Evening star., 1932-02-07

Al IL OAA6 hAAN NASoS t'@S
" tropolis, telling what has
been-and Topped, and
what is to be-and may flop
comes the report of Symposium
on the State of the Theater.
SympoSiumS, like Investigations,
seldom leave substantial Joy in
the world. The New York con-
greSS, however, developed enough
to show where we are at" with
a haSty apology for the colo
QuialiSm.
Owen Davis, playwright for ages,
IS credited with the opinion tnat
the present plight Of the American
Theater is due to the way it has
been "manhandled" by "incompe-
tent producers" for the last 10
years. Elmer Rice, one of our
worthwhile modern playWrights,
Is said to believe the remedy de-
mandS the organization of the
better managers in cooperation
with the banded and disciplined
actors and dramatiStS." Both are
Pulitzer prize winners and, if they
have been correctly reported, both
appear to be eminently correct in
their conclusions. The eminent
critic who reported these gentle
men, however, was only 5000"
He was minus in declaring
that the Theater of today is su-
perior to that of 25 years ago,
and he is "all to the good"-again
that colloquial habit-in saying
that "it ought not to be difficult
to persuade our playWrightS not
to think too much about anything,
even boX-officeS."
HALF a century ago, more or
less, a gifted woman wrote a
book called "Helen'S Babies" that
caught on like wild fire. One OF
its most intriguing incidents con-
cerned a youngSter who tried to
break into a watch, because he
wanted to see the wheels go
round" Well, the incident repeats
itself in our modern movies, bless
'em, for the movies are our modern
"Helen'S Babies" For, very early
in their sweet, young lives, they
began to take their admirers into
their confidence and to show them
not only their own inSideS, but
the inSideS of everybody and
everything connected with them.
Soon the curious miss Of the
Junior high knew all about every
thing. Now she not only knows
the movie stars, what they eat and
what they do, but even the most
detailed indelicacieS Of their scan
dals. In like manner, they en-
lightened the young hopeful of
the other sex as to the ms and
outs of everything, especially the
eccentric variations OF crime OF
all kinds and even how to get
away with murder, to say nothing
of pulling a fine burglary or doing
a bank robbery.
TEN years ago, when "incompe-
tent manhandlers" took pos
session of our stage, their crown
ing inspiration was to duplicate
the financial success of the aStute
gentlemen who declared them
selves bent upon annihilating, or
Supplanting, that stage. what
was more natural than for them
to adopt the methods of their
vindictfve rivals. So that TO-DAY
that mystery that endeared the
theater to the public mind and
imagination, which constituted its
outstanding and most effective
charm, has been dispelled and cast
into the discard along with many
other good qualities of the theater
of 25 years ago. And that is why
our theater of today is very de-
cidedly not superior to it's ancient
ancestor, and precisely where
Percy Hammond gets his minus 30
mark. 1t might here be added,
incidentally, that Mourning Be
comes Electra" has also run in
Misunderstanding "the great
est drama of modern times
while THE Band Wagon" the
most perfect revue" has Just been
let out.
IMAGINATION delights in sur
L prise. 1t just loves to be grilled
and thrilled and even startled out
of it's boots. The manipulators OF
the ancient theater knew this and
save for the Johnny with the
pull for sidedoor entrance-they
kept the mysteries behind the
footlights safely aloof from the
cunning wits of both adults and