Evening star., 1932-01-17
Greek Tragedy Draws
But Opinions Differ
Greatly as to Merit
Washington Evidently Has It's Own Ideas Con-
corning Electra Explanations and Hopes for
DISCOURAGED Theate -Whoopee Called For.
By w. H. Landvoist.

who melts his plot and injects the
emotional when he writes his
Greek trilogy. So it goes. One
chap, with commanding self
control, however, broke up the
symposium with his brusque
prophecy that what human
beings want is whoopee. Greek
tragedy amt going to be fashion
able, if I know human nature as
it operates today" And there you
are. The noncommittal are very
much nonplussed.
AND now for the lighter side OF
life! For three solid weeks, as
the press agents say, the National
will claim attention-and how!
Just at our door is Jane Cowls
well remembered IS m l n
Through" But now it comes with
another title, its sadness a
bit lightened by music and some
of the Joy of living. They tell us
it has been we'll done, without in
the least sacrificing the original
story and its sentiment. Close
behind it is THE House OF Con-
nelly" presented by sincere artists
of the Theater Group. 1t is a
folk play deeply imbedded in the
soil. And after it comes-oh, Joy
of ioyS!-"The Band Wagon" de-
scribed as Max Gordon's massive
and perfect revue" With all that
has been printed about it, certain
ly, this attraction will make the
rafterS of the old National-or the
New National, as you will-rlng,
provided, of course, the National,
old or new, has such things ana
they can really ring.
THERE is on the statute books
what has been termed a
drastic" child labor law, which,
if enforced, would send the
talents for the theater which
repose in our high and other
schools and even in the
churches aglimmering into in
nocuous desuetude," that favorlte
limbo of Grover Cleveland. when
he was President. It's purpose Is
good and its enactment seemed
entirely proper when the law was
passed. It's infleXibility, however,
makes it a burden upon the de-
velopment of our culture. Effort
is being made to modify it so that,
under prescribed conditions, boys
under is and girls under IL years
of age may be given a speclal per-
NIT by our District Commissioners
to appear in theatrical presenta-
tionS upon the stage. Care1u1 m
uuiry has failed to develop a Vallo
reason why the amendment pro
posed should not pass into the
law, Had such a law been opera
tive in the early days OF Maude
Adams. Ethel Barrymore, her
famous brothers, John and Lionel
and even of william Gillette, Jonn
Drew and Mrs. Fiske, it Is CLAIMED
their budding genius would have
been cut short-mayoe, as IN Lhe
case of grandfather,s CLOCK,
"never to go again" But conoi-
ttons in the theato today are dill
ferent from those that then eX-
isted. Besides, child prodigles are
becoming numerous, increasing
perhaps more rapidly than are the
good actors the stage demands.
X X
At the Shubert .Belasco the
n stage will be dark this week
But. next week will bring a reVlVa.
of THE Student Prince" the de-
lightful old Heidelberg story, with
which all the world is familiar
and after that the bookings call
for Fred Stone and his famous
daughter Paula in their sumptu-
Gus musical comedy, Smiling
Faces" Both will find a hearty
welcome from those who know
and love their theater.