The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-11-25
Some Polish
Needed for
Perfection
Highly intellectual Work Is
Given Premiere at
Civic Theater.
BY JOHN w. THOMPSON

From a cloud of skepticism. doubt.
hope and prayer, "Faun," the new
play by Charles Bruce Milholland,
has arisen a beautiful uncut jewel,
rough and unpublished, yet giving
glimpses here and there Of what lies
within. The play is being performed
for the first time this week at the
Civic
"Faun" is a highly intellectual
play. It gives one thinking material
that will last. It has been eXpertly
designed, splendidly executed, and
lacks only the final something" to
make it a great play Mote: we
didn't say popular play)
The story of "Faun" tells Of
Vadim Valsky. famous Russian
dancer. whose poetic soul demanded
the expression of his body as much
as the souls of Keats Browning and
Shakespeare demanded literary ex-
preston.
Signs Contract With Sergayeff
The plot is this. Valsky signs a
contract with Boris Sergayeff which
sets forth that he never shall marry,
never dance for anyone else. ValSky
meets Rozika, whose intense love for
him finally wins him over and they
are married. Sergayef, jealous,
breaks off with Valsky, forces him
to dance in vaudeville for living
finally takes him back. gets him a
lob in America. There, because Of
the rift between manager and wife,
Valsky is injured forced to retire in
Switzerland where he is thought to
have lost his mind Trying to eX-
plain that he hasn't, he actually
does 90 insane when Sergayeff and
constables force him into a strait
jacket.
The play, before it is over, COM
life, beginning with the insanity of
the dancers father, Ladislov, and
ending with the insanity of the
dancer himself. 1t is as lovely an
example of genius beating its wings
in futiIity against the doors of fate
as we have ever seen.
Not a Dull PLAY
Yet, fear not. because of these
poetic illusions, that "Faun" is dull.
1t has everything any play needs;
plot, action, color. romance and
melodrama Mr.. Milholland has left
no stone unturned in the attempt
to make this very difficult story in
teresting even to those who never
heard Of male dancer like Vadim
ValSky.
There could be no more eXacting
test Of the playwright than that of
making a 10-scene play about a
male dancer so interesting as to
hold an Indianapolis audience in
their seats for two hours and half,
without Whimper of reStlesSneSs.
Mr.. Milholland has passed this
test successfully. Furthermore he
did 1t Saturday night with the
limited mechanical facilities of the
Civic, which wasn't built with the
idea of ever producing such a play
as "Faun" We could not help but
forecast the beauty of "Faun" if it
were to be produced with a revolv-
ing stage whereby those short, vi
brant scenes could be presented with
the rapidity which the tempo of the
script seems to require.
Needs Rewriting in Spots
Or, going further yet to image
what might be done with "Faun" as
a movie scenario, which could cap
ture the atmosphere only suggested
in its first presentation, an atmoS-
phere akin to that in Peter Tibet
SON." and outward Bound" and
Crime Without Passion"
We do not believe that "Faun" is
a finished product. 1t needs rewrit-
ing in places. 1t needs the cres-
condos and diminuendoS that it only
hints at now. There are several
scenes which move too Slowly and
some that could be retarded. But
the fact remains that the soul of a
great play has sprung from Mr.. Mil
hollands pen.
With no discredit to Mr.. Milhol-
land, "Faun" needs someone be-
sides its author to play its leading
role. He has suggested in his over
done Characterization a role which
would be hard to fill. Yet Vadim
Valsky should be portrayed as the
author intends he should be por-
trayed, That Mr. Milholland is not
great actor is to be expected. He
is an author.
1t was right that he Shold play
the role in the plays first showing
No one could have transmitted To