Evening star., 1927-03-13
Perverse Play Producers
And a Patient Public
BY PHILANDER JOHNSON.

material permitted them in no way
corresponded to his own.
y X X X
During the Winter that passes
conditions were obviously unset
tied, with pictures occupying the
stage usually devoted to speak
ing drama for weeks at a stretch
and houses being allowed often
to lapse into darkness on very
brief notice. Nevertheless, it has
revealed two of the most re-
markable successes of recent times.
Fortunate it was for The Road to
Rome" that the resolve TO produce
"The Adventure" did not mature so
early in the season as to make MT.
Sherwood's play appear like the
COPY instead of the original. 1t
would have found very little conf
dence among the class OF auditors
willing to appreciate smart cymcism
in connection with audacious themes.
"Pickwick" also was lucky i'll land
ing in Washington after much un-
certainty as to booking and tnding
an audience receptive to its droller-
les. 1t was a question of choosing
the right spot in both cases.
y X X X
That there will be a Dickens
vogue" seems most probable, and
had Mr. Atwill, instead of going
away back to the Greek, decided to
consider the English novelist, he
might find himself happily placed.
Such a role as Sydney Carton in
"The Only Way" which has not been
seen here since Henry Miller played
it, should reveal this accomplished
actor at the height of his we'll recog
nized ability.
The tendency now is to do a play
on large scale or else let it alone
Possibly the pictures have exerted
an influence in promoting the use Of
elaborate effects and a confidence III
ultimate returns regardless of heavy
expense.
A very general hope that Tire
lawney" would include this city in
its tour is to be gratihed. 1t has a
cast OF characters so numerous and
so famous that biographies of its
members, if collected, would present
a complete history of the Americai
theater for many past years.
\ ~ X
In the meantime the public is
making an effort to revert to origi-
nal conditions and provide the means
OF creating theater of its own from
original material. The Sardonic at
titude toward the amateur theater
has been utterly abandoned. Even
ar heterogeneous, production like
The Awakening" is a revelation of
possibilities in meeting certain lines
OF taste effectually by the crudest
methods. In artistic and literary cir
cles League" and Little Theaters"
are steadily asserting themselves,
with so much patience and sincerity,
and, in many instances, with results
so brilliant that it would be strange
indeed should they fail TO provide
material we'll worth the attention of
people who have grown weary of
rough treatment
Inc children's theater should be an
important factor in influencing the
taste of public yet to come. Dis
creetly conducted, it could be made
the means of establishing standards
which will serve as protection
against the indiscriminate offerings
now available TO every one. The
cultivation of taste cannot begin too
early, but the selection of material
represents a delicate task. Many
young person has avoided Shake
speare for long time because it
was brought to his attention as
students task when he was not
equipped by reading or experience
to appreciate its thought.
Well selected children's PLAYS
must, of course, be, first of ali, for
children, however much athe grown
folks may enjoy listening in. They
should not be hard to find. Thanks
to the immortality conferred by
print we still have our Lewis Car
roll, our Hans Christian Andersen
and many others. And If not all the
children become fine actors they
may, at least, enjoy the pleasure and
exert the beneficial influence of be-
coming good audiences.