The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-01-02
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THEREVOLUTION SHOOK
THE RUSSIAN THEATRE

music and other subordinate ele-
ments. Through this "theatricaliza-
ton of the theatre" Tairov achieved
great successes in such productions
as "Girofle-Girofla," and Ostrov-
sky's "Storm." In 1925-26, the
Kamerny Theatre produced "Kuri-
kol," "Rosita," and Eugene O'NeilPs
Hairy Ape" Tairov's version of
the Hairy Ape" differed from its
American production by social en-
phasis. Instead of stressing O'Neill's
struggle of the individual with
himself" Tairov drew on the deeper
implications of the text. In power
full scenes he projected the two lay
ers of society irrevocably divided
and the lone individual fighting in
blind rage and tragic impotence a
hopeless fight against the limita-
tons of his own nature and the in
exorable power of the established
order. In 1926-27, Tairov produced
O'Neill's "Desire Under the Ems"
and Hasenclever's "Antigone." Has
enclever, one of the young German
expressionists, wrote his play in
1916, as a protest against the world
war. Tairov adapted the play to
symbolic the international struggle
against imperialism.
The stormy petrol of the Soviet
Union theatre is Vsevolod Meyer
hold. This gifted director came to
the November Revolution with TWEEN
ty years of struggle and experiment
alton in the theatre behind him. In
the past ten years he has not hest
tated to reshape the contents of plays
and to attempt every imaginable ex-
pertinent in staging and acting. YER
haeren's DAWN" which he produced
in 1921, was staged in semi-cubist
manner. An effort was made to bring
the audience and the stage into
closer communion. Actual sailors
came on the stage, mingling with
the actors, and at the plays climax
an actual telegram from the battle
field was read, announcing the vic
tory of the Bolshevik trops over
Wrangel. The Meyerhold Theatres
next production was Mayakovsky's
"Mysteria Bufee," which was played
on May First. This was an immense
holiday spectacle dealing with con-
temporary events in a "heroic, epic
and satiric" manner. The "Magnifi-
cent Cuckold," by Crommenlynck,
produced in 1922, created a storm
by the introduction of the "construc-
twist" method in staging, and of
"biomechanics" in acting. Both these
methods were a direct response to
the spirit of the times. They
stressed, on the one hand Russia's
need of machinery to build the So
cialist state, and on the other the
need of sports to build the bodies of
its citizens. Meyerhold produced the
Death of Tarelkin" in 1922, and
Earth Prancing" in 1923, in the
same manner. The following year he
created furore by his introduction
of neo-realism in Ostrovsky's "For-
est" This new method was again
response to the needs of the times,
reflecting the period of economic
and social reconstruction which was
absorbing the energies of the Rus
sian people. After the Forest" came
a series of plays satirizing the bour-
geois world. "Trust D. E." ii. e. De-
struction of Europe), produced in
1924, dealt with the "final conflict"
between the workers and the bour-
geoisie, and was marked by rapid
action and ingenious settings. Faiko's
Teacher Bubus," produced in 1925,
was comedy showing the expert
ences of muddle-headed intellec-
tual who is wrecked because he is
unable to make up his mind whether
to support revolution or reaction.
Erdman's Mandate" produced in
1925, was clever contemporary
drama, dealing with a conservative
family which longs for the return
of the good old days" Tretiakov's
"Roar China" dealing with the Chi
nese revolution, created a profound
impression, being performed in the
midst of the very events it was por-
traying. Meyerhold reached the peak
of his theatrical revolutionary peri
cd in 1926, with the production of
the classic Inspector General" by
Gogol. Meyerhold restored the play
to what he believed was Gogo's
original intention; he inserted pas
sages from other works by Gogol,
and turned it into a satire on the