Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-09-05
|splIRY APE" OPENS
SEASON AT LYRIC
nm, Carried Far In Drama
\ Eugene o'Nei'' With
Louis Wolheim

,x,bodv gets me. but me-" IL
lMimnl,int Of "yank' smith rt"oSn, s,oSel
n ,,,a ,sa".".c ".".cccmedy of ancient and MOD !,
0NaiIs, Known as "The Hairy Ape, .
u W. 's A man to whom wordt
'Tn.a thoughts and descriptions OF
ens sic, state harder still. Over am
HI nen'ai Tits IT'S that he doesn't be.
e. ~ ' and he sr0pes to iii" Out '"'
SS@' J.. ,he meantime, Eugene
@ "a " cropping also to put across
0Nall u,,o ~ Thought his poignant probe
Nh Qnan'. '.yonk's heart and mind: IL
1% III III depend on one 8 .na s.anuur" n'.ho.,. -
", Y. d Il art as to whether the author
,Ims ~ wins home. u,,
ncosl fitness the obscenitics Of the
.c.sSold--bat 1t cannot even Even! Jay ;rnn c,a'n J
s1Sy Sst for long at q time. since q
y, 'Irs I.rrssn,cription of the stokers con
rsl s..;sns .ism would have far surpassed
v'fs',,.VS ',m,.,VSe,,l's new record Of stage pro-
!sen = Soiid, substantial art 1t never
ns.u 4 is like a prize composition
eealvs,, nssoo, something written to astound>
n Y = % %Siferent. to ovcrtcp all other ef.
~ ~. and which has plastered all over
.'ss !. X. sfort Of the author. ~ -,
sS.t M ia not to accuse Eugene ONeill
la.;s laa.s;rcsrity. Rather. It is to admit
Y S Ss IA n man with an overwhelming
H. and on oyerhOwing com
Hi..s ~ words. Unfortunately. he can
y. .'s ,lways W control them, AMI he blots
~ y. amer he writes on. There Is little
ssk Kat he is going to write the play
& ',sspt A blemish, and that's going tt
.I : t,uly wonderful play. But, so far,
i,s produced dramatic compositions
.rntted and uneven art-overwritteu
..R, no The best description.
Tank" Smith is a big and broad
.ourh Characterization to stand out
ISs,s the cruder parts of the play. W.
y ~ ~ot mt much stock by his over
Envn curslng, and sometimes almost
I'M he played the role in pantomime,
MI "a DO sense the inner mun and
,moathiss with him. This is due as
k,urb to the brilliant playing of Louis
|Wolheim Al to some of the searching
|snalyses Of Eugene O'Neill. In fact,
Gohelm made the very best possible Out
h tie hectic and unreal scenes OH ship.
board.
| Il Is perhaps great tribute tc
PTank' or to his creator that he did
n stand out, like the muscles on his
bvn brawny arms, for some Of the
Ccen.s be took part in were almost alb.
6urd. AZ in '"The Emperor JONES'
6'Nelll has tried to minglc fantasy and
Fulism. He gives US bitterly life
lie picture OF the fiery furnaces in the
bold Of q ship, and then proceeds to
tollow II BY the parade of the doll like
puppets on Fifth avenue,
OF course, there was nothing obscure
!, to the point or meaning of those
puppets, but their unreality clashed
Snd tangled with the somberness Of the
btbsr scenes. In staging the play, the
tilsfaces could have been left off, and
(hs authors point (that this was the
by they appeared to "Yank tor
kured mind could have been made cleal
~ words.
To this, or to the mistake Of the
Producers in showing too much of the
hateral gorilla that finally killed
FYank," the same objection can b,
|nade that was voiced against the papier'
hiche alligator of "The Emperpi
Ones" For the stage effects of Rob
n Edmond Jones and Cleon Throck
horton there can be nothing bu,
praise, and the same goes for the act.
n( Of the surrounding cast.
We get" the stoker. "Yank" ant
h get the author, O'Neill. 1t ism,
(Ait, but rather that in his dctermi.
eition that nothing should escape US
b ,overreaches himself. just as IL
puch Of his dialogue he repeats tn,
ane thought far past the point of true
Fnphasis, so in his plays as whole
y paints with lack Of contrasts, 6
ack OF reserve. He is too real to bt
anes palatable or digniiied, but moi
feal enough TO be true.