Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-24

After a gallant siege of the
citadel of local affection in which
the contest wavered from week to
week-the public resisting some
what as it always does when an
innovation marches into sight
the Savoy Musical Co. will march
away at the close of next weeks
engagement with all honorS. A
colossal enterprise had the bless
ing Of the Nine Muses., but the
God of Mammon whose golden
scepter holds mercileSs box Office
sway was not wholly propitiated.
The expense of running a pro-
duction is such that without very
strong backing of capital it be-
comes like some of the creatures
in zoo who attempt to SubsiSt
by gradually devouring themselves.
Players used to complain very
cynically about the "iow-browS,"
whose lack of taste hindered the
theater. Their complaint now still
adopts cranial metaphor and rails
against overhead"
The extraordinary record of the
Savoyans calls attention tc the
annual engagement of the Ma
tional Theater Players invariably
scoring success with the lighter
forms Of speaking drama. The
'frivolitieS of light and whimsical
musical play are perhaps not so
well calculated to prompt a feel.
Ing OF personal acquaintanceShip.
Those who sing and dance are
after all a little too ethereal to
meet ordinary humanity on its
own terms. AS a rule ordinary
humanity growing into maturity
has lost its aspirations to initiate
the gleeful eccentricitieS of stage.
dancing or to entertain the COM
pany with lightSome dittieS in
audacious competition with the
monograph.
The player in straightforward
speaking drama, whether serious
or farcical, appeals to the auditor
on lines Of human fellowship. The
situations, however extravaganza,
are made so plausible by studied
artifice that they seem to have
been drawn from actual life and
to affect people who move in
familiar circles of private life. The
speeches are carefully edited and
delivered in manner which ap-
pears to be just about what would
naturally be expected.
1t is remarkable fact that
many who attend the theater,
even after years of observation do
not quite recover from the impress
sion, very fleeting, nevertheless
very sharp, that the wit is eX-
ten1pore and the tragedy all sin
cere.
When this faculty for self-de-
fusion is lost to the observer in
front, the theater is no longer
worth while.
In spite of a theater that has
become mechanical, Synchron-
lied, standardized and SyStema-
tized, there is courageous in
clination to struggle on in the face
Of mounting difficulties in Broad
way production.
Gilbert Millers declaration that
he would not attempt to produce
any more plays in New York
created the fear that he had
turned his back on his American
public for good and all. Fortu-
nately, this is not the case. His
plan is to produce in London and
send his presentations over here
as merit and booking opportuni-
ties may warrant.
X X X
Search for new material turns
attention to plays or stories of the
past, some of which have already
proved acceptable, with others in
prospect calculated to arouse lively
curiosity. One of the new drama
tiZations is something that might
have been expected very many
years ago when Mansfield was
placing great deal of dependence
on "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"
Mansfield cared little for the play,