Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-03

There are so many plays, books, mel
odies before the public today that IL
makes little difference whether they
are old or new.
All that counts is whether they are
good.
Go into the bookstores and see the
heaps of novels and biographies, nrst
issued at IS a copy, then in year or
two put out at 81, or even IS cents.
See even original So editions placed
on sale for dollar, so vast Is the num-
Der of books published each year and SO
fierce the competition.
The buying public is not directly con-
cerned with the problems of writers ana
publishers, playwrights and producers,
song writers and song publishers.
What does concern them is an inter-
esting play, book worth reading, a
song worth listening to.
The huge output in each one of
these branches of composition confuses
the public and makes it Impossible Tor
the individual to know more than
small portion of the whole at any one
time.
It used to be that educated Americans
who claimed for themselves some de-
gree of culture all read the same few
high-class magazines and could discuss
the same articles when they met.
Today no man can keep up with the
good articles. Their number is the pro-
verbal legion. Most men who write at
ali can write fairly well. The old-time
satisfaction Of discussing the good
things with a friend has long gone by.
The situation is not 50 bad among
books and plays. Here the real things
take care of themselves in year or
two. The grand shaking-up of time
tends to weed out the unworthy, as in
the past, and leave what IS worth
keeping.
Yet play producers keep right on CIV
inr the public tiresome and uninterest-
ing plays. instead Of dishing up the best
of the old ones.
Recently we happened to drop in on
a play translated from the Hungarian,
the chief role played by one Of America
most distinguished actresses.
A play Of extreme sophistication, 1t
was so sophisticated that 1t leaned over
backward, with the net result that the
first act was poor, the second terrible.
At least one there had a hard time
to keep awake, and, as far as he could
see, the remainder of the audience was
in much the same quandary.
The third act was better, thank
LlGdN6Ll, DuU OIlly Dy WIFI bAAC
two terrible ones which had preceded 1t.
n +
We kept on wondering why such an
experienced actress, with the worlds
repertory of plays to choose from, should
have selected such Q dull play
We will admit that she might have
been able to see more in 1t than we did,
but somehow the suspicion fingers that
she picked 1t in a sporting frame OF
mind.
This is so poor" no doubt. she told
herself, that 1t will reflect great credit
on me If can make anything at all out
Of It,"
Whether she succeeded in such an
aim must be left to the opinion of each
spectator, but If she did, the credit was
rather due to the two entries Of baby
in that last act.
We have never seen a baby used to
better effect in play. Ordinarily stage
babies squall, but this one never said
a word. At the best, however it was a
triumph for the baby, and not for the
star Of the occasion
X 4
II she had picked any one Of Mol
mars plays, for instance, she would
have entertained her audience much
better than she did in the belabored
role she filled
There is plenty Of precedent nova
days for selecting the good old In pref
erence to the mediocre new.
Revivals of all sorts constantly testi-