Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-20

experience 10 create prOQuCllOl
which effaces all the unfragrance
that might finger after the various
profanity plays and a style of drama
which at first seemed to discuss
psychology and abruptly descended
to the shcerest physiology.
Never were two authors more on
the qui vivc as to the fate of their
endeavor Their intense affection for
their work reflected not the sage ex-
perience Of the man who has learned
to regard the theatcr as a business
which opens the prompt book and
the ledger side by side, but as the
means OF expressing a thought and
testing out the question whether the
popular mind is in accord with OBJ
servationS and ideals held in deep
literary reverence.
4 4 X
The presentation of "Pickwick'
begins at the beginning" OF the
Dickens career. The stage produc-
ton is an intensified study of the
Imagination which was revealed
when Boz" endeavored to harness
his sentences and characterization
to pictures, with the result that his
own work ran away with the enter
prise. 1t is difficult iii collaboration
to draw a clear distinction as to
who's who" in assigning credit for
different portions of the achievement.
In this case there is glory enough to
go round. The colossal preparation
and the interchangeable courage, to-
gether with profound nicely of
taste with reference to the selection
OF cast and costume, represent so
Indispensable an element of the eve
ning's triumph for Reilly that there
can be no harm in assigning to Ham
ilton offhand unreserved credit for
the experiences displayed in the man
agement Of that elusive consideration
mentioned in the text books as
dramatic construction"
x = X y
The authors themselves had the
experience of beginning from the
beginning, with all the uncertainties
and distractions that Boz" no doubt
experienced. Rehearsal space in New
York was obtained with difficulty,
owing to the magnitude of the COM
pany and possibly to a lack of faith
IN an enterprise which had previous
ly been touched upon IN terms of the
conventional theater and with but
little success. A msapprehension
arose as to the stage dimensions of
the theater here. with result that
only portion of the mammoth
scenic equipment was shown to the
public while the rest of it reposed
outdoors in the rear of the theater
20 take its chances on a possible
rainstorm.
In spite of this curtailment the dis
play Of pictorial charm seemed as
voluminous as it was irresistible In
contrast, the revelation OF old archi-
lecture breathed the romance of by
gone convivialities from every Win
dow and even to await the stage
coach bearing a couple on clopement
bent. There IS landscape stretch
ing into distant skyline and repre-
sent'ng the game preserves on which
Pickwick Inadvertently encroaches.
1t is worth: the brush OF the painter
who limits his canvas to purposes of
framing for a gallery.
\ * x X
And yet to the Dickens lovers
some OF whom brought copies of
"Pickwick Papers" and followed the
text OF the play-thc beauty of the
scenery was soon forgotten as well
remembered figures seemed to imi-
tate the sculpture of Pygmalian and
step into vivid animation Leaves
OF an old book riff1ed slowly to
permit these welcome friends of
fancy to emerge. Little more was
expected at the outset than to enjoy
looking at the personages l. thr
ssketchy narrative. SEE OF their
humorous adventures were SO slight
as to be trivial, depending for inter
est entirely on the manner of story
telling. But they said things that
stick IN memory 1t was worth while
to hear their characteristic drolleries
made humanity audible, apparently by
a process OF reincarnation of which
the theater alone is capable.
In the selection OF models the au-
thorS evaded the caricaturists who
have illustrated Dickens, such as
Cruikshank and Mast There is no
apparent effort at fun. The people
on the stage are earnest, sincere,
and save for few INSCRIPTIONS pro-
moters of litigation, honest of pur-
pose. The one conspicuous eXcep-
ton to the rule, Jingle, has a won
derful background of morality for
his connivances. He assumes a
prominence i'll the early part of the
performance that threatens to make
him the center of interest, so we'll is
this role of the high strung sharper
enacted by Hugh Miller. But on the
stage, as in the story, Mr.. Pickwick
pursued his way of even calm.
Eventually, Mr.. Jingle left him in
undisputed dominance, not to reap
pear until the final act as fellow
partaker of the unwelcome hospitali-
ties of Fleet Prison.
With surgery deft and delicate, Mr..
Hamilton has taken a portion of the
stvry sufficient for plot and climax
from Superabundance of material.
The incident portraying Pickwick's
labarynthian course into and then out
OF a breach of promise suit pre-
sentS a sufficiently strong structure
OF acton and suspense to sustain
the play, especially in view of various
sidelights on the love affairs of silly
spinSterhood as well as of buoyant
youth.
~ Xviii Hopper once played Mr..
Pickwick. The late John Bunny
previously had played the role in
films and his characterization was
IL