The New York herald., 1922-02-28
Shaw'S 'MethuSelah'
Has Brilliant Start
in First THO Parts
Humor of the Kind With
Which Dramatist Con-
quered World Prevails.
BY LAWRENCE REAMgn.

The devotion OF the Thoater Guild to
Bernard Shaw could not be more strik-
ingly shown than II was by the labor
of love begun in his honor at the Gar
rick last night. The evening was de-
voted TO the hrst performance OF parts
Of Back TO Methuselah." which will be
presented rs trilogy. Last night the
ftrst and second parts. which are "In
The Beginning" and %rhe Gospel OF the
Brothers Barnabas,% were acted.
Next Monday will see the third and
fourth parts OF shis diffuse work. which
nave been called by the author THE
Thing Happens" and "The Tragedy Of
an Elderly Gentleman" On still a third
Monday/As Far as Thought Can Reach"
will end the "metabolic pentateuch," as
mo /Author has called 1t, or the ''pniio-
g/phic fantasy" as 1t is described on
<he program. BY the time this termina-
lion OF the enterprise has been reached
the Theater Guild will have made Mr..
shaw the only man to be honored here
With a trilogy Of his works, with the
single exception OF Richard Wagner
The Theater Guild has been able to
,npart vitality to some Of the Shaw
hays which could not survive without
Us stimulating care. So this stunt in
,howmanship. which the production of
sack to Methuselah" really Is, may
JrinS TO the theater something genu-
rely important In its novelty.
Passages of Genuine Humor.
In every scene OF "In the Beginning"
ssad The Gospel OF the Brothers Bar
naoas" there are passages OF genuine
surnor OF the kind with which Shaw
eonquered the world. Yet the enjoy
'lent OF them is finally impaired by the
1ncorrigible garrulity of the author. In
ne Garden OF Eden 1t was the Snake
mat talked altogether too much for the
pleasure Of the audience.
In the second act Cain was uncom-
monty long winded, and Eve was Just as
Aiucn OF an offender in the matter OF
loquacfty. THE Gospel OF the Brothers
i5arnabas" began with some uncommonly
ne run from the encounter between two
characters supposed TO represent Lloyd
george and AsQuith. The spectators
we're delighted with every word they
spoke and there should have been moth
Ang but pleasant memory of the second
yart or the programme last night
Lee Slmonson had prejudiced the audi
rllce IN iavor OF the opening division, "In
cAe Beginning" before a word was
''poken. Behind g stretch of gauze that
lowed In a high orange light was
rfN~heA Ou.la Oh WHICH InG Tree
knowledge stood as a bold decorate
On terrace a few steps up coiled the
serpent. It was q discursive reptile and
lalked too much even If her speech was
= Inc musical voice of Miss Margaret
Fycheriey directed by her sure intelli-
sSnce. 1t was Miss Ernita Lascelles
'Hho incarnated EUe with her hair falling
n conventionalized silver bands over
much of her altogether undrared body
Z (fenvna xyt4A
iddm with long hair and what appeared
70 be casual wreath OF vine leaves
A0t where HeddG loved to see them. but
bout his waist. While Lee Sirnonson
-as credited with the design of the cos
fcnes. Il must be said that ne did not
depart far from the prevailing impress
sion as 20 The modes of the Garden of
.den. The rtnndard silhouette of tradi-
sion was. A. Il were. preserved.
Then this gauze curtain and high
orange iight lAG undeniable uses on
mis- occasion Tho serpent was n most
lifted reptile. She turned her new hood
until the light fell becomingly on her
scales and she stuck her head tenderly
30 the car Of the lisening EUe to let
'ier know Mr.. Shaw's mysteries of life.
''hen she opened her jaws and laughed
a musical cascades to the annoyance
cs The woman and the delight of the
-aan.
But she never knew when 70 stop
Sne talked too much and did more than
either OF her associates to turn the close
Il this episode into dullness.
1t was the young Cain. enlbodying the
spirit of the younger generation and in
rebellion against his family. that caused
the WEAKNESS of the flesh in the second
scene. in which adam and Eve were
ls5oring in Mesopotamla to finish their
thousand years of life. Three hundred
had already passed since the Garden of
eden Here Mr.. Simonson's cubistic
scene with lis thorn brakes Immediately
interests the spectators. The boasts
of the youthful Cain. the protestations
II Eve affirming the old beliefs just as
they are affirmed to-day by the lips of
Experience, the occasional expostula-
lions OF Adcnr; these would have been
absorbing bu, for the intolerable excess
of them. Eepstitions Of ideas, even OF
Words, often occur. But the author
i5eeps on until the inevitable ennui dulls
the aiertness OF the listeners.
OF course In this prolonged argument
in favor OF a creative evolution, which
occurred in each OF the plays last night
Mr. Shaw finds time TO ride every hobby
that has served him in the past
Pacifcisrn, the position of woman. vege-
tarlnnlsm, the fatuousness Of the poll
FlClhTS-Ail OA lneIAi SNlNt iSi sum-
,utburst OF his eloquence. So It Is not
Surprisirg that every division of this
play must be so incredibly long. There
"a always, however. the satisfaction of
listening to a man who uses the English
language as few others who are writing
to-day. Even that unique pleasure pals
after a while. or the blazing wit OF
the former plays there is not trace.
But there Is occasional humor which
Is still Incompatible in It's quality.
statesmen Invoke Laughter.
The best Of it is found In the pas
gages that flash from the encounter be-
tween the two figures that Mr.. shaw has
intended to represent with his character
istic fantasy Asquth and Lloyd George.
They are admirably played by Claude
King, who Is called Jubin, and A. =.
Kaye. who Is joyce -BpTJe. They kept
the audience IN continual laughter. The
Gospel OF the Brothers Barnabas is OF
course that man should be so created as
10 live longer. Three hundred years is
.ne period they suggest In which he may
qualify himself TO rude mankind. This
discussion comes after the encounter
between the two statesmen. In spite or
the Intervention OF the younger genera
ton in the shape OF a curate and the
biologists daughter. there Is only
WEAKNESS Of the flesh when this long
drawn out discussion drags Itself along.
,rhe patience OF the listeners Is finally