Judge — March 29, 1924 — page 15: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

IF WINTER COMES by George Jean Nathan rp Ersst Vaspa’s “Fata Morgana” had been produced in the late William Winter’s reign, that august gentleman would have choked with indignation. It was the convic- tion of the M. Winter that sex was a very dirty business, to be strictly sidestepped by all decent and self-respecting dramatists ind left in the hands of rank pornographers and God. When- ever a play, however fine, came along with a sex theme, the good Winter would lash himself into a fury and disgorge column upon column in’ the Tribune calling upon Comstock, the police, and the navy to help him wipe stardly blot lization. It is Winter's proud rec- the army out the ¢ ord that no absolutely first-rate « artist. of his day caped the wrath of his eunuch code of The denial by a playwright that it stork that babies was ethics, mere casual was the brought cnough to bring the old boy. thundering down upon his head with a charge of de- generacy. For Winter, an_ inte ing study in crit pathology, was. ¢ of the ineradicable belief that sex was a foul thing, like a bad egg, and fit only for discussion in the back rooms of saloons. To- day, of course, such an absurd old rooster would either be laughed at or made a judge, but twenty- five years ago he regarded seriously a being possessed of some sense. son possessed of sense, but at Tribun True enough, not by any per- any rate by. the owner of the Vajda’s play, as I have said, would make Winter turn over in his grave. In the first place, it deals with sex. And in the second place, which would make Winter madder still, it is an extremely good comedy. If a play dealt with sex and was a Winter would merely get sore. But if a play dealt at the same time a good play, he would go exasperation. nd merit, both of which wrgana” have, were viewed by the late gent in the light of a personal insult. If he had been present on the open- ing night of the Vajda comedy, he would have grabbed his hat at the end of the first act, climbed up the aisle, and hustled out Why not advertise for their trade, too? into ‘Rhirty-fifth street to look fora policeman. But the police- man, unless Tam a poor guesser, once he got into the theater would have completely forgotten his duty, as Winter saw: it, would have sat down and enjoyed the play immensely, and, when the final curtain fell, would have grabbed his hat, climbed up the aisle, hustled out into ‘Thirty-fifth street, collared Winter, and hurried him by the seat of the breeches to the psychopathie ward at Bellevue. Vajda’s comedy is naughty, itis naughty only as life itself is sometimes For if naughty. There is nothing in it to offend above — the anyone mental status of an osteo- path or a Congress- And been produced under the direction of Philip Moeller by the ‘Theater and as it is played by man, as it has Guild, Emily Stevens and Morgan Farley in its central réles, it is one of the thorough de- lights of the present season. Wiser, on the other hand, would doubtless have raved over Dorothy Brandon's “The Out- sider,” which not only has no sex in it but which is, to boot, a poor play. Any play that was pure was, to Winter’ sway of think- ing, ipso facto, a very excellent piece of dra- “The Outsider” is as pure matic writing. as a soap advertise- ment. T have said that “The Outsider” is the work of Dorothy Brandon. It was when T saw it in London last spring, but in New York it has been further pinched and tickled by Vincent) Law- rence and William Harris, Jr., unless mys in a false report. While the local version is an improvement over the London one, it would take Moliére, Shakespeare and Hauptmann, working overtime and supplied with plenty of beer and pretzels, to convert the exhibit into respectable « na. As. it stands, however, it is not without some appeal to the « in the theatergoing population that views as a masterpiece any dingus in which a cripple suddenly throws aside her crutches at quarter of eleven and announces with a surprised, glad ery that—see!—she can walk and is cured! Whether this element (Continued on page 32) No. 316 brings ment comicbooks.com