Evening star., 1923-12-25
National-Zangwill' We
Moderns."

! We Moderns," light as q, thistle
and serious as the ages, comic, dram
attic, pleading for a better under
standing of young by the old and
| of the old by the young, was given
Its opening at the National Theater
! last night. Israel Zangwill. it's dis
itinguished author. was present at
this the first formal production of
his aewest play.
! The foibles. The eXtravagances and
! the errors of the younger generation
errors which have been committed
! by countless other generations.
though in different GuiSe-are satlr-
[ lied by a master hand. The lines
are clever, brilliant. outrageously
audacious, comparable to bernard
shaw. but with a different twist than
| that of shaw. whose shafts are aimed
| at the conventions of society. Zang-
Wills are aimed at the ignorance
J of youth.
| tween the two generations-as it has
| been ever in the paSt-iS the ignorance
of the children ana the ignorance OF
| the parents. The children have not YET
! had time to learn, and the parents
| have forgotten. 1t is this theme that
| Mr.. Zangwill has used as the basis Oh
his comedy.
| I'VE Moderns" is delightful. 1t holds
/ the interest. 1t is admirably acted
and admirably produced. Washington
! is to be congratulated upon being Sc
! lected for its premier production. me
| audience last night was enthusiastic
/ in it's approval of the work OF author
/ and actor.
Helen Hayes. daughter Of the Ma
| tional Capital. is cast as Mary. wlllfui
daughter OF Robert Sundale. X. g., DIS
| tinguished legal practitioner OK Lon u.
sure She is the embodiment of igno-
\ rant innocence. To Miss Hayes is due
much OF the credit of the successful
| production of I'VE Moderns. But not
all. kennth AIckenna, who pays hieh-
ard. the no less willful son of Sundale,
and 0. 2. Heggie, who is Sundale him
| self. are scarcely less admirable IN
| their parts than Miss Hayes. In fact.
! the entire company mas peeii se!eC1eu ,;a
| apparently with the utmost dlScrlmlna-
! tion to fiji the various parts. The new
comedy is produced by Harrison Grey
Fiskc and directed by George c. Tyler,
! If there is a criticism 10 De made'
/ il is that the play is a little too long
| drawn out. But, on the other hand,
! the lines and the acting are such that
! the auditor heaveS sigh of regret
! as the final curtain approaches.
+: Sundale's daughter Mary is pic
! tured as an ultra modern. but iSno-
! rant of the genesis of life-eNcept
| tie reproduction OF fishes and such
: like Such absolute ignoranre-or
| innocence, as il is usually called
! scarcely seems credible in Slrl VINO
has been frequenting the haunts ~
! oscar Pleat, poet playwright ana
| advocate Of free love. and his as
! sociates. But there She is. And
! Mary'Ss ignorance of the realities Of
! life is made the vehicle of many
! amusing lines. Her ignorance. it
seems. might well be charged up to
iher parents. The SEX complex. the sub
! conscious mind. pSychoanalysis. are
. merely glib phrases in her mouth.
| Her brother Dick is more SophiSti-
f; Gated. He has been sent down from
! oxford because of his bOlshevistic at
| titude A veteran of the world war.
| he is seeking to be an artist
; Oscar Pleat. tiring of an inamo-
rata. successfully seeks to palm her
off on Dick and at the same time to
! become the lover of Mary.
! At the conclusion of the produc-
| tion Mr.. Zangwill responded to the
8, demands of the audience for speech.
He called attention to the fact that
/ this was his first visit to Washing
| ton since the production here of his
play, "rhe Melting Pot" fifteen years
ago. The Zionist leader, London
born, teacher, journalist. novelist,
playwright, poet. discussing the con-
hict of modern thought with that
of the older generation, pointed his
remarks with a reference TO the con-
fict now waging in the Episcopal
iChurch over the birth of Christ. He
, said that whatever the religion, II
was possible always to gain a lesson
! of mother love of the Madonna and of
! sacrifice from the life OF Christ. Mr..
, ZanGwilI expressed his thanks for
! the good viii evin"ed by the audi
! ence and his appreciation of the work
| of the actors and producer.