Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-09-05
THREE O'NEILL PLAYS
They Are All Good in Varying
Ways, but Might Be-
Much BETTER

Eugene ONeills plays can be df-
vided roughly into two classes--those
containing a realism that is bitingly
and staggeringly faithful to humanslife
and those that lack balance and artis-
try because they err on the side OK TOO
much hard. and fast adherence to ma
terial facts.
The latest volume Of his plays to
f. Hairy PS0l,yne9 Aps Anna TAsSn Christis" and
"The First Man" (Boni 6 Liverightl !,
has nl the merits and oil the dement's
common to the author, though the CUT
which now surrounds him will probably
blind their eyes to the latter. =,
Of the three plays, "Anna Christie
is probably the most potent. though It's
last act wanders bit and seems to
show that the author Is a little. un-
certain about his ending. Here, how
ever, is a play of the sea Tin itself an
unusual achievement), which Is cram
med full of tang and salt, not OF the
commonly applied variety, but ringing
true-every bit Of 1t.
In modern American drama there
Is perhaps no more moving scene than
the opening act Of this tale Of the water
front. In il we meet one Chris Chris
topherson, captain Of a barge, and one
of the best two-fisted drinkers in O
liltte side street saloon. Chris Is wor-
ried soon after we first meet him be-
cause he receives a letter from his
daughter out West telling him that
she is coming to visit him. He hasn' 7
seen her since she was a child, and
he imagines her as quite the opposite
of his own dissolute self: He Won
ders how he is to get rid OF the frowsy,
drunken woman with whom he has
been living aboard his barge. Finally
he gets up enough courage to tell her
she must 60, and she, profane, but
understan anding, agrees. Then the daugh-
ter, Anna, comes. hard faced. coarse
and long strayed from the paths OF
virtue.
There Is a wonderful scene between
the old woman and the young one,
filled with bitter irony and dialogue
that stings with its naturalness. Anna,
wanting whisky, takes something light
er in order that her father may not
realize, and, against her will, takes
up life aboard the barge. The second
and third acts. which relate the COM
ing Of a sailorman, Matt Burke. into
Annals life, move surely and smoothly.
Everything Is prepared for n power =
full finale, with Annals unfortunate past
still hidden from both father and sweet
heart. The last act is disappointing.
1t Is not concise. trenchant with cu =
mulative suspense as the others have
been. Well acted, Il may be, impress
sive; read in ones study, 1t has q
distinct slump. One of the few OF
ONeill's plays which do not end
tragically, "Anna Christie" may be
said to end on low note.
''The Hairy Ape" which is playing
an engagement in this city now, by
the way, is an example Of the more
indiscreet O'Neill-the naughty little
boy who uses all the profanity he
knows and very evidently sets out to be
daring in his reality.
'"The First Man" has been called
a study in obstetrics. OF course, II
is more than that, but the act which
transpires with the cries Of woman
in childbirth off stage is another ex-
ample of the authors occasional lapses
from good taste and dignitied artistry.