Evening star., 1925-11-15

thetic. but surrounded bv so much
melodramatic mechaninism that it is
compelled to move in the main with
the rest OF the group as a lay
figure.
The feature OF the week was that
familiar demonstration which is be-
ginning to impress itself with an
annual date line III the title. George
Tyler's All-Star Cast OF 1925" If
We do not know our Sheridan by
this time it will be no fault Of that
Indefat!gable student and drscrim-
mating interpreter OF traditional
drama. His attitude is always deep
ly respectful. not only toward the au-
thors once forgotten Though not
lavishly exhumed by the movies).
but also toward the players who, for
instance. like Henrietta Crosman
have identified themselves with the
literary stage. OF all the authors in
evidence this season. Sheridan re-
mains master. not only OF wit. but
as we'll of suspense and thrill.
1t is a curious fact that in the ef-
fort to pursue a vogue there is so
much repetition at close intervals
that what is actually new seems old,
while something Of venerable an
tiouity projects itself as luminous
novelty. Let those among US who
are a little weary Of the stage
syncopated and stockingless hope
that the researches in King Tut's
tomb will eventually turn up a few
manuscripts of early Egyptian plays.
What novelties they would be!
In reproducing the spirit of its
own time, The School for Scandal
does not go as deeply into the
sympathetic and psychological aspect
of the story as did the Tyler presen-
tation OF THE Rivals" The stage
looks the by-gone scene of social ad-
venture in THE School with a pre-
cision of detail calculated to please
the student. though not always par
ticularly to edify the casual spec
tator The tin footlight shields are
pretty enough. but no athletics Of
imagination could enable us to per-
suade ourselves that they concealed
sputtering candles instead of electric
light bulbs. The costuming was
magnificent in its artifce and yet all
the Haunting of farthingales and
feathers could not conceal the mod
ernness of the player within. 1t was
necessary to preserve that genial
archaism the aside" to which there
is possibly not nearly as much OBJ
lection as many Of the rule makers
&C -
believe. The old stage took it's
audiences more into confidence than
is possible now. even permitting IA
vored patrons to occupy seats where,
without interfering with the action
they could easily be seen and envied
by the groundlings. 1t is easy to
ina CINE an aside tossed conf
dentially to one of these familiar
spirits who for the moment might
feel lin view of the fact that every
bodv on earth is in some degree
stage struck little hattered at
thus being made part of the per-
formance. Such All aside was
plausible enough. and even ,iwhen it
became customary for an actor TO
tell his secret thoughts across the
footlights to the drummer it never
interfered with the enjoyment or the
success of a genuinely interesting
play.
All this. however, was no reason
for stepping forward and hurting
the aside" dehantly into the teeth
of the audience as was done last
week. 1t is after all kindly little
confidence, in which the author
bers the audi nee for a moment TO
waive the limit ations of strict verify