Evening star., 1932-04-03

"NWO pIOuuCGAOIIS VI CIlc 1cSu-
lar season of the theater
that still hickerS on Broad
way are, as the words are
now set down, due to show tnem-
selves in Washington before the
inauguration of our own theater
of repertory, as builded by the
promoters of our regular Summer
Stock season. Each of these has
had it's tilt with the dramatic
critics, and the fact that each
survived that tilt is irrefutable
evidence that either they were
approved, more or less, by the
fault-finders, or that the BroadI
way audiences kept them up aid
doing. The first of these, The
Good Fairy" described as a de-
lightful comedy by Ferenc Molnar,
with a production by Gilbert
Miller, will bring Helen Hayes ana
a fine supporting company 70 tne
National Theater tomorrow eve
ming. Heretofore Mr. Miller has
chosen preferably the Shubert-
Belasco for his offerings. The
switch at this time, therefore, Is
somewhat of an innovation. Next
week, the National Theater Will
present. or rather Arch SelWyn
will do the presenting, The
Devil Passes" a comedy concelt
by Benn w. Levy, which, as out
lined in the advance notices, seems
likely to prove most interesting.
And the week after next S. +.
Cochran will present the 1882
National Theater Players in "A
Church Mouse" while Manager l..
Stoddard Taylor, who hoped he
might have the widely-talked-ot
play, Grand Hotel" perhaps as
a farewell to Broadway, has been
advised he won't. And there you
are!
1T was a pleasant treat to have
with us during the week just
ended the always delightful janet
Beecher and her fine supporting
company, and the Joy Of the oc--
casion was not entirely oollteraUeo
by the fact that she was sent 10
US in the most daring OF post
Easter escapades we have had to
muSS UP our good resolutions IN a
long while. With the spirit OF
peace on earth and good Will
to men" still strongly moving our
better natures, we shall let this
recognition of the play rest
where it does and forever, but
without the usual benedictlon OF
''reuuieScat in pace" that is re-
served for the departed good.
GEORGE SAND, a wonderfully
~ gifted French writer, whose
name has been more or less aSso--
ciated variously with those OF
Chopin, Balzac and LiSzt, and
whose career, as reflected in her
writings, bears a striking similar
ity to the four seasons of the year,
with each at the top of its posi-
bilities, in commenting upon the
Theater and the Temple as one
and the same sanctuary, in the
dawn of religion, because the
arts have their birth at the foot
of the altar" showed herself to be
very good gueSSer. After OBJ
serving that "the dance. now con-
secrated to voluptuouSneSs, was the
music of the senses in the festival
of the gods; music and poetry the
highest expressions Of faith, and
woman endowed with genius
and beauty, at once sibyl and a
Triestess," Nine. Sand lamented
that "these severely grand forms
of the past" should have been
succeeded by absurd and culpable
distinctions" Religion" she said
"proScribed beauty from its festi-
walls and woman from its Solemni-
ties. Instead of ennobling and
directing love, it banished and
confounded it. Men," she added
"have raised for themselves other
temples which they call theaters-
and where no other god presides.' y
THE activities of Nine. Sand
= were confined to the period
between 1904 and 1876, according
to the who's who" But heI
guess about the theater will stand
unchallenged. 1t is not that the
ater patrons desire everything
served up to them in the theater
shall be "holy and wholesome,
as is the church service and cere-
monial. But there are certain
lasting memories of those services
and ceremonials which strongly
clash with the modern tendency