The New York herald., 1922-02-26


some Of them reached an ideal Of
merit far beyond the average Of their
day The history of the English stage
in the earlier years of the eighteenth
century abounds in examples OF the
actor and playwright united in one
person.
Then, of course. to go further back,
there were Shakespeare and Moliere.
Tt would not be possible to say that
their works sacrificed truth and all OBJ
servation Of life to mere theatrical ef-
fectiveness. Indeed. 1t Is dangerous to
make such general criticisms. Prob
ably the plays OF actors do not differ
after all from the plays of the men
who devote themselves to the art.
Some of the dramatists turn out works
that are theatric, while others make
observation and fidelity to human ma
ture their models. The plays Of the
actors are good and bad, which is
equally true of the output of the
dramatists. But Mr.. Willard's "The
Cat and the Canary" seems like a play
OF the kind usually attributed to the
players when they write. At all
events it Is such a good specimen of
its kind that more Of the same would
he welcome from the players or any
other school of authors.
The Bald Headed Mouse.
The American theater has never cul-
tivated the quality of amateurishness.
1t has indeed been most precocious in
rejecting 1t. Anything that smacked
of the amateur has frightened our
managers. They have always sought
technical perfection so far as 1t could
be attained. Yet the London stage
has shown no such apprehension. 1t
has indeed cultivated n certain degree
of innocence Of too much apparent
skill among its players In the lighter
forms of entertainment.
Most of their singers in musical
comedy have, for instance, lack of
professional finish, a hesitating, tenta-
tive manner which is usually the pos
session OF the amateur of the stage.
When 1t was said that the chorus girls
at the Savoy Theater for the produc-
lion of all the Gilbert and Sullivan
operas were the daughters Of rural
rectors or maybe curates they re-
rnained perpetual amateurs.
There is an undeniable attractive
ness about this lack OF professional
aplomb In a pretty girl. 1t seems less
admirable in a tenor and is usually
deplorable In q funny man. 1t is,
nevertheless, the source of much of
the so-called politeness and refinement
in the English productions Of musical
comedy.
In the Chauve souris.
There is, Of course. the same quail
ity in the performances of the "Chauve
Souris" at the Forty-ninth Street
Theater. 1t is to be found chiefly in
the work of the actors. There seems
certainty enough in the painting of
the scenery and the designing of the
dresses. In all the singing and dan
cling one detects the unframed skill
of the amateur. 1t is Just this quail
ity that admirers Of the "Chauve
Souris" find most irresistible.
Even seasoned critics OF art like
Henry Mcbride declare that their un-
bridled admiration is the reaction
against so much mechanical expert
ness in American stage performance.
The note of the amateurs work Is. in
their opinion, the quality that pre-
serves so much OF imagination and
freshness.
Even the expertness Of the march
ing soldiers does not altogether es-
cape the charge of being unprofes-
sional since. keep step as perfectly as
they may, II is altogether true that
no professional impresario would have
thought of putting anything so naive
Non the professional stage. Thus the