Evening star., 1940-03-11

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relief fund of the American Red
presence in one of the great por-
traits of Shaw's brilliant gallery,
there was also present that dis
tinguished Washington audience
which makes such occasions extraor-
dinary. It was something very
special in spite of the fact this
"Saint Joan" is not an unqualified
triumph as dramatic unity for all
the excellence and fascination
achieved in many of its parts.
Innovation and novelty abound in
the Erwin Piscator production of
saint Joan" which brings Miss
Rainer to the stage. They are art
full and handsome innovations of
setting, lighting and music, but
their ingenuity and simplicity have
a self-consciousness of which one
is aware when the focus might better
have been more constantly upon
the work of star and playwright.
Joan, Miss Rainer and Shaw are a
sufficiency of shining rebels for one
evening, their own devices so ade-
quate as to make any others ex-
cessive.
On Mr.. Piscator's novel stage,
however, Miss Rainer gives a rich
and vigorous account of the Orleans
Maid whose divine inspiration
wrought so much dramatic havoc
In the cowardly lives of men that
her reward was sainthood Well
supported by cast selected from
the ranks of the Civic Theater
players, she makes an often electric
figure of the illiterate country girl
whose wisdom was so much greater
than that of kings, archbishops and
generals that she burned at the
stake for making them uncomfort-
ably aware of their inadequacy.
OF all the affairs of men upon
which he has made scornful COM
ment Mr.. Shaw was never more
burning than upon the fate of Joan.
He wrote tragically, not melodra-
matically, on the theme and Miss
Rainer only rarely steps over the
line and then only with some JUS
tification for the thought that so
did Mr.. Shaw Naturally, most to
her liking and to her genius belong
the later scenes of the play. It is
hardly conceivable that any one
could play more effectively that
movement of terrible hurt in the
Cathedral of Rheims when she be-
comes aware that her close asso-
ciates among the great men of
France abhor her. Her counseling
saints, the voices which gave her
her great inspiration as warrior and
stateswoman, never had told her
about how lonely and despised are
the unsettled leaders of men. Miss
Rainer tells 1t in all its tragic i'm
port in one of the plays greatest
passages.
Even more superbly interpreted,
however, is the famous inquisition
scene. Shaw, of course, is his most
Olympian self in this passage in
which he undertakes to show the
shortcomings of one of the finest
things about the species, its good
will. Every one involved. nearly
every one, at least, and certainty
every one of Importance in that IA
nous trial, wants to be just and
merciful. Justice and mercy have
no chance, however, for there is no
method of genuine communication
between prisoner and accusers which
would make either understandable
to the other. The pitiable human
Ignorance of Joan when the wise
and respected men of the church at
tack with human cunning the
divinity Of her inspiration is dark
with drama which the scene well
realizes.
Mr.. Piscator and Day Tuttle, who
directed Saint Joan," have done an
excellent piece of work in providing
Miss Rainer with such sturdy sup
port from the ranks of Washington's
non-professional Gas distinct from
amateur) players. Among those
whose work stands out with the
most emphasis is Murray Sheehan
as the 1nquisitor, Rudolph JUS
tice Watson as the Archbishop
OF Rheims, the confused prelate
who could accept only so many
miracles; Ted Tenley as the craven
Dauphin, converted by Joan into