., 1922-03-12
DALE DISCUSSES
NEW THEATERS
AND SHAW
CONTINUED from Page g.

ment Of this tAeater have been
especially designed to meet the re-
'quirements Of permanent rep
ertoire company" That would he
fine accomplishment. These
schemes usually die a quick death.
One failure routs them. Let US
hope that in the case of the Earl
Carroll Theater the same persever-
arice that made the house possible
will work in the interests OF the
promised repertoire company.
THE Shaw cycle has been it's
first third with general COM
mendation. Whatever one may
say about Back to Methuselah"--
and whatever one may say is not
Of the least consequence, for fads
grow like mushrooms--the fact
remains that the Theater Guild.
up against a tremendous task. the
like Of which no producing con-
Germ has ever known, has
achieved a wonder
The first two parts Of the
monstrous Shavian tuberosity
were very marvAously presented.
The guild managed to secure &C.
tors who spoke the English Ian
suage with purity, elegance and
distinction. In the case of ono
slightly foreign accent. it was
scarcely noticeable. The actor
thus afflicted had clarity Of die
ton and enormous facility of
speech. His work was extraordi-
narily fine. Shaw himself has al
ways owed much Of his success
to this country and now his in
debtedness is increased. 1t seems
unlikely that any other country
would have taken the trouble to
present such a chaotic arrange
ment of unclassified thoughts as
"Back to Methuselah" conscien-
tiously enough to make it endura-
bic. The Theater Guild took the
trouble and took 1t bravely No
body was particularly bored last
Sunday night at the Garrick The
alter. I Judge by the fact that
everybody remained. That is the
only fact by which one could
judge, as the Shaw cult" Is I'M
willing to express opinions. Shaw
can do no wrong.
Such artists as Margaret wych-
erly, Ernita Lascelles, Dennis
King, Albert Bruning, A. p. Kaye,
Claude King, George Gaul. Moi
fat Johnson, Stanley Hewlett.
and Eleanor Woodruff made
Back to Methuselah" possible. 1t
was a question of reading lines
rather than of acting. There was
not the slightest dramatic force
to this tuberosity. 1t was a high
ly polished debate that called for,
and that received, the attention of
elocutionists. These actors might
have memorized the Bible and
have "elocuted" it with magnifi-
cent effect. AS a matter of fact,
the interpreter of Adam, George
Gaul, did memorize the Book OF
Job, giving a most extraordinary
performance. some seasons ago.
Not one word spoken on the
Garrick stage last Sunday night
" Il T Back TO Methuselah"
seems to resemble the dim,
blurred. unstable thoughts that
occur in dreams. Sometimes one
experienced an intense magma
ton during sleep, and lasting
imprint is left by these magma.
tions upon the waking organism.
Robert Louis Stevenson was able,
by self-suggestion, to secure a
visual and dramatic intensity of
dream representation. Usually the
dream imaginings are chaotic and
irregular.
Shaw in this tuberosity presented
by the heater Guild, appears to
have sponsored a patch work Of
confused dream thoughts. Some.
times this "Methuselah" compound
suggests the rawlings of delirium-
pleasing delirium, and the deliriun
OF an inveterate thinker. His
sparkle runs in all directions. He
has something to say on a thous.
and topics. Adam and Eve are bia
willing mouthpieces as subservient.
ly as Lloyd George and Asquith.
The audience was very enter
tanning. You cannot fail to be
entertained by th6 attitude of the
audience. Every opportunity for
mirth was seized upon and avidly
enjoyed, and there was no adverse
criticism. It was an educated
Shaw audience, filled to the brim
with Shavian turns and quips.
Shaw himself detests the adjective
"brilliant'-he has heard IL so often
but at the Garrick Theater It was
trotted out again, blandly and re-
lentlessly, and-the Theater Guild