Evening star., 1927-10-23

meet; extremes OF personality
from the graceful to the gro.
tesque; of thought from the
most poetic to the most uncom-
promisingly coarse. The coarser
thought is, of course, most easily
employed by the majority of people
and if crudity alone could be relied
on in giving the public "what il
wants" a continuous source of sup
ply would be constantly available.
The difficulty of supplying attrac-
tions is even more apparent this
season than it was a year ago, and
in many cases the bid for public ap-
proval has been made on the lowest
possible terms of taste.
Having rejected the ridiculous for
q while, the stage of the National,
by the presentation of "The Jazz
Singer" enabled audiences to enjoy
the sublime. For the average
hearer, uneducated for the most part
IN the history which involves deep
religious sentiment and rigid dis
cipline, this study in Jewish faith
and devotion cannot with ease be
sympathetically comprehended. It is
tar from expressing itself in terms
of popular entertainment. 1t holds
great meaning for those who know
accurately of the deep and reveren-
tial emotion that inspires it, and for
a few others whose sympathetic
humanity compels wish to learn
more of people who are here living
SO profound devotional life in the
spirit OF far centuries ago.
In some degree The Jazz Singer"
parallels the story of "Magda."
This new play deals with European
conditions so strong that they SUR
vive even the transplanting to Amer
lea and tells the story of a boy
gifted and ambitious in new life,
yet overwhelmed at last by the sense
of parental duty. 1t is rather a SER
mon than a play. Nothing could
more completely refute the cynical
assertion that the playhouse has no
educational mission. The mission
may be but seldom asserted, but the
function is undoubtedly available.
In his speech after the final cur
tain, which the audience fingered to
hear, Mr.. Jessel stated that the pur-
pose of the play involved only re-
minder of the Commandment,
Honor Thy Father and Thy
Mother" In claiming this honor for
parents it also claims honor for
idealisms which have been dear to
the parents of parents back through
many generations. @
A previous play to deal with the
adjustments to the rapid and con-
fusing conditions of this new worlds
Life was "Sam Abramovitch" which
dealt more with the struggles of
commercial life as against the temp
tations to avarice and fortune ig-
nobly won, than with the influences
of home as weakened by the world
of superficial pleasure.
Yet like The Jazz Singer" it por-
trayed the struggle to grasp new and
wonderful opportunities while risk
ing q discovery at last that what
seemed vast riches would prove when
assayed by Conscience even less
than fairy gold. "Abramovitch" had
the Anne Nichols fortune behind it.
Its immense cast required the high
est ability in stage direction.
Even greater ability is manifest in
the Jessel play than in "Abramo-
WITCH" although the actors are not so
numerous. The effects are so subtle
that they require the most deft man
agement, and the music which trifes
at first with one of the most Banal
of Broadway tunes eliminates in a
choral number which seems to sing
in deep and splendid harmony a
strange story of the boy favorite
who has forsaken his Broadway for
ever and who will henceforth be
the cantor that his loving father
foresaw while teaching him, in child
hood. the sacred themes.
This play cannot depend with abb
solute security on the large patron
age to which its intrinsic merit and
the beauty of its Interpretation en-
title il. It appeals to the same sense
of appreciation that welcomed the
production of "Job," not only as a
reading from the Old Testament, but
as a dramatic poem with actors
capable of bringing out the rare
beauty of the speeches.
4 y \
1t is drama for the connoisseur. II
depends on an interest which passes
the biliboards without much respect
full scrutiny and might be willing to
go to the East Side, not only in
quest of viands of exotic delicacy'
but to find in the Yiddish theater
an art intensified, dependent on an
intellectually of effort and an enthu-
siasm of popular devotion which has
thrived independent of surrounding
theatric influence excepting as 1t
gave to the English-speaking theatei
such stars as Jacob Adler and
Bertha Kalich.
In The Jazz Singer" only a few