Evening star., 1943-05-02
MIR. Jefferson or AntrObuis.
You May Take a Choice
But Whichever You Choose Means
Virtually Nothing as Critics
Prize Award Indicates
By Jay Carmody.
Drama Editor Of The Star,
NEW YORK.

There certain advantages being New York drama
critic True there disadvantages You don't get
the opportunity to review all the plays instance
unless opened In Boston
Philadelphia instead of in washington On the other hand
do get chance to associate people merely 70 to the
theater instead of those who more
Importantly you are not required to commit formally
and ofhcaly the subject the play year.
The latter turning out to be embarrassing necessity
year the New York critics in solemn session fortnight
came to the concusonafer II baosthat was
the best play OF the For the
participants that should have should
nave been accepted the best play of the
nave been no further discussion of the subject
or some other early democrat said losers should
shut and bide their time.
1t turned out to be quite the other way great many people
did not accept THE Patriots" the best year
discussion has been municipality disagreement the whole
point That how THE Patriots the
Teeth the sympathy leaving large doubt
as to whether the prize the pity is Of the
Perhaps Is No Best"
Among Plays of a Season.
It with the notion resolving own mind
that this correspondent to New plays
And so he came he and he conquered
that the whole procedure extremely silly dropped
with no further discussion than that
coump Choosing the best play possibily
1t is like trying to decide which superior sunset
bacon or butter going to bed getting depends upon
factors completely subject Immediately under con-
sderao The choices alternatives sharply
defined For all the evidence to the contrary they
thing, choice identical things
This correspondent knows those things having
seen the two plays in single day. having
period of nine that Teeth is the best play
of any season he happens to remember.
HOW was the choice made? On the perfectly ndefensbe
basis that it happened fit feeling belonged day.
which happens to have Wednesday,
The feeling it so frequently has
theate needs better anarchists, tossing
paywrghs who have pro-
cedure of drama writing producing acting cizng stuy
Thornton Wilder who wrote THE Skin Teeth
anarchist Sidney Kingsley not
Mr. Kingsley wrote about the Revolution with
as his hero, and it brilliantly prologue
the speech in which Jefferson accepted the presidency
Wilder is the revoluion that he
George Antrobus mammal who could be written
only by discardng the accepted involving
classic unies which taught in advanced Engsand
could not believe because
as you thought you
The choice is that simple that personal
mood which might last only long it takes write
ABOUT IT, WITHIN those limitations 1t perhaps illustrative of
futile it to choose play perhaps
the other plays worthless by
patiently ercely ideasic in one
breath enthusiastically disenchaned in the
The most marked difference between plays their
central characters Kngsleys hero Jefferson Individual
great by the conventional definition
was seesness about him. and nobility and dealsm which
made him want to leave the world better
far better place in that he spoke for the
that he might be free so long his freedom mpnged
thinking and mass action.
Anrobus Is he Larger Nan
In Being All Men of All Time.
wnders hero Antrobus, is larger all men
OF all time from Genesis to 943 of all places
to Excelsior N j. Actually, todays
meaning of the He
and multiplication tables to eliminate the grounds
make political
of what they and what the world is like
Different the Messrs. Jefferson and Antrobus
latter less noble for being confused
Jefferson artculate jealous
characters but Mr. Anobu much harder
imagination scores historical
documents including the greatest of modern Declaration
of Independence The difference from the standpoint
heren writing all Jefferson which
tor at the two plays would give his best decision Mr. Wilder for
having the abstract hero and written around him
an equally entertaining play.