Evening star., 1949-12-04
.|HE theater snuggles closer
u Broadway every season.
leaving it to the radio,

from OIlc ONCdIA W VIC OeAA0A oAAu
criss crossed the north-south land
mass like the veins of q waffle
iron grows shorter yearly. A few
thin strands remain comprised Of
theaters extending from Boston
to Baltimore on the Atlantic; an
other stretching westward from
New York to Chicago. and a third
making its foggy way northward
along the Pacific.
Regional theater is gestating
and some day quite probably will
take the place Of the commercial
version which has settled down in
Gotham because it no longer can
afford-the story goes-to travel.
It's chief centers are universities
and colleges. its dynamic hope the
Young being educated there who
will find Broadway too cluttered
or too restricted to provide them
opportunity.
And so the paradox that at q
time when national interest In
the living drama is deeper and
sharper than ever before, its actual
geography diminishes steadily.
There Has Never Been
Anything Like 1t
AS a reading subject. however.
the drama was never like this be-
fore and the publishing industry
with sagacity and altruism has
come through handsomely.
Those who cannot see South
Pacific" or Death Of Salesman"
for the next several years can
stage them In their own minds
with the authors texts and the
directors directions to guide them.
Yet play publication is but a small
aspect Of the enormous proifera-
ton in dramatic literature In the
year 1949.
Criticism, biography, autobiog-
raphy, memoirs gay and sad. IL
Illustrated records Of productions
down to the least chorus girl IN
the cast-the drama book shell
this year called for extension after
extension to take care OF these.
There never has been anything
like it. Truly the reading offered
to deyotees Of the living drama Is
ample not merely to the require
ments of their spare time. but
also that which they cannot spare
without threat to the law OF SELF
preservation.
The critics of the drama who
have also been the critics OF these
books-the practice Of journalism
is not devious-and this one Is
frank to confess that he has en-
joyed his year Of reading.
He is equally frank to admit
that in any year-end summary
of such literature he will perform
precisely like a drama critic who
is happy to act like a book reader
instead of a professional aisle
sitter. He will talk about as many
of the books as he can, with the
accent on those he enjoyed most.
George Jean Nathan's
Yearly Phenomenon
Among the drama critics this
year, the greatest dither was that
created by George Jean Nathans
'"Theater Book Of the Year." an
annual volume from Knopf. There
is something extraordinary about
this. Mr.. Nathan's book Is q
yearly phenomenon. Usually 1t u
reviewed with couple OF admir-
ing paragraphs. Why. therefore
should this year be the excep-
tional one, In which his colleagues
leaped to their typewriters to pro-
claim Nathan's pre-eminence?
Sentiment? No. drama crit
icism Is unsentimental.
The real reason is that Nathan
Is the dramas most amazing
writer. After more than three
decades Of playgoing. millions o.
words Of play analyzing and un'
counted days and nights OF brood
ing, he remains fresh. enthusiastic
and brilliant. One by one he lay
away the dramas years with
scintfllating ceremonial that m
one dares to challenge and ever!
one Of his fellow craftsmen 40
mires.
A--AA ~--,,oy vol,,yNa In s~r1n