Judge — October 27, 1928 — page 20: what you’re looking at

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

JUD GE SUD GING he SAOW Se GEORGE JEA 2. Epoar Setwyx has publicly expressed M such a high regard for my critical talents that it grieves me to have to exercise them upon his latest play, “Possession,” and duly pro nounce it an extremely bad one. In fact, after thanking Mr. Selwyn for the kind words with which he has celebrated my gifts, I must report that his play constitutes about as woefully dull an evening as I have encountered in a long time. Dr. Selwyn is a man of the theatre. He has served it in the capacity of actor, producer, pl wright, manager and assiduous first-nighter, invar ably adorning it, unlike some of us bums, with a spot- less dinner jacket tonily embellished with a large lapel bloom. He has been loyal to the theatre, so loyal, indeed, that not only has he sat faithfully through thousands of plays to the bitter end, but has remained in his seat for fifteen or twenty minutes afterward, applauding them, proceeding then to the back of the house to congratulate the author, to order sandwiches from Reuben’s for the entire cast, and to smile benevolently upon the ushers. But, like many men who are excessively close to a thing, he has not observed the progress that the theatre has made and has continued to see it as it was some ye: ago. His ¥ together with the staging and direc- tion of it, indicates this clearly. It is two decades behind the times, and so is the manner of its production, I shall not go into details, but will content myself with a few illustrations. Twenty years ago, the one line that one was certain to encounter in four plays out of five concerned an offspring’s challenge to one or another of its parents that it had not asked to be born. You'll duly find it in “Possession.” Twenty ve ble piece of dire rs ago, it was an inevil tion to By N NATHAN cause an actor in the throcs of nervous irritation or worry to pace madly up and down the stage. You'll duly find it in “Possession.” Twenty. yes criminating letters figured in every second popular play. You'll duly find them in Prof, Selwyn's ex- hibit. Twenty years ago, the star plot had to do with a husband weaned away from his wife by a hussy, with the wife eventually triumphing over the bad baby, and hubby returning penitently to his own fire- id You'll duly find the plot here, in. -And you'll find as many other souvenirs of a distant day Maybe, after all, Mr. Selwyn was mistaken and I m not critic that he said I was. But if Iam, his play, as I have hinted, is pretty dismal stuff. Margaret Lawrence is starred. Once a promising actress, she has resolved herself into an eminently mediocre one, relying almost entirely for her effects upon such emotional monkeyshines as passed out of acting with the era of Fanny Davenport. “T & Commann Perrormance” is also the work of a man of the theatre, Mr. C. Stafford Dickens, an actor. It amounts to nothing more than a cheap paraphrase of “The Prisoner of Zenda” and “Rupert of Hentzau,” which tales, for their own good, hap- pened to be written by an author. There are excep- tions, true enough, but, judging from the kind of stuff they turn out, I can't see why these present-day actors do not content themselves with being and leave the writing of plays to men who know to write. Mr. Dickens, for example, is a ctor when he concerns himself with his own job, but when tries to go in for playwriting he is : dead loss. His piece on view at the Klaw is clap- trap of the worst sort. stors, (Continued on page 26) Theatre “Paris” (Music Box “The Common Sin” “Courage” (Kits). onial comedy. trange Interlude” Mt Thro the Door” (49th haven't een it, see it. jam Hodge stil trying to 908 Bay” (Hammerstein) — A pone ical show with some amusing trick write plays. “when Crummles Playes” (Garrick) Heavy fun-making in a beavy Brith ry he New Moon” (Isuperial) nedy with a number of goo va the Fitth” (Little) — Ch guiding” (Bayes)—Nothing at all “This Thing Called Love” (Eliott) Foster without a play to act. Not much more, “Blackbirds” (Eltinge)—A Gret-rate “By Request? (Hudson) — Obsious evlored boof and yolel show comedy by the Nugenta, pere rt fi “+darnegan™ (Longacre) —Cheaply sen- Woonens (Ea) ic “feo goat yoal hogwash about Holly w ona and a very ¢ s ‘The High Read” (Fulton) — Cai” (Eslanger)—Familiar George digrting Lonedale comedy, ably playa. Colin sous ond ance mow. ra “Faust” (Guild) —See next week's “Hol oad burst) — imu pas on Ht vert weet Digest “Otympia™ (E To be reviews: ‘Heavy Tratfie™ (Miller) — A pire) —Molnar's latest. “dust-a- Minute” (Ambassador) Same here ing “The Light ef Asia” (Hampden) comely And here “Gentlemen of the Press’ (48th Street) “Little Accident” (Morceco)—And also —Unamusing newspaper play bere “Vanities” (Carroll) — Revue doldr “Elmer the Great” (Lyceum)—Some SLackee Git (Casino) Poor musical ofthe disogue ia very dra, but the one of two fetebing mel Cross My Heart” (Knickerbocker) — sstess” (eck) —Junk Poor murieal show without any teresting “Diamond Lit’ (Royale) Rise West le feetie. ibbish. (National)—Senti- The Front Page” (Times Square)— ental whangdoodle. of the gayent theatre evenings in “Machina!” (Ftymoutb)—Dull stuf pompoully stag “Réventare™ (Republic) 2ero Mr, Moneypenny” (Literty)—To be ribed later. ast Lite” (Forrest)—Plain tripe. “Show Beat” (Ziegfeld)—One of the best musical shows in town. “Ups-a-Daisy” (Shubert)—Sce next 4 week's page. va comicbooks.com