Evening star., 1932-05-08

1 vernal equinox had sent
~ its showers through the
land and the buds and
blossoms began to peep out in
greener fields, it was the custom
of the dramatic critic to fold UP
his comments and steal off to Eu-
rope, or else go afishing, in keep
ing with a tradition that he
needed rest and recuperation
That was once upon a time. The
Theater then had one season,
called its regular season. After
that, nothing mattered. Now the
Theater, like Tennyson's Brook
is trying to 60 on forever. And
for that the Movie is to blame.
Although its writers, even to this
day, continue to write about "the
new season." "the next season" /"
''the coming season" and the
like, the talking palace, in fact,
never closes its doOrS-that is to
say, unless something tragic hap
pens to its works or the house is
to be refurbished and made to
"look like new" However, if the
chronicles from New York are
well founded, the dear, old legit-
innate Theater this year, at least,
is going to have its Springtime,
too For new plays and produc-
tions appear to be popping up in
Manhattan like Johnny jump ups
around the old swimming hole,
until nothing short of real May
time is at hand in the metropolis,
with great, grand and glorious
rebirth of the Drama and all that
appertains thereto. Even now the
press agent is chirping around,
like the busy little sparrow, her
aiding his wares.
THUS Hope springs eternal in
the human breast while the
manager and his cohorts are be-
Sieging Congress to save the
Theater from annihilation. Not
a tenth of the things talked about
outlast the takers breath. And
by the same token, probably, not
a tenth of the promised produc-
tons will ever reach the stage,
or, should they be so fortunate,
it is a moral certainty the great
majority will as quickly wriggle
out and be lost in the ocean of
wasted effort, never to be heard
of again. The clatter now is for
remembrance. Indeed, ever since
the days when the Movie made
the whole year it's season the
stage has had a trying struggle
Just to keep it's memory fixed in
the human mind. Some one, per-
haps one of those wicked for
eigners who is trying to lead us
and our country to dire, if not
dollar, destruction, is now telling
us that when the world is at it's
darkest it needs it's Theater. He
points out that during the most
desperate days of the World War
countless theaterS were filled with
weary walters, both in Berlin and
Paris, who sought surcease from
sorrow in the play. Nor was it
the kind of play that made them
laugh that they demanded. Even
the profound philosophy of the
playwright that strived to plant
his art on high Olympus had its
capacity audiences and served to
soothe the troubled soul. In all
probability, it is this suggestion
that has awakened our own pro-
ducers from their lethargy and
accounts for the current actiyi-
ties in the Theater, or for the
Theater, in iii Oh N'Yawk. Peace
may have its troubles no less ter
rible than war, and the idea is
that America at the moment is
in the midst of her most terrible
trouble" and, therefore, desper-
ately in need Of the Solace of the
thespian art.
WELL, we have already heard
~ the tocSn from our National
Theater Players that "the show
must go onl" And thanks to their
grim determination bolStered by
sacrifice, Manager Cochran an
nounces that the show-a very
good article in the matter of
quality, by the way-Will 60 on to
its fourth offering of the contem-
plated stock season. The dramatic
skill of the talented company al
ready has been tested in three
types of play, and generous audi
ences have testified their pleas
ure and approval. The fourth
play, Michael and Mary" Is one
of the pleasant stories of the
gifted English playwright. A. A.
Milne. Washington already has
seen Charles Hopkins production
of 1t within the year. And Di-
rector Clifford Brooke, who did
not desert his charges, save for