The Washington herald., 1922-03-19

Theater Shortage
In Prospect for
1928 Season
Conditions Indicate That Capital
May Have But One Legitimate
Playhouse by 1923.
By EARLE DORSEY.

By EARLE DORSEY.
- RON the standpoint Of the theater both
local and national. the winter of 1912.
= is excellent example OF what Shake
= speare described the winter Of our
discomfort"
In national a metropolitan sens.
the current season has been dscouraging.
Opening last Labor Day. # Immediately revealed
wide panorama of new drama little OF Il
good. some Of it fair. but most of 1t immature.
shallow and strkingly dull The almost instant
result OF this output was almost unprecedented
buyers strike in the theater, a strike partly
induced by an economic reaction from the pros
perity OF war but q box-ofhce apathy most largely
aggravated by the shoddy and trivial character
OF the stuff coming over the counter.
Now-In March-this lean theatrical season
draws its tattered rags about it clutches its
meager crust OF patronage and hurries along 10
a premature close that will be lamented by few
and expected by all. It has, indeed, been a tough
year in the theater. though the stage. as an
institution, seems willing 10 look almost any
where but in its own heart for>Sn answer.
reflex Of the dramatic poverty that afoict,
the theater in a national sense is observable in
Washington this week Both the Garrick and
Polls have attractions and in the case OF the
Garrick no attraction is In sight for weeks 20
come: The situation a Polls while not SO
definitely negative is nevertheless discouraginE
from the standpoint Of the thestergoer, who, as
early the middle OF March, finds but one
legitimate attraction offered in a city OF 100000
people.
TIE reason for all this is not hard 10 nnS
IL ndTrors doVn, apparently. 10 the Joot that
such plays h9pe found Eep York audieuoe,
are stoyfno iH Nev York, tohle those trhich
fooled TO find audiences there JaIeS tOith such
decLsice emphasis and dispatch tkot expensive
tours into discouraged kinterIdrd tcere deemed
financially ddrisobe
r YoWETER, it seems generally agreed that
IL the magnstes. in the disastrous half
year that now lies to the rear. definitely
u u reached q conclusion that plays to sue
ceed must be plays worth seeing. II the season
OF lS2l-22 has proven anything it has proven
that really good shows had little difficulty in
finding audiences one very readily
from a study Of the plays which have Esny car
ried on all winter in New York
1t would appear. then that the producers-
artists. gamblers and hard-headed business men
alike-are ready TO ask deal and. beginning
next Labor Day, TO play their cards little
closer and more cautiously. II it be true further
more that a new generation OF playwrights is
coming up in the American theater it seems only
natural TO believe that year will give this
new generation a more brilliant opportunity to
function and AFFORD them at the time a more
careful. discerning and critical type OF producer
TO clothe and vend their dramatic wares.
1t really seems that next year should show
an improvements vast improvement-over this
The failures and heart-burnngs Of ls2l-22 should
be valuable in demonstrating that stage trash
and dramatic rubbish will sell like h0t-cakes
when money is loose. but that under more normal
circumstances stage product is purchased pre-
cisely like ham and eggs and few customers will
go out and commend an order that fell short OF
the customers appetite.
1t must be apparent furthermor. tba, IN.
ham-and-eggs appetite for drama so lfberau,
brought to the playhouse from 1917 to 1890 is
drifting back to the ten-twenty-thirty houses
and that the 50 theater Is being reclaimed in
greater and greater degree each v.sr by tb,
folks who demand their dramatic cocktails and
are none too humble when the caviar Coz, 1at
=.
r,S.- ~ ....,'
.Dfl com. .o ,,oo,d "a. o.,--, .-s.s- - -,
. IL, disreputaLI, drama a, a 5-a,,,c -, 80,
..tticaciou, oyroorr. ,bo, 49, c,.Os'S ~ s'',y st
fheater OF a., ,ho-toorni,,, o,,o-o - :.
tp,, n, 1noduoiro tbot ,oro, Lr-S, -. an
peep-shor mark and 4, acruat,d ,ot D., a 5,
..-.:.zA.- a. = = IN - -,